Govt knocks SN for Ram, Bulkan letters

TIMES INT'L

Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, on Wednesday criticised Stabroek News for publishing letters by Christopher Ram and Janet Bulkan that contained criticisms of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and the objection to the uses of GRIF funds.

According to the Cabinet secretary, the criticisms levelled by Ram and Bulkan needed closer scrutiny. He noted that the “gross inaccuracies in their representations” needed to be addressed at the level of the editorial staff of the publication.

“The question to be posed is: how could Stabroek News be absolved of any responsibility for foisting such ignorance by Ram and Bulkan on the public? Stabroek News’ editorial staff seem grossly inept to allow such obvious inaccuracies to be published in the pages of the Stabroek News”, Dr Luncheon said.

Alternatively, the HPS said, the newspaper’s staff may be considered to be dismissive of Ram’s contentions by their very inattention to the inaccuracies in his arguments. Pointing to specific inaccuracies, Dr Luncheon said that it was “inexcusable” that the newspaper that has written “exhaustively” on both topics could allow Ram to associate the construction of the Amaila Falls Hydropower with Synergy Holdings.

“Everybody knows; every newspaper in town; spit press tells you Synergy is road and Sithe Global is hydropower,” the HPS asserted, pointing out that, “as a credible newspaper and one that panders to the notions of ethic and proper journalistic, professional practices, they should have edited that.”

Recently, the Cabinet secretary had cause to rebut Ram’s position on the LCDS, urging the attorney turned-talk-show-host to get his facts right. In his letter, Ram made several points to justify his claim that the government is “intolerant of independent voices and critical views”, and bemoaned a lack of “openness, transparency and accountability”.

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