Media refuse to accept biased distribution of radio licences

Mar 23, 2013 News

…Press Association calls for overseas intervention

Revelations that former President Bharrat Jagdeo farmed out radio and television licences to his friends and others close to the government just before the last elections have sparked widespread concerns and a statement of defiance from privately-owned media houses.
Yesterday, the Guyana Media Proprietors Association (GMPA) and Guyana Press Association (GPA) issued statements calling for an immediate reversal of the allocations.
Several private media houses and personalities who had applied for licences and are seen as critics of the government were bypassed by Jagdeo. The former President approved the licences as Minister of Information shortly before his constitutional term in office ended in November, 2011.
According to GMPA, the “lawlessness” must end. The body said that it is “appalled at the revelations in the National Assembly on the recent allocation of radio licences.”
Three of the stations issued licences under Jagdeo have already started broadcasting.
GMPA said that the manner in which the allocations were made “flies in the face of freedom of expression. It will not be accepted. It would effectively limit objective voices. It smacks of deceit, duplicity, and downright discrimination. Effectively, then President Jagdeo breached the agreement between himself and Desmond Hoyte in 1997.”
GMPA is convinced that there was deliberate bias in the process when Jagdeo refused to issue licences to the others.
“We demand the right to free and independent voices.”
Already, members of the GMPA have met to discuss the way forward.
Meanwhile, the GPA in a separate statement, said it is disturbed over what appears to be the unfair distribution of frequencies, weighed in favour of the governing party.

The association yesterday called on overseas media bodies to intervene.
On Friday, the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM), of which GPA is part, also said that it is monitoring the situation and is concerned. The association’s President, Wesley Gibbings, who is based in Trinidad, said that the ACM has been keeping an eye on the developments. The body is preparing to issue a statement shortly.
“It is equally disturbing that the Government of Guyana is creating a media environment of monopoly ownership and control that leaves media workers limited options on employment and creative outlets for their skill and talent,” the GPA stated
An under-pressure government, with a one-seat minority in the National Assembly, was forced to disclose specific details of the licences granted following questions by the Opposition demanding answers.
GPA also pointed out that Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds, in releasing details of the allocation, did not explain why for over two decades there has been no national plan to allow for investment in the sector by Guyanese and CARICOM nationals.
It referred to recent disclosures that China’s CCTV was allowed to use a channel, reportedly allocated to the state-owned National Communications Network (NCN) under strange circumstances.
“The Guyana Press Association is also concerned that at least one TV channel has been farmed out to essentially carry international content from a foreign power that clearly does not bring employment or other tangible benefits to the Guyanese media fraternity.”
GPA called on the Government to correct the “obvious lapses” in the administration of the broadcast/telecommunications sector in the country.
“The Guyana Press Association would like to see the elected representatives from both sides of the House (the National Assembly) engaged with other stakeholders in the process to redress the deficiencies in the sector.
“We encourage the involvement of Caribbean and Commonwealth media advisers in this task to ensure the equitable distribution of the resources of the electromagnetic spectrum that would redound to the benefit of all media workers and those involved in the creative industry.”
The granting of the licences to close friends and party members by Jagdeo is widely seen as a move by the party to further consolidate its control on the media.
Following the ruling party’s loss of its control of the National Assembly, the private media was blamed.