“Countries are not poor because they don’t have resources. Countries are poor because they have corruption.”

Apr 29, 2012 AFC Column, Features / Columnists

NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK (NCN)
The national spectrum is a national asset. It is not the property of any group, class political party or ideology. Similarly the management of this national asset should be effected in a manner that is fair, transparent, equitable and accommodating of the diversity that is Guyana.
The dissemination of ideas and concepts on development ought to benefit from the cross fertilization of various views from across the political, social, economic and educational divide.
The manner in which NCN and its predecessor have discharged their duties as a national television station for the past twenty years can only be described as the most partisan, one-sided political propaganda outfit.
Despite the several and varied criticisms and recommendations over the two decades of its existence, GTV and NCN have consistently ignored the pleas for balance and less bias in their reporting and coverage of national events as well as discussions on development. In a word, the position adopted by NCN is and was at all times “It’s our view or no view at all.”
Well the chickens, as they always do, have come home to roost.
Over the last two weeks, Guyana radically changed the course of its history. Through gruelling debates, lots of cussing down, heckling and disrespectful taunts, Guyana’s tenth Parliament approved over twenty billion dollars in rigorous budget cuts!
But put aside the political rhetoric that the government has been shouting from every rooftop and every government-run or supported media outlet, and you realise that the People of Guyana continue to speak, and their message can be heard in the quiet corners of the street loudly and clearly.
How easily we forget that the People of Guyana voted for “change” last November 28th and change is what we are finally getting. A change in the traditional ways of doing things, when the budget debates were just a routine procedure and a few would decide the fate of many. The ayes always had it.
The government’s recently discovered “dictatorship of one” and their lamentations about their loss of power speak volumes about their previous practices in parliament and the issue of consultation and compromise.
The people through their representatives have spoken again with these recent readjustments and it’s good to remind us of the Guyanese reality.
A national station, funded by state MUST guarantee fair and equitable access for all segments of society as guaranteed in Article 146(1) of the Constitution of Guyana, but NCN has as far back as the 2006 General and Regional elections, denied the AFC access to this national asset.
The AFC has over the years sent advertising to be placed on NCN, quite willing to pay all charges. However, with the exception of a music video aired on NCN last elections, they have consistently refused to air these ads during the 2006 and 2011 elections. In fact in 2006, the AFC attempted to pay in advance to have some commercial aired in Linden, only to have the cheque returned by NCN.
Three days ago we were happy to learn that the NCN earned over $508 million in advertising revenues in 2011, guaranteeing more than enough funds to operate efficiently and to pay the staff of both GINA and NCN, without sending anyone home.
We were informed that 90% of NCN’s revenues were generated from advertising. Only managerially-challenged commercial entities would be unable to make adjustments for a 10% reduction in revenue without terminating staff members.
Have the wailing members of NCN asked to see the balance sheet of the company, and examined its reserves and financial standing before falling for management’s argument about massive job losses? Maybe they have been in the business of propaganda too long and might have inadvertently lost the power of critical analysis.
They certainly do not need taxpayers’ money.
After all, NCN is a NATIONAL asset. NOT a GOVERNMENT asset and must be made to serve in the best interest of all the people and not only do government propaganda, and must be reformed and made to serve in the best interest of all the Guyanese people,
Isn’t it ironic that despite the apparent shock and haemorrhage claimed to have been suffered by NCN and their employees by the announcement of the budget cuts, not once did NCN find it possible, in their several panel discussions, roadside interviews, and vox pop, to interview any member of the opposition or invite them to share their view on the cuts or explain the reason for it.
The views of the fifty-two percent are not worthy of dissemination by NCN. In popular parlance “They just don’t get it”.

ALLEGED CONSULTATION
Over the last week several frantic meetings have been held – bilateral APNU and the Government and the good old tripartite arrangement . Hours talking and dashing up and down, but the egos on the government side rose high and on not one issue could “compromise” be found.
It must be noted that had the PPP acceded to the numerous requests of the combined opposition to meet months before the budget hearing, the controversy facing us all would never have materialised.
But the farce of it all is that with rampant corruption gracing our headlines every day for years, substandard road projects, collapsing wharves and more, it is clear that the government does not care. President Ramotar shares that if VAT was reduced, only the rich would benefit, forgetting we would all have shoes, clothing and more for our children to wear to buy every day. Instead of granting relief to many with a reduction in VAT, the President proposed a Development Community Fund that will benefit only a few once again.
Don’t make the mistake of applauding the increase in old age pensions to $10,000, as you will recall when the good doctor first announced the pension increase, it was a mere $ 600 more. The pensioners got more not based on the government’s budget proposals, but rather because the opposition stood its ground!!
So let us look at the facts surrounding the adjustments.

GPL RECEIVES $ 5 BILLION
After decades of continued line losses, estimated bills, overcharging consumers, running up a debt of $29 billion, failing to improve the operations of the company and still blackouts along the way, the Government wants to use more of taxpayers’ money to bail out GPL. Six billion was requested and five billion was given, GPL needs to improve its efficiency before they receive more money.
This is a bit like saying to a junkie, “the best way to cure your addition is to give you more narcotics”. Let us not forget that the therapy could have been worse. The entire subsidy could have been removed.

LCDS
The Norwegian government is clear on its position with regard to funding to be received under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). These are grants to be disbursed through specific projects and therefore a careful mechanism for administering these funds is very necessary. This is the role the World Bank will play as a lead implementation agency. Therefore, these funds cannot be considered as revenue, but rather must come as a conditional appropriation. The Government has not received yet the funds for these projects, so the opposition cannot cut what is not there. .

CANU RECEIVES $ 71 MILLION
The AFC has publicly and repeatedly disapproved of the undisputed role the current government of Guyana played in the Roger Khan affair and has a zero tolerance policy for the high level of drug trafficking and the low interdiction levels plaguing Guyana. Our support on this is clear and unequivocal. We forget that $71 million was approved for CANU under the Ministry of Home Affairs – a trivial matter that escaped our good friends at NCN.
Regretfully, the government is yet to fully comply with recommendations made by the Auditor General and remove CANU from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Unless of course the good doctor at finance is of the view that CANU should be a revenue collection agency. When the change is effected, the government can request the remaining $20 million as a supplementary provision.

GECOM
Like so many things, there has been more talk and less action on several fronts. This year, the Government budgeted more funds to GECOM than last year, which was an election year. This view is reality-challenged. If these funds are for local government elections, then reforms recommended and stipulated must be carried out as a precondition to the holding of local government elections. This includes the passing of five pieces of legislation and the implementation of the administrative arrangements, which will take time. It is not fiscally prudent to throw good money behind bad money. When the government implements local government reforms then an application for supplementary provision can be made.

HIS EXCELLENCY’S POSITION
On Friday night we learnt of His Excellency’s position on the past week in parliament. Were it not for the Presidential podium, one can be forgiven for thinking the nation was listening to the PPP/C Candidate rather than the President of all Guyana. The language deployed in the prepared presidential statement read by His Excellency came close to a declaration of hostilities rather than a leader of a diverse country.
Our citizens would like to believe that upon ascension to the high office of President of this Republic, the responsibility to treat all citizens with dignity and respect would be par for the course.
Friday night’s address to the nation was not one of His Excellency’s best. It was short on hope and long on vitriol. The country would prefer vision, reconciliation and tempered responsibility.
One hopes that anyone privileged to lead this dear country of ours would be blessed with creativity, flexibility, vision and a generous dose of inspiration. It’s a new day in Guyanese politics so let’s tone down the vitriol and increase the vision and prosperity.