By GHK Lall- Parliamentary matters. Presidential matters. Police matters. Patrimony (profits, reserves, Wales GTE) matters. Political matters. Money matters. There are many more. More than ever before, Guyana needs a free, fair, frank, and fearless press.
Freedom of the press, an independent press, is a bulwark in any genuine democracy. It’s a drop-dead issue. Nonnegotiable. An honest leader, a clean government, a principled citizen, a reasonable and democratic-minded man or woman needs no national constitution for guidance, no UN Convention. Doesn’t even need a Bible or Bhagavad Gita. Or, one sura from the Koran. Personal standards, individual conscience, societal demands, all hold freedom of the press as a mandatory presence in modern life. Not a necessary nuisance, but a compulsory presence. I so hold.
What is gone is gone. Regrettable. Was avoidable. Looking back drains precious energies from the demands of the times, the needs of the present moment, the new Guyana environment. To be informed. To know. So that citizens can grow. In knowing how they are being led. In learning to what use, untainted use, their leaders and government have put their assets. Identically, how leaders are caring their trust. Their hopes resting on scrupulous grounds, dealt with in authentic, respectful manners would be the best. A free press and freedom of thinking are democracy’s oxygen. Enter Kiskadee Watch to add its voice to other Guyanese voices.
Freedom of the press (an independent press) at this time in Guyana must become a self-taught, self-asserted mantra of all Guyanese. If not, then what? Darkness creeps in, takes over, never retreats. Official falsehoods fed to the gullible. B-S spreads. Falsehoods and bull-s normalised. When last did citizens of this impressive, yet oppressive, Oil Republic were given one official story that was true through-and-through? One completely untarnished in its elements? The free press fills that vacuum. An independent press gives Guyanese their own platforms. To articulate appreciation, have convictions heard. To voice openly what they expect, what’s wrong.
The golden rule of the independent press is the less the heavy dictating hands, or shadow, of government around it, the better for citizens. Those wanting better for their families, their communities, their country. The golden rule that all openminded Guyanese must come to understand is that freedom of the press doesn’t come cheap. In this age, it isn’t free, relative to money. Guyana’s leading mentors, Americans, have a saying: there’s no free lunch. Free lunches have their hidden prices.
Ignorance-hired, incited or condoned-is one price. When oil, gold, other rich minerals draw the world to Guyana, with hands open, and minds working nonstop, then information is at a premium for all Guyanese. Regardless where they stand socially, politically, otherwise. When Guyanese don’t know, are blanked from knowing, it’s inevitable hurt follows. Happened before. Current circumstances almost guarantee Guyanese could get hurt again; only more grievously. Because when they learn what is really happening, it’s too late. Ashes to sift through, laments accompanying.
In these times, in this environment, freedom of the press isn’t a cosmetic. It’s an imperative. A moral, ethical, national imperative, so that local circumstances are given their proper weight. So that foreign influences and pressures, all hard realities, are known and faced. It is why press vehicles that function as they should, driven by fair and patriotic citizens, are so vital here today. A truly independent press is one hallmark of democracy at its roots, its sprouts, to its highest branches. Now comes Kiskadee Watch to report.
To think clearly, speak fairly, and present fearlessly, that is democracy at its best. It’s the mandate of the independent press, a call on every Guyanese. It is the demand made on me. Balanced reporting. Fair and just commentary. A voice for all sides. In its very heart, and independent press represents freedom of the press. Governance of the people by the people themselves. Holding themselves accountable. Taking charge of their destiny. I welcome, I salute Kiskadee Watch. Like I do Village Voice, Kaieteur News, Demerara Waves.
