Noting that SN has not gotten a licence, the Express editorial of May 10 said that when the PPP government eventually ended the radio monopoly after many years of broken promises licences went virtually without exception to those connected to the ruling party and government.
“So the PPP has expanded the media in Guyana solely for the purpose, it seems, of increasing the outlets for pro-party, pro-government propaganda. Which does nothing but undermine media in that country.
It is a general principle that any government which censors or controls the media does so in order to retain power and to hide incompetence and corruption”, the editorial entitled `Give radio stations a voice’ said.
It pointed out that recent research by historians, economists, and political scientists has bolstered the principle that a free press is critical for democracy and, more generally, that democracy is vital for long-term progress—i.e. the provision of goods and services to the populace.
“The PPP’s favouring of friends and family has been so blatant that the United States and other foreign Governments have officially protested the discrimination displayed by the Guyanese Government.
On World Press Freedom day, the government sought to defend its limited and biased freeing-up of the frequencies. But the rest of the world—and no doubt most Guyanese who are not blind PPP supporters—recognised the reality of continuing State control of Guyana radio airwaves which, despite pious protestations, has changed only so much as the administration has wanted.
It is ironic, if not indeed tragic, that the PPP, which represents a constituency which for decades suffered similar censorship and discrimination from the late and unlamented Forbes Burnham, should now have adopted some of his tactics”, the editorial said.
It called on the Trinidad and Tobago government to add its voice to the critics of what it said was “such glaring efforts to deny free expression in Guyana”.
Pressure has been building on the government here over the manner in which former President Bharrat Jagdeo handed out licences just before demitting office.
Two lawsuits have already been filed by media houses against the AG in relation to the matter.
