THE Kaieteur News of Tuesday April 12, 2011 featured an interesting article by its columnist Peeping Tom under the caption, “The Government has become a blog.”

The central focus of the article was the pretended flag-bearer stand of the Kaieteur News on the issue of perceived corruption in Guyana and the position of the owner/publisher Glen Lall, as a crusader against the wrongs he perceives in our society.

The article was also critical of President Jagdeo’s public comments about Glen Lall and the Kaieteur News which the columnist contends reflects poorly on the President’s high office and attracts embarrassment.

Kaieteur News cannot deny that, within the past weeks, it has been highly critical and condemnatory of President Jagdeo and members of his cabinet; that it has employed and continues in the use of language that refers derogatorily to the President and that such language is deliberately intended to breed disrespect for and ridicule of the President and is calculated to cause or influence the Guyanese people to show disrespect for the President and contempt for his office, but President Jagdeo has a huge following of loyal Guyanese.

The warm welcome and huge show of support, love and affection for the President displayed by the people of Guyana as he travels around the country, demonstrates in a very convincing way, that despite its best efforts, the Kaieteur News has failed to dilute the people’s respect, love and admiration for their President.
Of the disclosures made by the President about Glen Lall, it is certainly not enough for Glen Lall or the Kaieteur News on his behalf to say that he (Glen Lall) “is not worried about what the President has to say about him.” After all, Glen Lall is holding himself out as a moral crusader who is taking a strong anti-corruption stand. Implicitly, he is saying to the Guyanese people that  he is fighting corruption in Guyana and that he is of impeccable character; that he has never in his life been involved in a shady deal or corrupt transaction, that he has never in his life attempted to corrupt or ever did corrupt public morals or public officials.
Glen Lall cannot expect that these matters will be inferred from his pretended moral crusading. He must make public declarations on these issues so that the Guyanese people can hear him and determine if he can be believed.
President Jagdeo said the United States Government revoked Glen Lall’s visa. Peeping Tom was very clever. He, she or shim informed us in the said article that Lall had only just returned from the USA. Such a disclosure was intended to be in disproof of President Jagdeo’s disclosure that Glen Lall’s visa had been revoked and that Lall could indeed travel to the USA.

But the fact that Glen Lall cannot go to the USA does not mean that his visa had not been revoked. The question remains: “Was Glen Lall’s visa revoked by the US government? Glen Lall should let the Guyanese people know.

He is in the public eye claiming to be the champion of a public issue. He should show himself worthy and believable. If it is that his visa was revoked, the further question is: “Why was it revoked?”

The people of Guyana are entitled to know. And if  it is that the US government reinstated his visa, Lall should say so and reveal under what circumstances it was reinstated. Questions are being asked as to whether it was reinstated after a simple plea or whether it was the result of a negotiated deal. Glen Lall should tell the people of Guyana if perhaps Thomas Carroll, now a guest of the US federal prison system, had any role to play in his visa fiasco.

Speak Glen, people need to know. If we do not know the answers to these questions, then how do you expect us to believe you when you say that it is your belief that bad blood exists between the government and Kaieteur News because of the paper’s exposure of corruption in Guyana?
On this  theme, however, the empirical evidence (a hard word Glen, but Freddie or Adam should be able to explain to you what is empirical evidence) does not support you.
I have reviewed the nature, tone and content of the Kaieteur News during the period that the government had ceased all advertising in the Stabroek News. The tone of Kaieteur News reporting then was highly pro-government. Notably absent then was Kaieteur News’ emphasis on perceived corruption in Guyana.

Of course, during that period, Glen Lall strutted on the social circuit like a proud peacock, hobnobbing and back – slapping with government functionaries. He was the man of the moment. Kaieteur News was doing well financially, beyond his wildest expectations. It appears that Kaieteur News then thought the Government of Guyana a good government.

Then came the reversal of  government’s  decision with regard to the placement of public advertising in Stabroek News.

Inevitably, the Kaieteur News would no longer hog it all. Government advertisements placed in Kaieteur News were reduced. The pie had to be shared. Kaieteur News has admitted that reduced government advertising in its pages impacted negatively on its finances. Glen Lall and the Kaieteur News became sour and resentful of the idea that government resumed advertising in the Stabroek News, one of its principal competitors.

The empirical evidence also shows that with the reversal of the government’s advertising policy towards Stabroek News, the Kaieteur News began to shift its policy and attitude towards the government.

Its hostility towards the government began to become noticeable and grew worse with the passage of time. With the advent of the Guyana Times, the Kaieteur News became patently bitter.

Its subtle hostility became very open. Vituperation and character assassination of President Jagdeo and government officials became fashionable and has now grown out of control.

President Jagdeo notwithstanding his office is a human being and a politician. He cannot be expected not to strike back in the face of malicious attacks upon him.

He has made striking revelations about some of those on the course of attack against him and his government. He is entitled to do so.

The hostility of the Kaieteur News, and its grandstanding and moral posturing, rings hollow with the indisputable timing of its volte face towards the government. It lacks the conviction and sincerity of moral purpose. That paper’s present outlook reeks of unadulterated opportunism influenced by greed and the desire for money.

So the question raised is whether Glen Lall is really the anti-corruption champion of Guyana. We go back to President Jagdeo’s recent revelation about the customs officer who was fired for corrupt activities while a member of the customs department.

This officer, while off duty, had been seen in the customs area at Timehri International Airport, facilitating the clearance of Glen Lall’s daughter travelling from New York, through customs, using his influence to avoid her luggage being searched by on-duty customs officers.

This was the customs officer fired from the customs department for corrupt activities on whose behalf President Jagdeo claims Glen Lall intervened and made representation for his reinstatement.

Surely, if President Jagdeo is believed, this could not be appropriate conduct coming from an anti-corruption crusader. So tell the people of Guyana Glen, are these things true?

Did you intervene with President Jagdeo to have reinstated, a corrupt customs officer whose employment with the customs department had been terminated. Speak Glen or stop your double-speak.