A case of presidential deception

Mar 16, 2013 Editorial

When a president takes the oath of office he pledges to serve all the people of Guyana regardless of race, creed, colour or political affiliation. He then proceeds to administer the business of state, in the process making decisions that would impact the nation.
However, recent events seem to show that Guyana’s last president, Bharrat Jagdeo, failed to honour that pledge. Certain events seem to reveal a self-serving and selfish, almost dictatorial attitude. One is forced to reach this conclusion when one examines his release of radio frequencies to fulfill a promise he had made shortly before he demitted office.
Before the release of the radio frequencies there had been a rash of people scrambling to acquire frequencies for television broadcasts. The first of these was Anthony Vieira, the man credited with introducing television to Guyana. Others followed and they proceeded to allocate to themselves those frequencies that were available.
Eventually the government intervened and attempted to bring some semblance of order to the system that operated. Then it announced that until there was a regulatory body there would be no release of further frequencies for television broadcasts.
President Jagdeo failed to stick to this award. As Minister of Information he proceeded to allocate frequencies even as there were others who had pending applications. These later allocations were nothing but discriminatory, especially since they appeared to have been made along political lines.
Then came the release of radio licences. Many people who had applications in the system for more than a decade were ignored. There was no explanation for the manner in which the new allocations were done. What was clear was that friends and associates of the former president seemed to be the major beneficiaries.
One controversial allocation was to a man former President Jagdeo admitted to being his best friend. Dr Ranjisinghi Ramroop had acquired a television station by way of sale by Anthony Vieira. Since licences were non-transferrable one would conclude that the licence remained in force and continued to be executed in the name of Vieira Communications.
Dr Ramroop also acquired a radio station through the sale. Vieira had begun broadcasting but the government claimed that the broadcast was illegal. Vieira moved to the courts and despite the lengthy delay in the decision the station was deemed to be legal.
But this issue does not end there. President Jagdeo proceeded to allocate a plethora of frequencies to this same Dr Ramroop to the exclusion of others who had pending applications. This is nothing short of nepotism and cronyism.
We notice the allocation of frequencies to the political party to which President Jagdeo belongs. Again the number of frequencies was inexplicable. There have been allocations to President Jagdeo’s nephew-in-law through the man who holds the office of Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry Robert Persaud heads.
The list is long and included in that list is the entertainment network that President Jagdeo facilitated with a television station and tax exemptions for shows featuring visiting artistes. Political affiliates and a sprinkling of others got these licences. And there was nothing to stop it since the president has executive powers.
But it was the same Jagdeo and the People’s Progressive Party who actually moved to the courts when the outgoing president Desmond Hoyte opted to sell cars to those who in his employ had been using them. If Jagdeo considered the presidential action wrong at that time then it should have been wrong now.
But there is more to this situation and we should have seen Jagdeo for what he was, a dictator. In the run up to the 1992 elections the PPP caused the international community to force the outgoing People’s National Congress to halt all new activities. Jagdeo did not arrogate this principle to himself. He proceeded to initiate the Marriott hotel project, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Project and the specialty hospital project.
Sadly enough, there has been no move to change these decisions in the name of democracy or in any other name. President Donald Ramotar, to the contrary, has embraced them being aware of all the precedents during his tenure as a leader within the now ruling party.
How can we still talk about democracy and fairness?

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A case of presidential deception

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