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Feb 19, 2022 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon
Kaieteur News – I will never resist my obligation of replying to my critics because when you do, people’s eyes are opened. There are countless people in and out of this country who do not know of countless things those in the news have done. If you do not reply when things are written about you, then your critics are left protected.
In this column, I will start with former Finance Minister, Winston Jordan. Here is what I wrote about Jordan in the column, “Thank you, Winston Jordan but I am not grateful?” of Monday, November 29, 2021: “Here is something about me that Winston Jordan, as Finance Minister, didn’t know. A few years ago because of a critical staff shortage in the hard news section of Kaieteur News, I did a short stint as editor of the letter pages. I carried an apology a few times when Minister Jordan would demand it for the most innocuous criticism of him even inconsequential statements way back when he served in the budget department under the PPP government. I will never forget one particular missive in which the writer merely opined that Mr. Jordan was once supportive of the PPP government when he was a high official in the Ministry. Normally, these are things Cabinet ministers just ignore. But Jordan demanded an apology. I carried it. As a political analyst in the newspapers for the past 33 years, Mr. Jordan remains one of the persons I am afraid to write about because he has a propensity to sue.”
I will continue to write about public figures without malice. Threats of libel will not deter me and actual libel trials will not deter me. You become a willing victim of bullying if you decide that because you are afraid of being sued, you will never comment on the action of a particular public figure. Then, you make that person a sacred cow in your journalistic career.
On Thursay in this newspaper, Mr. Jordan wrote in response to one of my columns that he had no arrangement with B. K. Tiwarie. And he reserves his right to seek redress. I don’t know which column Jordan is referring to because I know of no column I wrote that attribute any wrong-doing to Jordan. If Jordan doesn’t know what libelous words mean, I do.
I wrote that Jordan made an arrangement with Tiwarie to purchase state property. That is all I wrote. Since Mr. Jordan has been charged, there are defenders of Mr. Jordan who noted that he acted properly. Mr. Roysdale Forde in court papers defending Mr. Jordan cited the law under which Mr. Jordan is entitled to act in the transfer of State assets. Forde cited the Public Corporations Act, which gives the minister authority to transfer state property to any other party.
Each day in most countries, the Finance Minister is involved in transactions to which he/she puts his/her signature. The question is whether in signing, he/she acted illegally. I never made any comment on the nature of the action of Mr. Jordan that resulted in Mr. Tiwarie receiving an asset.
There are no words of mine, in reference to what Mr. Jordan has been charged with, that say Mr. Jordan acted improperly. Whatever Mr. Jordan signed that resulted in an asset transfer to Mr. Tiwarie was not commented upon by me. It would be useful if Mr. Jordan can do two things – show where I defended the State’s charges against him and secondly, where I acknowledged that he committed an illegal act.
Here is the headline of Kaieteur News for December 31, 2021, “Ceres backs indictment against Jordan” with the following words: “Prominent Guyanese Geotechnical Engineer, Charles Ceres said the police are correct in charging former Finance Minister Winston Jordan for the role he played in the “gifting of valuable state asset on the Demerara River waterfront to BK International.”
I have seen nothing in the press from Mr. Jordan threatening libel against Mr. Ceres. Mr. Jordan has been charged by the State for illegal transactions. A commentator can write about that. Accusing the defendant of guilt is another matter. But how can one accuse Mr. Jordan of anything illegal when the matter is before the courts and I did state that.
Finally, Vincent Alexander, in response to one of my articles, denied that he ever commented on the conduct of Clairmont Mingo, the Returning Officer for Region 4 in the March 2020 election. This is an attempt to shape words to confuse people. Alexander in GECOM meetings and in the newspapers accepted the declaration of results of Thursday, March 5 that contained inaccurate numbers attributed to Mingo. That is not only commenting on Mingo’s conduct but accepting it.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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