U.S criticizes Guyana on radio licences

- says process “lacked transparency”

- cites heavy control over state media

The United States Government has slammed the issuance of radio licences under former President Bharrat Jagdeo.
In its latest report on human rights, which includes freedom of speech, the U.S Government said the issuance of the licences under Jagdeo “lacked transparency.”
In November 2011, the very month he was leaving the Office of the President, Jagdeo handed out ten radio licences with his friends and associates being granted 15 radio frequencies.

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo

“In 2011 the government approved applications for 10 new radio stations, although the process was controversial, lacked transparency and contained further steps needed before the new stations could begin broadcasting,” the report on Human Rights Practices stated.
The report noted that in 2011 Parliament passed a broadcasting law that allowed for the establishment of a Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) with a governing board appointed by the President, but noted observations that few of the board members had previous media experience.
The report added that the law states that programmes that address controversial public policy or matters of political or industrial contention “must meet standards of fairness, balance and accuracy, maintaining a proper balance and respect for truth and integrity and always ensuring that opposing views are not misrepresented.”
On September 5, the government appointed members of a governing board for the GNBA, and the report noted that at the end of 2012 only one new station began operations, and it was closely aligned with the government.
That station which the report referred to is Radio Guyana, owned by Dr. Ranjisinghi Ramroop, the best friend of former President Jagdeo.
The report acknowledged that the law provides for freedom of speech including for members of the press, and the government generally respected this right in practice.
However, the report noted that the government influenced print and broadcast media and continued to exert heavy control over the content of the National Communications Network (television), giving Government spokespersons extended coverage, while limiting participation of opposition figures.
On Friday, two challenges were filed in the High Court against the granting of radio frequencies by Jagdeo.
Broadcaster Enrico Woolford, the National Media and Publishing Company (publishers of Kaieteur News) and the Guyana Media Proprietors Association are asking that the High Court quash Jagdeo’s decision.
Woolford is asking the High Court to declare that the issuance of the licences was “arbitrary, unconstitutional, unlawful, unfair, unreasonable, capricious, irrational, procedurally improper, ultra vires, null, void and of no legal effect.”
It was recently revealed that Jagdeo, in the very month he was leaving the Office of the President granted five radio frequencies to his best friend Dr. Ranjisinghi Ramroop; the company which publishes the newspaper of the ruling party; and Telcor, which has as its directors Ruth Baljit, the sister of Minister Robert Persaud, and Kamini Persaud, who is the niece of Jagdeo and wife of Minister Robert Persaud.
One frequency each was granted to seven other companies.
In the proceedings, Woolford claims that Jagdeo had signed an agreement with then Opposition Leader Robert Corbin in May, 2003, saying that no broadcast licences would be issued until the new broadcasting legislation comes into effect.
However, Jagdeo went ahead and granted those new frequencies almost one year before the Broadcast Act came into being. The Broadcast Act came into being at the end of August, 2012.
Woolford is claiming that he applied for radio broadcast frequencies in October, 1997. However, he claimed never to have received a response from the NFMU.
The National Media and Publishing Company, publishers of Kaieteur News, and the Guyana Media Proprietors Association have asked the court to make a declaration that the release of those radio licences was done under improper considerations and was discriminatory, unconstitutional and of no legal effect.
The action by the Media Proprietors Association is also against those who were granted cable licences by Jagdeo, namely his friend, Brian Yong, and the ruling party’s associate Vishok Persaud.
Those filing the second challenge claim that for sixteen months after the allotment of the radio licences, the names of the persons who were granted licences “remained a dark secret within the bosom of President Jagdeo” until Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds, was obliged to do so in the National Assembly.