These notes come across as an attempt to drown out dissenting views

Dear Editor,

The very stark Stabroek News Editor-in-Chief’s notes to letters in the past few weeks has disappointed me. Following the Editor-in-Chief’s note to Lincoln Lewis’s letter last week, on 10 June it did the same to David Hinds. These notes come across as an attempt to drown out different or dissenting views of the newly established norm. It is appalling that Stabroek News has shifted away from its noble 1986 beginnings of an impartial free press. While many have promulgated the view that these elections were free and fair, at the very tip of the iceberg is a disturbing level of consistency at the absence of poll books and other material documents that legitimizes an elections. While some may wish to gloss over these procedural matters, they are the sine qua non of transparency.

No one denies the appearance of fraud during the initial vote tabulation. But, similar allegations of irregularities by APNU+AFC during the recount are no different. Where has your objectivity gone? Your poor excuse of “were they (irregularities) to be even countenanced it would mean that no election in this part of the world or anywhere else for that matter could be credibly held.” Stabroek News is accepting that fraudulent activities occurred but they are too weak to deal with it as a now fledging media house, even if it means one party has deceitfully gained potentially 50,000 votes.

David de Caires must be turning in his grave at Stabroek News’ recent lack of objectivity. The current administration may have taken too long to have these elections, but a respectable media house should not allow its judgement to be clouded only by a few events. Your loss of drive for investigative journalism will turn your newspaper into the latest rag, until you attempt again to re-invent yourself. It may be too late.

Yours faithfully,

Krishna Persaud

Editor-in-Chief’s note: An important mission of the newspaper when it was launched in 1986 was to assist in the restoration of free and fair elections. It is appalling that the country is at risk of suffering rigged elections in 2020 because of Mr Mingo’s fraud and complicity by senior GECOM officials. The APNU+AFC’s allegations are meant to substitute for the exposure of Mr Mingo’s plot. These allegations have no basis and should not detain the GECOM Chair from declaring the result of the recount.