ANYONE who has read me the past 36 years would know there is an inflexible journalistic position I have –  I will never lose my dignity by replying to someone who is anonymous. I am not anonymous so why should I encourage anonymous public attacks?

I will mention the name Sean Ori because I know he is a real person from the Guyana diaspora. I rather suspect as a reaction to one of my columns, Mr. Sean Ori sent a correspondence to the Stabroek News. My column for Monday, July 21, 2025, carried these words:  “I don’t exist for the Stabroek News. Any letter writer that mentions my name—that part is edited out. Any online comment attached to the newspaper that mentions my name is taken out.”

Mr. Ori in yesterday’s edition (Wednesday) of the Stabroek News (SN) wrote the following words:  “I would like to take this opportunity to ask the Editor of Stabroek News to clarify if Freddie Kissoon has been sanctioned by SN as he seems to believe?”  The SN attached an editorial note saying no. So let’s see if SN’s denial can be picked apart.

A note on political theory about Guyanese society is relevant before we move on.  Over my 57 years of activism, I have demonstrated relentless adherence to the belief for which they exist. There are literally millions of pieces of evidence that there have been a large number of people in Guyana who have critiqued or rallied against unacceptable governance or faulty exercise of power that has, at an absolute level, no moral substance or ethical capacity to condemn the people in power.

Space is there, not there to elaborate but one point is pellucid in my mind. Since the Ali presidency came into being, the lack of a moral compass of those who criticise ruling politicians has no parallel in modern Guyanese politics. I say with unambiguous trenchancy, the SN is no embodiment of moral physiology to criticise the Ali presidency on anything. SN’s journey into journalism is dark, frightening, and insanely politicised.

The moderator of the online edition of SN, who is the editor-in-chief himself, Mr. Anand Persaud, added a comment to a letter-writer who criticised Mr. Ori’s missive. Brace yourself for narcissism in journalism. The moderator’s note referred to the SN as the best newspaper in the world. If SN is the best newspaper in the world, then Benjamin Netanyahu is the world’s most humane ruler, and Henry Kissinger was the male version of Mother Teresa.

Now to answer Mr. Ori’s question if I am banned by SN. The answer is yes. Do I have the proof?  The remainder of this column provides the proof. I have written a column the past 36 years and for more than 15 years, it has been a daily offering. I write extensively about the politics of Guyana. In the letter sections of SN, controversial names are mentioned, like GHL Lall, Chris Ram, Joel Bhagwandin, Dr. Randy Persaud, Vishu Bisram, and a dozen others.

Do you believe it is just the reality over the past 10 years that not one person ever thought of any mention of Frederick Kissoon in the printed and online formats of SN? Do you believe that? I have more evidence. Region 4 is a small part of Guyana; Georgetown is even smaller. People would come up to me and tell me that they wrote things about me in a letter they sent to SN and Kaieteur News (KN) but only KN published it.

I have been told this by several persons who said they have written both negatively and positively about me but SN never carried the letters. A former big name in the PNC sent his letter on me to both KN and SN; only KN published it. The only organisation that is allowed by SN to talk about me in the newspaper is the Guyana Human Rights Association and inevitably my name is taken out and the following words are substituted: “A columnist with the state media.”

These are the people that rundown the government daily. These are the people who want us to believe that ruling politicians practise no accountability and are insensitive. These are the people that complain about unfair conduct by the government. But they are worse than any ruling politician.

Remember my Monday column on an expatriate named Leyland Roopnarine. He criticises the government all the time but wrote last week to say he only knows three persons who wrote in the newspaper that condemn the rigging of the 2020 election. He didn’t mention the 159 columns I did. Beware of those who criticise the government!
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.