The National Communications Network (NCN) will not be sanctioned for broadcasting on Channel 21 in Berbice without his knowledge,  President Bharrat Jagdeo, who holds the portfolio of Minister of Information, said yesterday.

The semi-autonomous body began broadcasting on the channel last weekend prompting criticism from several individuals who saw it as double standard on the government’s part in allowing what they said was a new channel to be operated despite a freeze on the issuance of new broadcast licences.

On Tuesday Office of the President Press and Publicity Officer Kwame McCoy told Stabroek News that President Jagdeo had ordered NCN to discontinue the broadcast on the second channel with immediate effect. According to McCoy, the president was not aware that NCN had started broadcasting on Channel 21 in Berbice in addition to Channel 15.

“With this [new development] being brought to his attention, the President has ordered that NCN stop this,” McCoy had said noting that it was unclear whether the company would be sanctioned.

However, Jagdeo yesterday said no sanctions would be imposed against NCN.

“They complied with my instructions so I have to examine all the circumstances surrounding turning it on. NCN has said that this is part of their ongoing plan and they had that there already so I have to just examine it.”

He said the directive to have the channel shut down was given in order to “avoid any controversy.”

Chairman of the Guyana Media Proprietors Association, Jacob Rambarran yesterday issued a brief statement commending the president’s “swift action” saying that the body believed that his decision “facilitates the fostering of greater democracy in Guyana.”

Stabroek News on Monday spoke with NCN’s Programme Manager Martin Goolsarran following the publication of a letter in this newspaper in which the writer alleged double standards on the part of the government.

According to the writer, the move by the state media to start broadcasting on Channel 21 last weekend was a “clandestine one” which exposed the “double standard of the government of the day.”

“To bring another state channel to this region and still deny others the rights and authority to bring other television and radio services to Berbice is a shameful and vindictive act,” the writer stated. But according to Goolsarran, the channel in question is not a new one and had been operating in Berbice all along.

And television station owner CN Sharma, in a letter published in Tuesday’s edition stated slammed the government for its perceived double standard since his request to extend his channel’s signal was being stalled.

“I do agree with the writer (in Monday’s edition) that this move by the state is clandestine, and exposes its double standards,” Sharma said. “Since my original application in 2001, I have repeatedly requested updates on the status of my application from the relevant authorities, and am always informed that the status of the broadcast legislation does not lend itself to the approval of my application,” he added.

Sharma also said that his most recent application requesting permission to transmit across the entire country followed a court ruling by Acting Chief Justice Ian Chang in December, 2008. “In fact my proposal submitted to the authorities, requested permission to set up relay stations to be located at Long Creek on the Soesdyke Highway and Richmond Hill in Linden; Bushy Park, Mahaicony; Fort Ordnance, Canje, and Henrietta on the Essequibo Coast,” he said.

However, Goolsarran had said that the channel in question was not a new one.

“Channel 21 was already in Berbice at the other end broadcasting to Upper Corentyne, we just brought it down. It is not a new channel or a new state channel as some are saying,” he said. Goolsarran added that the intention is to have the regular Channel 15 and Channel 25, another which he said members of the public seemed to have missed, broadcasting central programming from Georgetown.

“What will happen is channels 15 and 25 will cover the entire East Berbice while channel 21 will cover the community (New Amsterdam).” Questioned on the move of the station at this time, the NCN official said that had always been part of the company’s plan.

“The whole thing is because we want to finalise the arrangement with the community station just like we have in Linden, it’s the execution of that plan.”

Contacted yesterday about the president’s order to halt broadcast on Channel 21 Goolsarran said CEO Mohamed “Fuzzy” Sattaur would be the best person to comment on the issue.  Sattaur is currently overseas, this newspaper learnt.

The current hold on the issuance of new broadcast licences was agreed to by President Bharrat Jagdeo and Leader of the Opposition Robert Corbin in the May 6, 2003 communiqué in which they decided to implement the freeze on the granting of all new commercial frequencies for television and radio by the National Frequency Management Unit until the enactment of new broadcasting legislation.

That legislation is yet to be presented to the parliament with Prime Minister Samuel Hinds earlier this year saying that a final draft of the Broadcast Bill was being reviewed.