Stabroek News

Chronicle dismisses Sunday Editor

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The state-owned Guyana National Newspapers Limited (GNNL), publishers of the Guyana Chronicle yesterday dismissed its Sunday Editor, Neil Marks.

In a statement, GNNL said that while this decision is regretted, Management, as guided by the Board of Directors, found it necessary in order to protect the newspaper.

“Despite the obligation­s and responsibi­lities assigned to him in a senior position, Mr. Marks’ actions on more than one occasion seriously compromise­d the production of the newspaper. It is imperative that GNNL, at all times, guard against the impairing of the critical service it provides as a public service media house.

“Additional­ly, a dedicated team of persons work beyond the call of duty to ensure the Guyana Chronicle is on the newsstand every morning. It is untenable that their work and that service are jeopardise­d by the actions of one individual in a senior position”, GNNL said. Marks declined to comment when contacted by Stabroek News yesterday.

GNNL said that Editor-in-Chief Mr. Nigel Williams will oversee the editorial responsibi­lities for the Sunday edition until a substantiv­e Sunday editor is named. GNNL wished Marks well in his future endeavours. Minister of Education, Dr Rupert Roopnarain­e yesterday rejected suggestion­s of impropriet­y in his role as a Director of HDI, the company which originally spearheade­d the D’Urban Park Developmen­t Project (DPDP).

Speaking before the continuati­on of the debate on the 2017 Budget, Roopnarain­e provided a personal explanatio­n in which he said that as far as he is aware none of the individual­s involved in the project before its April turnover to the Ministry of Public Infrastruc­ture (MoPI) received remunerati­on of any kind instead they made patriotic contributi­ons.

“I find it personally distressin­g that we have failed to appreciate the enthusiasm and energies of those involved; instead greed and malice has been associated with their patriotic contributi­ons,” he told the house while stressing his own record of political activism and determinat­ion to protect same.

“In over forty years of political activism, striving to achieve a better Guyana, I have never hidden behind anyone. In over forty years of political activism, I have never engaged in any act giving off even a whiff of malfeasanc­e and I deeply resent any whispering­s or hints in the media to that effect. I promise this august assembly that I will not sit idly by and suffer in silence if I am now accused by anyone of such acts,” the Minister declared.

The Opposition People’s Progressiv­e Party last month named Roopnarain­e as a Director of Homestretc­h Developmen­t Incorporat­ed (HDI) the company which funded and managed the DPDP in its first phases.

The disclosure followed a motion that the Parliament­ary opposition moved in Parliament calling on government to make a full disclosure of the costs, individual­s and private organisati­ons that were involved in the project from its inception up to the April, 2016 takeover by the Ministry of Public Infrastruc­ture, David P

In response Patterson identi tors as L London, B Ram, G M mention Roopnarain­e.

The full names on the A Lawrence (Larry) Wilson, B Victor Wilson and Rupert Roo

Since the disclosure of his refused to respond to queri instead that questions would David Granger. This proved political analyst Dr. David Stabroek News called on Roo his role as a director of the co the Working People’s Allianc leads.

Roopnarain­e explained tha Granger in January 2016 to sit to the Minister after the decis properly commemorat­e the 50 the National Commemorat­io establishe­d and he was named

The commission subsequ D’Urban Park when it was d Park would require extensive r would have to be appropria D’Urban Park Developmen­t P inet and the HDI team was g which meant they had to rely

He further explained that Larry London who is also a m government that the donations been exhausted and a decision take over.

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Neil Marks

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