THE irresponsibility of the private media in Guyana is clearly shown when the Demerara Waves website goes way beyond the boundaries of journalistic ethics. Early this week comments allowed on Demerara Waves by someone using the name Mother Sally clearly promoted racial division of citizens. It also blatantly promotes violence against one section of the population at a time when the political scene is so fragile, it calls for the utmost care and responsibility in reporting and monitoring.
Recently when the Guyana Chronicle carried a certain editorial it was branded racist and the private media soundly joined in its condemnation, demanding and receiving an apology to the nation and the withdrawal of the offending article.
Following the Demerara Waves post in question, it was noticed that the Indian Arrival Committee had strongly condemned the posting and rightly so. Such deliberate indiscretion by Demerara Waves can have dire consequences for innocent citizens.
All must join in demanding Demerara Waves remove the post and apologise as the Guyana Chronicle did for the editorial mentioned
Only a few weeks ago, a gunman shot and killed about a dozen people in a movie theatre in the U.S. and just recently a man opened fire in a Sikh Temple killing six. The latter was believed to be a hate crime.
Given these circumstances. the U.S. authorities demanded that the person who posed on Twitter threatening to open fire on a Broadway show be revealed. The demand was met and the person is being sought.
Likewise, the authorities here must demand that Demerara Waves reveal the person who made that dangerous post.
Anonymous internet bloggers must not be allowed to hide their identities forever.  Such blogging can become a danger to national security.
In Guyana, it is time that websites that allow comments which promote race hate are treated the same way as the U.S. authorities dictate and persons posting such scurrilous comments that promote violence are found and penalised by the law to the fullest extent.