Stella puts own political twist in her fluffy articles - Vanessa Walters

Here's a letter in today's Kaieteur News in response to my recent column:

Dear Editor,

Stella Ramsaroop has once again gone on one of her most strenuous efforts to misrepresent the views of a writer, and put her own political twist or spin on it, so that she can cull another one of her articles for publication.

In her article in Kaieteur News of' Thursday 29th December, 2005, she essays to ridicule and criticise the views of Press Liaison to the President, Mr. Robert Persaud, MBA, in one of his regular weekly viewpoints.

In her article, which is headed: “I do not care to share a bed with certain people”, one cannot resist the temptation to ask her who are the type of people with whom she would be inclined to share her bed. It certainly titillates our imaginations.

Most of her articles are fluff, intended to take up space, and perhaps to entertain some readers.

She implies that when Persaud says: “Many commentators are inclined to present this rich diversity as an obstacle rather than an opportunity for us to make Guyana a bright model of tolerance” that he really copied the idea from her December 15 article in which she had written: “Ethnic diversity is an attribute that makes Guyana beautiful.”

First of all, as a regular reader of Persaud's weekly viewpoints, he has always been stressing the benefits and possibilities of our rich diversity, so maybe Stella really got the idea from him, rather than the other way round.

Secondly, Persaud is making a rather different and authentic point in saying that there are those who are presenting this rich diversity as an obstacle rather than an opportunity, on which Stella has conveniently avoided commenting.

As regards the idea of people sharing the same bed, which seems to have got Stella excited, it is clear to everybody but her that he is employing the use of a metaphorical analogy to convey his ideas. Recall ‘Political bed-fellows', a common phase.

Persaud has made the very valid point that, in spite of various shocks which the nation has suffered both internally and externally, the economy has been so successfully managed that it was able to still grant a 7% increase to all public servants, and a 75 % increase to all old-age pensioners.

Since then we heard of President Jagdeo giving a month's tax-free bonus to members of the Army, Police, Prison and Fire Services.

I guess these are things that Stella and her political crew may not want us to hear.

Strike Up The Band!

Vanessa Walters