January 2, 2001

Dear Sir,

I need to respond to Lyn Millett's letter of the December 28, I like so many others thought that B. Mark Selley's response to Rolfe Commissiong's critique of Dr. Gibbons' leadership said nothing of the issue's raised and perhaps to the chagrin of Mark in some ways probably gave a life to Rolfe's letter beyond it's original aim. All of us stand to benefit from a free press. We must respect the intelligence and ability of the reading public to determine the integrity of letters. The paper should be a free market for the expression of genuine opinion. I would hate to think that we the public would ever demand that the editor be hamstrung. Can you imagine an editor who becomes an apolitical puritan, righteously censoring the flow of political expression, or out of fear of up setting some political camp does much the same. Why should the UBP distance itself from Mark Selley's letter? Mark Selley is an individual and entitled to his opinion it would be a sure sign of complicity if the UBP would have cause to be spraying Lysol disinfectants behind the comments of individuals, even if it could be proven that they were members. The same would hold true for the PLP.

Let's all thank God that we at least have a press. If the press chose not to print Lyn's letter, which was highly critical of its own editorial practice, I would have not had the opportunity to share these thoughts. I know this is not America and by no stretch of imagination can she be made to be perfect, notwithstanding the American press is perhaps the best contemporary example of a free press and a public who want to be informed. In that regard Rolfe would just have to keep holding the high moral ground because there would be plenty of Mark Selley's plus tabloid mania. We are not there and we don't need to be there.

We want an honourable society were we make our mistakes and move on. We want a society that supports and encourages positive development because our society as a whole can ill afford to be hypocritical because it is growing up and out from a dysfunctional status. So leave the press alone, lets have a free literary market place let the principle of the market rule. Write rubbish, you will eventually be made to feel crappy, write good stuff and you will get your just reward - so write on.

KHALID A. WASI

Pembroke