LONG, long ago (I think in the early 1970s), the state-owned radio station had a nightly call-in programme named Action Line. It became funny and lost its moorings because the programme became a form of mental comfort for older folks who needed an outlet for their retired lives.

So every night, the callers would be the same. All listeners expected a particular caller to say, “Abrams here.” Mr. Abrams called in every night. The people that offer comments on the news items and letters in the online edition of the Stabroek News (SN) are the Abrams of Action Line. Let me explain. But first, let’s quote SN in response to the accusation by the Attorney-General (AG) that bloggers that offer opinions in support of the Guyana Government are shut out.

Here is a gargantuan lie that is easy to expose. I quote SN: “The evidence is clear that many supporters of the government have had their comments posted.” How can SN write this despicable fiction when it is so simple to determine if that is true?
Here are the words of the Attorney-General (AG) that prove the evidence that SN refers to is far from clear; in fact, the evidence does not exist: I quote from the AG “The SN blog publishes the most toxic and unwanted criticism of our government by anonymous bloggers. I know of dozens of persons who made innumerable attempts to get their views on this blog in response to this tirade of baseless and malicious attacks, but were never able to get past the editor’s guillotine. The irreversible inference is that it is the editorial policy to permit, on this blog, overwhelming criticisms of the Government.”

Now it is repugnant barefacedness for SN to claim that pro-government bloggers exist in the online edition of the newspapers. Where are they? You know they are not there by just going to the site. I know they are not there because I visit the site. If you think SN is telling the truth, just visit the platform from yesterday, going back in time, and you will see the comments on the online edition. This is simply a vicious arena for anti-government people. If you think you are a decent person and you have a positive opinion of SN, then do the decent thing and rewind the tape to yesterday, last week, last month, and last year, and you will see the bloggers are all anti-government.

Let’s use a part of the quote from the AG cited above for emphasis: “I know dozens of persons who made innumerable attempts”. What is he talking about? It is commonsensical to understand. A minister has several aides that work in his/her ministry.
The minister would read something erroneous in the SN and would say to one of the aides: “Send in a response in the comments section.” It is when the Minister does not see it and he/she ask his/her aide, then the minister knows it wasn’t carried. You have to be stupid not to know that the AG has had that unfortunate experience, thus his words quoted above.

Now read this, coming from SN: “The comments section has provided an invaluable interface, particularly with the diaspora and has enabled vigorous discussion of many aspects of national life and challenges facing the country.” How can a national newspaper lie so egregiously in public?

Please do not take my word for it. Do the decent thing and go to the comments section. For the past umpteen years, the bloggers have been the same people. It is Action Line all over. How do you explain this one-dimensional characteristic of the section?  Almost a hundred percent of the comments are posted by people in their sixties, seventies and eighties who are retirees living in the US.
As with Action Line, these people live a boring life in the US. The comments section brings them alive. I honestly believe they stay up until the wee hours in the morning just to see what SN has. It is the same people over and over again and just two of them carry their right names – Emile Mervin and Mike Persaud.

Which vigorous discussions you find on the comments page of the online edition of SN? It is the same mentally jaded people cussing down the government. What is sickening is that they do not follow the contents of the arguments of government officials and adumbrate a learned reply. Always it is a cuss down affair.
Look at all the comments on the AG’s letter. All of it is silly cussing down of the AG. Let me close by urging readers to please open your eyes. Even if you do not like the government, don’t be a fool by the Stabroek News