President Bharrat Jagdeo today explained his reason for taking Kaieteur News and columnist Freddie Kissoon to court, reiterating his resolute stance on crossing the line with racism in society.

            Speaking to the media at a press conference at the Office of the President, the Head of State said he has for long been ignoring the ever so often attacks on him by Kaieteur News and Freddie Kissoon whom he described as “the last person in the world to lecture on morals.”
The President reiterated however, that he will not stay silent when racism comes into the picture.
“I see them trying to whip up once again racial sentiments in our society and that is what I am not going to tolerate. I’m going to fight this right down the line,” President Jagdeo said.
President Jagdeo is suing the columnist and Kaieteur News for over $10M, on the grounds of libel in a June 28 publication. The President is arguing that the article suggests that he and “by extension, the State and Government of Guyana practise racism as an ideology, dogma, philosophy and policy…”
At today’s press conference President Jagdeo said, “he has to prove I’m racist and prove that my government’s policies have their origin in that… so I’m looking forward to this wonderful day in court when we do that,” President Jagdeo said.
The President however, seemed more concerned about the generation of today burying the country’s past experiences where race and ethnicity were used as tools to divide the society.
He said there is notable evidence that both young and old today are much more comfortable living with each other.
“Society is changing. People rely on each other more. You turn out to any workplace now, you would see a mix of our country and that’s how it should be… people are more intolerant to the language of racism,” President Jagdeo said.
The few in society who President Jagdeo said are making attempts to return Guyana to this hostile past are those that are ignorant of the value of the positive attitudes needed to mobilize people.
“I am convinced that our country is changing and I know how difficult it was in the past and I know where we are today,” President Jagdeo said as he reiterated government’s policy of fairness in the allocation of resources and its position against countenancing discrimination in any form.
He said that if one were to assess Government’s allocation of resources across regions and sectors, they will see evidence of fairness.
Although he admitted that the problem has not been eradicated in the society, President Jagdeo challenged every Guyanese, particularly youths to “kill this problem,” since they have more of the burden.