ON behalf of the Aircraft Owners Association of Guyana (AOAG), I wish to express our very serious concern and complete dismay at an anonymous article which appeared in your (Kaieteur News) newspaper on Sunday 24th February, 2013, under the headline ‘Muse or Amuse….Sold!!!’

In this Kaieteur News article, Capt. Gerry Gouveia was subjected to the most appalling, false and defamatory accusations which have no basis in truth. The article also makes a wholly unjustified attack on      the businessmen of the private sector and labels the Guyanese private sector the “worst in the world”.

The Aircraft Owners Association of Guyana takes strong exception to this entirely irresponsible article and is truly surprised that the Kaieteur News has allowed its publication.

The AOAG wishes to remind the Kaieteur News that Capt. Gouveia has served with distinction as a former army officer with the GDF Air Command. He has served his country unselfishly, for many years, often, to our knowledge, putting his life on the line in the interest of Guyana and the Guyanese people.

Capt. Gouveia is a long-standing member of the AOAG and has continued to play a non-partisan and critical role in representing the Association in its relations with the government, on many occasions on matters in which the Association has disagreed with the government.

In his capacity as one of the leading and most informed aviators in Guyana, Capt. Gouveia has, without reservation, supported other members of the  aviation community at all times over the last 15 years.

Besides the service he has given to the AOAG, he has also provided through his Airline, RAL, the main “med-evacuation” of sick and injured Guyanese from all over our hinterland especially at night.

We should also point out that Capt. Gouveia has voluntarily given his professional knowledge and time to serving civil society, including as a previous President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) for some five years, the Chamber of Commerce for two years, as Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), as a Director of the Board for Ogle Airport Inc. and is currently the Chairman of the PSC’s Governance and Security Committee.

If as a Guyanese newspaper, we persistently try to bring down those in our society that serve our country and its people, then, perhaps, we should consider ourselves the worst newspaper society in the world.