After reading today's issue of the Sunday Guardian, I pondered long and hard whether I should lodge any complaint of any kind owing to the sensitivity of the media but I have decided to do so owing to our long standing relationship and, more importantly, of credible interaction with you in your desk at the Sunday Guardian.
I was at the Police Youth Clubs' Sports meeting at Edinburgh 500 on Saturday last and, after the parade and judging of the bands I was approached by some members of the media on several issues including your Reshma Ragoonath.
I hesitated to speak with them owing to my experience with the media these past weeks and based on my pronouncement at another function on Thursday last when I said that "You write, I'll read".
Notwithstanding my initial concerns, based on the advice of my Special Adviser, Francis Joseph (whom I contacted) that the members of the media present are of the highest tenets of the tradition (which was also confirmed by free lancer Daryll Heeralal who was present) I agreed to participate in the interview.
All the media persons present reported exactly what I said and except for the Guardian none of them had a misleading headline and herein lies my disgust at today's front page headline - which I never said.
Nowhere in Ms Ragoonath's quotation from me was such a statement ever made. I was appointed as Minister of National Security by the Hon Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and it is within her portfolio to remove me (or any other Minister for that matter) at anytime.
I perused Ms Ragoonath's quotations from in the article throughout and not once could I have found such a statement attributed to me. Why then the deliberately misleading headline, for which she can in no way beheld accountable? What it is intended to achieve is quite clear but why use the medium of the Sunday Guardian to achieve that?
I know your company's aim is to sell your newspapers and the debasement and malign of Jack Warner and his family are the biggest drawing cards in an otherwise sick society but is it really necessary to lower the bar so low?
I commend Ms Ragoonath for the professional way in which she wrote her article but, alas, I have nothing but shame for the continuing role of the Guardian and others in attempting to destabilise this government.
And to add insult to injury, your newspaper then interviews two former PNM Ministers of Foreign Affairs to get their views on Jack Warner, with a front page blurb of Paula Gopee-Scoon, the worst Minister of Foreign Affairs ever!
I conclude by saying that, in future, before I give any interviews with your newspaper I will first seek to get certain assurances failing which I will not be participating in any interviews. Furthermore I will be forwarding this e.mail of complaint to the owners of the Guardian to show them what a "professional" work his staff at the Guardian is doing.
Regards | Jack Warner
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