« BILLET : GAYAN DID IT… AGAIN ! » : Une lettre du ministre Gayan

I refer to an article entitled « Gayan did it… again » published in your edition of Saturday 5 December 2015 under the signature of Husna Ramjanally.
I would be grateful if you could publish it in a prominent place in your newspaper this « Mise au point ».
May I place on record that your journalist, Ms Husna Ramjanally, has systematically attacked me and my policies regarding substance abuse and she has never even contacted me for my views before launching her defamatory attacks. If she has an axe to grind, she must disclose her interest. She misses no opportunity « d’encenser » M. Nicolas Ritter, the Director of PILS. She has the right to do so, but she must explain why she always adopts a one-sided approach.
The article refers to my having failed to ascertain from the 2 persons what they were to say. In the name of freedom, I cannot, as a Minister, prevent anyone from saying anything. In fact, had I done so, I would have been taken to task as attempting to « censor » someone. It is elementary for journalists to be aware of « Breaking news » whatever the news is.
I can understand the sadness of Ms Husna Ramjanally when the 2 persons attacked M. Nicolas Ritter and PILS and even demanded that a Commission of Enquiry be set up on the NGOs.
Ms Ramjanally ought to be delighted at such breaking news, but she chooses for obscure reasons to ignore same. Presumably as she was broken by the news that there was a demand of a Commission of Enquiry on the NGOs.
Ms Husna Ramjanally has failed, in bad faith, to mention in her article that M. Nicolas Ritter was invited to speak at the ceremony marking the World AIDS Day. His name was on the official programme and his name was clearly visible on the podium.
That would have been an excellent opportunity for him to answer the 2 persons but M. Nicolas Ritter chose to keep away. I always believe in a person having the courage to stand up and to speak. But not everyone is made of the same stuff.
Your journalist, on the other hand, has an obligation to be fair, honest, unbiased and totally objective. I regret to have to say that she has failed all along to uphold the high standards of journalism.
This is why I am sending all her articles she has written about me to the organization « Journalistes sans Frontières » so that it is aware of the level gutter journalism has reached at « Le Mauricien ».
Finally, I must place on record that Ms Husna Ramjanally, in violation of the basics of elementary journalism, has never asked me my views about any matter which she was going to subject to acrimonious treatment vis a vis me. You and your readers can guess what I think of such low level tactics used by so-called journalists.