…Broadcasting CoI
In the law of evidence, there’s the rule of “The Fruit of the Poisoned Tree”, which simply points out that if a tree’s been poisoned, it stands to reason the fruit from that tree will also be poisoned. Applied to law, you’d appreciate if the evidence was obtained illegally, it taints whatever conclusion was drawn from it…and is thrown out by the court.
In Guyana, we’re in the throes of an analogous matter. A month or so ago, Major General Joe Singh was appointed as a one-man CoI into a contretemps in the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority Board. After a year and a half of highly publicised outbursts by APNU’s Tony Vieira of the GNBA Board supporting demands by the Muckraker KN that the radio licences granted by the Jagdeo Administration be cancelled and given to entities like them, he was finally publicly upbraided by the Chairman of the Board, Lennox Craig, from the AFC.
Craig simply insisted that due process must be followed in whatever process to be used to review the issuance of the radio licences. And this is what Vieira couldn’t stand. He was livid and exclaimed that he was part of the “plantocracy”!! How dare Craig speak his mind? Did he HAVE a mind? Vieira insisted that Craig, as Chairman of the GNBA Board, was in no way possessed of more authority than he, an ordinary board member!! Craig bore all of this very stoically.
The straw that broke the phlegmatic Craig’s back was when Vieira and another Board member intervened on their own to remove a cable licence from an operator on the Essequibo Coast and give it to another member of the “plantocracy”! Craig intervened. Well…who told him to do that!! All hell broke loose when Craig wanted to look into the matter. He was banished to China – literally – through an offer of a scholarship and Prezzie appointed his old squaddie Joe to be a CoI to investigate the fracas between Craig, Vieira and sidekick.
One letter writer to the Muckraker immediately pointed out that Joe Singh had a pretty chummy relationship with one of the parties under investigation. And we arrive at the fruit of the poisoned tree. Could Singh fail to be influenced by his relationship?
Well, the Report’s out…and only the Muckraker got a copy! And – surprise! surprise! Not a squeak about the case of strong-arming the cable operator on the Coast! But waxes lyrically about how Craig didn’t want to rescind the “illegal” radio licences issued by the PPP.
Imagine that!
Who cares for due process? Or Craig?
…crime atmosphere
The Transparency International (TIGI) outfit finally woke up to the poisoning of the atmosphere in the rising crime spree that has transfixed the country. But there really was no opacity in the position of the Government that required transparency. Prezzie bluntly claimed that “persons were committing crimes to show the Police and Government are weak”. Earlier he’d compared the present crime rates to those from the “troubles”! And never mentioned that that spike was caused by gunmen in Buxton who claimed they were linked to the PNC. And had declared war against the PPP and their supporters.
But in making the criticism, TIGI made its usual “false equivalency” arguments to blame the PPP – then, when they were in fact under attack and now – when they are merely requesting more vigorous action by the Government. Which is what in the end TIGI is saying. They advised that the Government in general and Security Minister in particular, abandon the placebo of statistics.
And get real with the antidote to the very crime poison.
…fornication
Seems the “Pope” who was caught in flagrante delicto in a ménage à trois has ceased denial. He asked his congregation for “forgiveness”. And forgave those who trespassed, stole and released the tape.
That’s right. They knew not what they did!
