CN Sharma will learn whether his TV station’s licence will be suspended next week even as President Bharrat Jagdeo accused him of generating a “clever plot” to divert attention from the airing of an “offensive” commentary.
Speaking at a press conference at the International Conference Centre at Liliendaal yesterday, Jagdeo said that he will send his decision in writing to Sharma next week. He would not say what the decision is likely to be. Sharma is awaiting the ruling by Jagdeo, who holds the information ministry portfolio, on whether the station’s licence would be suspended or revoked, following a controversial commentary by Anthony Vieira against Juan Edghill.
Sharma has since said that he is being “harassed” by the government and has discontinued broadcast of the ‘Keeping Them Honest’ talk show, hosted by Christopher Ram and Ramon Gaskin. The government has denied exerting pressure on Sharma to pull any of his programming and has suggested that the discontinuation of the `Keeping them Honest’ programme is an attempt to curry favour with the authorities “who are currently examining his many infringements of the law.”
Speaking on the issue yesterday, Jagdeo said that Sharma’s wife, Savitree Sharma, had called him crying, saying that he was too harsh and spoke on what they could do to avoid sanctions. “A little less than a week ago, late at night, I got a call from Mrs. Sharma saying to me that if they were to remove Christopher Ram programme and if they were to transfer the licence from Sharma’s name to her name, whether they would avoid sanctions, whether that would be okay with me,” he said.
“I said to her clearly, this is not a negotiation. I’ve never seen the Christopher Ram programme because I don’t watch the TV much. So I said that programming and what you show on your TV is up to your channel. I said the issue as to transfer of licence is not germane here, there’s one matter before me, that is a matter that came from the ACB (Advisory Committee on Broadcasting) recommending a minimum of six months suspension and that is the matter I’m considering,” he recounted. “She was crying and saying I’m too harsh and all of that but this was the end. I said you’ll hear from me with a letter,” the President continued.
He said that afterwards, he saw in a newspaper, that the government tried to get Sharma to remove the programme from the air. “I then realized that this was all a smokescreen, the call to me to move the issue away from the transgression and the recommendation of the ACB for a long term suspension to this issue about press freedom and government trying to interfere, to tell them what programme to take off so that should I agree to the sanctions then they will blame it on ‘we didn’t like this programme.’ So it was a clever plot generated by Sharma,” he said.
The Head of State said that the commentary at the source of the matter was very offensive to many people. He noted that a complaint was lodged by Edghill to the ACB. The ACB at the time, had a representative of the PNCR, the private sector and the government, Jagdeo said. The PNCR representative subsequently resigned. After investigating, the ACB concluded the Sharma had a track record of similar offences, having been the subject of sanctions three times prior to this one for programmes that were offensive to the conditions of the licence, the President said.
“They then sent me a recommendation recommending that I suspend Sharma’s licence for no less than six months,” he recalled. “I chose to give Sharma a hearing because it is only right that I did so,” said the President. Jagdeo said that the broadcaster and his wife went to the Office of the President and spoke with him in the presence of the Attorney-General.
“I asked him whether he was aware of the content of the broadcast. They said yes but it was by mistake,” the President recalled. “I said to him, this, unlike the past instance when you claimed that the programme was a live programme, this one was pre-recorded,” he recounted. “They then went on to say that other stations violated the conditions of their licence. I said I don’t have a complaint by anyone before me about any other station. If that were to come to me with a recommendation from the ACB, I’ll deal with it. Right now I’m dealing with this case,” he continued.
He recalled that they also said that they apologised to Edghill. Jagdeo said he then asked whether they had looked at the content of the commentary. He said that what bothered him the most was that there were several attempts to create division along religious beliefs. It was a serious matter, Jagdeo stressed.
“Not only was it offensive to the conditions of the licence but it was also offensive to our constitution. We have strong constitutional protection against people trying to divide the population of this country along race or religion,” he said. The president said that he told the couple that the matter “goes beyond Edghill”. He said he asked if there was anything else they would like to say and they left his office. “I said you will hear from me,” he recalled telling the couple.
Jagdeo said that he had seen officials from various embassies going to the press conference hosted on the discontinuation of the programme and “and frankly speaking, I am disappointed at their shallowness.” He said that all the officials had to do was call the regulatory authorities and ask about the matter. “They chose to believe the word of someone who was charged for paedophilia years ago, got off on a technicality; who’s before the court again, charged again for paedophilia against (the word) of the regulatory authority, someone who knew there was impending sanctions based on the serious transgressions his station made,” he charged.
The President said that they have been “very tolerant” with Sharma even when the transgression was worse. “Why would we be bothered with one programme particularly in light of the fact that already there’s a recommendation from the ACB for suspension,” he said. “It’s all a smokescreen to divert attention away from the core issue which was being considered before all of this happened. That is the real issue,” he added.
