Jagdeo’s controversial granting of radio, cable licences…Controlled airwaves dangerous at National Elections – AFC

May 02, 2013 News

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The great danger of the unfair granting of radio and cable licences to close friends and cheerleaders of Government by President Bharrat Jagdeo just before he demitted Office will be evident during the campaign trail for National and Regional Elections, if they are not revoked.

This notion was expressed by Alliance For Change (AFC) leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, during a live call-in programme on Channel 9 last Friday. The programme was rebroadcast on Channel 6 the following day.
Ramjattan said that Jagdeo’s calculated granting of the licences is political and deemed it “control freakism”, a strategy Government would have learnt from countries friendly to them that dominate and monopolize.
He said that Government has been smart in opening up a window of other television stations that could be used as an argument that television is liberated. However, when it comes to the opportune moments like elections, these radio and cable licences could denigrate opponents and dissidents in the country.
Jagdeo, weeks before leaving office, awarded his best friend, Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop five radio frequencies; New Guyana Company Limited, five; and Telcor and Cultural Broadcasting Inc another five.
Telcor’s contact person is Omkar Lochan, who happens to be the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, a Ministry headed by Minister Robert Persaud. Lochan has since resigned over what some say was the blatant use of his name.
It has now been exposed that the owner of the radio station is Robert Persaud’s sister, Ruth Baljit.
New Guyana Company is the one that publishes the party’s newspaper, Mirror, and whose contact person is PPP’s Member of Parliament (MP), Dharamkumar Seeraj.
Jagdeo also gave two cable licences to two of his closest friends, Vishok Persaud and Brian Yong.
According to Ramjattan, Government could twist news items to benefit their own agenda and depending on the reach of these channels. This would be disadvantageous to other political entities that would not be able to have a voice on those channels.
“If these channels get bigger, then the public out there will be filled with that kind of propaganda. And that is why as a politician I am very concerned about these grants because you will not get important channels to get across your message to counter or rebut which they have carried through this media,” he said.
Ramjattan has been protesting with private media houses, including Kaieteur News, against the unfair distribution of the radio and cable licences. But, Government remains unmoved even though the current Head-of-State has the authority to revoke those licences, he contended.

“And it is within this context we must understand that what Jagdeo did and what is being perpetuated by Ramotar is about the control of the airwaves,” Ramjattan noted.
According to Ramjattan, what the People’s Progressive Party Civic is doing to the people of Guyana, including the Opposition parties is exactly what the Burnham regime (that is painted as dictatorial regime by Government) did in the past.
Ramjattan related that during Forbes Burnham presidency newsprint was the means used to disseminate information to the populace and Burnham controlled that communication link between Government and its people.
Ironically, this Government who was Burnham’s Opposition Party at the time suffered in the same way they are treating the Opposition.
He emphasized that the era has changed and now the airwaves is the technology to disseminate information and it is being controlled. “This thing must be halted,” Ramjattan declared.
Speaking on the importance of freedom of press and access to information AFC’s Parliamentarian, Cathy Hughes who was part of the panel, said that the above are pertinent to the foundation of a democratic country.
Hughes noted that Guyana’s television industry developed in a haphazard way termed the Wild West.
In addition, in 2011, the same year Jagdeo gave the licences away, Guyana still had a radio station owned and controlled by Government and a political party that the Opposition could not say was operating in the national interest.

According to Hughes, the distribution of new licences should have ushered in change and a fair environment, reflecting the views of various communities across Guyana. Diverse people should have been able to contribute to discussions of development.
But, this is not the case with these licences that were issued unfairly. As such they are unacceptable. She contended that electromagnetic spectrum is a natural resource of the country and it should be in responsible hands.

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