I stand by my comments

I stand by my comments
Kaieteur News, 10 September 2007

Dear Editor,

I stand by my comments that Ms Bulkan has misinformed the public in her
continued quest to attack the Government and the Guyana Forestry
Commission (GFC).

A doctoral student is expected to ensure that whatever information
he/she puts out for public consumption is based on facts.

As such, having seen the comments in the news media by Bai Shan Lin, Ms
Bulkan should have done the decent thing and contacted either the GFC
or DTL, or both, to get an authentic position on this matter.

Ms Bulkan, as a researcher on forestry issues, indeed has a poor or a
convenient memory. It was this same year that Bai Shan Lin indicated
through the newspapers that they were not debarred from exporting logs;
yet, only a few days later, both the Minister and the Commissioner
refuted this statement and stated clearly that Bai Shan Lin was not
allowed to export any logs.

Yet Ms Bulkan asks why should she believe DTL and not Bai Shan Lin.
Well, Ms Bulkan, if these are the kinds of assumptions that your thesis
is based on, it will make for very interesting reading.

She, again, jumps on the issue of landlordism, and the fact that DTL
could not enter into any arrangement with Bai Shan Lin without prior
approval of the GFC.

Well, Ms Bulkan, I think that the CEO of DTL made it very clear that
the arrangements with Bai Shan Lin had to do with adding value to the
product.

It has absolutely nothing to do with the planning, harvesting or
transportation of logs out of the forest.

I have been unable to get a comment on this from the Commissioner of
Forests, whom I am advised is out of office, but I do not think that
the GFC can claim any authority to tell DTL what to do with its logs
once DTL has been responsible for planning the harvesting and
extraction activities in line with the GFC guidelines.

Here, again, Janet, you are deliberately trying to introduce a red
herring instead of applauding DTL's efforts to go downstream.

Final comment: what did you achieve as Chairperson of the national
certification initiative?

Secondly, do not sidestep the question about what Iwokrama has to show
from the efforts of high priced scientists.

Give us an analysis of how much money Iwokrama has received over the
years from donors, and what useful results have been generated,
especially in the area of forest management.

This should make interesting reading. I end with the comment that
persons should go through self-examination first before trying to
examine others. Not to do so is simply being hypocritical.

Chris Simpson