Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, has called on the Kaieteur News to retract a portion of a news report it carried in today’s publication under the caption “Guyana appoints convicted fraudster as Kuwait Ambassador”.
Teixeira said the report sought to promulgate the view that the Peoples Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) had also tried to appoint a “convict” allegedly in the person of the late Satyadeow Sawh to a diplomatic posting in Venezuela but this was rejected by the authorities there.
The report was based on fraud conviction of Ambassador Shamir Ally.
Setting the record straight, the PPP Chief Whip said that all the statements in relation to Sawh were absolutely untrue.
“Had the author done any cursory check even on Wikipedia or with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this lie would never have been published. Unless the author deliberately meant to make it seem that this was not the first time by casting aspersions on a former ambassador and a PPP/C minister, Satyadeow Sawh, who was assassinated in 2005 along with his brother and sister”, the PPP/C MP said.
She reminded the KN that for the record, Satyadeow Sawh was appointed in 1993 as Guyana’s Ambassador to Venezuela while explaining that he served in the post for three years and was awarded the country’s second highest honour, the Order of Francisco de Miranda (First Class) upon completion of his tenure.
Teixeira also related that in 1996, he was recalled to Guyana by the late President, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, to serve as Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture and Minister of Fisheries, Crops and Livestock, with responsibility for Forestry, the designation which he held up to his death.
“I am calling on KN to correct this terrible misinformation which besmirches the character of the former Ambassador and Minister in the PPP/C administration, and, apologise to the widow and sons of Former Ambassador and Minister Satayadeo Sawh and the People’s Progressive Party where he proudly served as a leading member on its Central Committee”, she protested.
The author tried to make it seem that this was not the first time and linked the fraud conviction of Ambassador Shamir Ally with the former Ambassador Sawh in the following paragraph:-
“Earlier this year, Ally was also named as Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest).
This is the second time that Guyana actually appointed a convicted felon to a diplomatic posting. The last time this happened was in 1993 when the late President Dr. Cheddi Jagan appointed Satyadeow Sawh as Ambassador to Venezuela. appointment did not go through because Venezuela responded to the report on Sawh and refused to grant its agreement”. (Michael Younge)
Was Shaw ever convicted of anything in Canada?