Dear Editor,
I am a Guyanese living in England and consider myself an integral part of the diaspora. Consequently, I eagerly keep tabs on issues emanating from my birth country through such mediums as the internet and the four daily newspapers, Guyana Chronicle, Guyana Times, Kaieteur News, and Stabroek News. Oft times, these mediums cover similar issues but from different perspectives, depending on which one of them I peruse.
They say that the media don’t tell you what to think but, conversely, what to think about. Naturally, I peruse the daily news organs and look forward to news from my homeland. That is why I was so thrilled when, upon returning to Guyana in January 2022 I noted an addition to the pool of news organs, a printed copy of the Village Voice Newspaper which, to my mind, spoke volumes to the notion of ‘free enterprise.’
Village Voice provided the consumer with a different, and might I add, logical angle to the happenings in Guyanese society, in contrast to the other newspapers. I have since returned to England and remained an ardent reader of this newspaper and have even gone one step further by making financial contributions toward its viability.
I returned to Guyana in December last year and attempted to procure a few copies for friends, as souvenirs, only to find out that the paper is off the stands and is only accessible online. Upon asking a question, I was informed that the absence of adequate advertisement, including state ads, to liquidate printing and other expenses were chiefly responsible for this anomaly. Closer examination revealed that the newspaper was starved of state ads and the owners were hard-pressed to facilitate a weekly production of a hard copy. They have since resorted to a soft copy on the internet.
I regard Village Voice as a people-oriented document that carries a wide cross-section of stories and views that provide readers with interesting and balanced perspectives, contrary to other news organs that attract heavy government support in the advertising sector.
I firmly subscribe to the belief that the views of every group in this society must be given an opportunity to be heard, devoid of discrimination by individuals or groups, whether private or government.
The government’s unilateral decision to starve Village Voice of state-owned resources based on what it perceives to be opposing views and opinions must be vigorously condemned. Conscientious Guyanese should also question the deafening silence of the members of the Private Sector and the wider society over this blatant form of discrimination.
Probing questions must also be directed to those members of the business community who benefit from our support and those of the reading public, concerning their reticence over this sordid state of affairs. These kind ladies and gentlemen seem to have decided against ads or any other form of economic support for the sustenance of this newspaper. As a means of retaliation, we should collectively begin the process of withholding our hard-earned dollars and taking our business to those that truly support our missions and ventures. If they believe that the paper does not qualify for economic support, then we should assert that their businesses are not worthy of our hard-earned dollars.
I believe that the time has arrived for a closer examination of those corporations and businesses that unfairly refuse to render corporate support that benefits a large body of their clientele.
Yours truly,
Alvin Richards
