Dear Editor,
GHK Lall’s response to Minister Susan Rodrigues’ recent letter is notable not for what it clarifies, but for what it carefully avoids.
While Mr Lall confirmed that he is indeed a shareholder in News Talk Radio, the company that operates Demerara Waves Online News, he was conspicuously evasive on two fundamental matters: how much he paid to acquire those shares and the source of the funds used to do so. In an environment where transparency is routinely demanded of public officials, such omissions are neither trivial nor acceptable, particularly from someone who positions himself as a relentless advocate of accountability.
In her letter, Minister Rodrigues did not ask for favours or special treatment. She simply called for the same standard of scrutiny to be applied evenly. Mr Lall’s reply, however, sidestepped several longstanding and serious allegations that continue to follow him.
These include unresolved questions arising from his tenure at the Guyana Gold Board, a period clouded by allegations of corruption and questionable practices. When confronted with concerns surrounding the granting of a gold export licence under dubious circumstances to a company considered suspect, one in which Travis Chase was a director at the time, Mr Lall merely asserted that “all legal procedures were followed”, without offering any substantive detail to reassure a sceptical public.
Equally troubling is his response to questions about his professional credentials. It has been publicly established that Mr Lall represented himself to GECOM officials as an attorney-at-law while registering for a national identification card. His assertion that “the GECOM records have been addressed” does not explain why such a false claim was made in the first place, nor does it answer the basic questions Minister Rodrigues posed: when did he graduate from law school, and when was he admitted to the Bar? Questions about the veracity of his claim of being a “Wall Street Analyst” were met with a directive to go search somewhere and no specific details.
Mr Lall’s refusal to debunk allegations of sexual misconduct that have circulated for some time should also be noted. One cannot credibly claim the moral high ground while declining to address accusations of such gravity.
GHK Lall is free to criticise Government officials; that is his right. But credibility is earned through openness, not selective disclosure. You cannot demand transparency from others while offering deflection, half-answers, and omissions when legitimate questions are asked of you.
If Demerara Waves and its principal commentator truly stand for fairness, truth, and accountability, then those principles must apply universally, not only when it is politically convenient.