Dear Editor,
I had in fact sought to limit my input to the letter columns to offer analysis of national issues, GuySuCo and the Broadcast Authority etc. rather than respond to letters.
Sometimes it’s not possible.
There is a letter in the Kaieteur News of 6th November from Mahendra Hariraj. He makes the following points
a. That David Granger has declared that he is preparing to cut the subventions for National Communications Network [NCN] and the Government Information Agency [GINA].
b. That these media outlets should be operating as public entities safeguarded by the democratic constitution of Guyana and not under political constraints.
c. That Granger is prepared to cut regardless of circumstances.
d. That he wants Granger to say what it is about NCN and GINA that he would like to see change.
e. That precedence must be granted to government entities??
f. That all of this cutting reinforces the division it inflicts on the nation!
Editor I cannot possibly go through the entire orgasm of nonsense written by this writer and not throw up.
So let me respond to the points above.
a. I want the subventions for NCN to stop. The subvention to NCN establishes an unfair competition with private broadcasters in this country, since having received the subvention NCN continues to compete with them unfairly in the local small marketplace for advertising. This violates the constitution itself since it establishes inequality and offends article 149 of our constitution.
b. This writer is confusing NCN’s function with that of GINA or perhaps the agenda of both are indeed the same i.e. to take the taxpayers of this country’s money, the majority of who did not vote for the PPP, and saturate our minds and the minds of our young with the propaganda of this minority government ad nauseam.
So it is the position of this letter writer that the Guyanese people, who are supplying the money for the subventions, must allow a minority government to express their views exclusively whilst at the same time suppress the views of the opposition, since the operation of GINA and NCN does not allow opposition views, in fact the two entities are used to ridicule and criticise the opposition who do not even have the right to reply on either NCN or GINA.
And their views are practically never seen there. Until and unless GINA operates in a manner to report the affairs of the nation impartially and fairly, I would not give them a cent and I am saying that I would not give them one cent, even if Mr. Granger changes his mind later.
c. Exactly. Cut, regardless of circumstances.
d. I have made it plain before, I want to see NCN treated in one of three ways 1. Close down. 2. Take the subvention and remove itself from the marketplace competing with the private broadcasters unconstitutionally. Or 3. No subvention and compete fairly with the local private broadcasters.
And these are the wishes of the private broadcasters who support Mr. Granger. As far as GINA is concerned, since the opposition now holds the majority of the seats in parliament, I would like to see representation on the board which administers it, in keeping with the seats in parliament.
e. Precedence must be granted to Government entities in keeping with democratic principles, I won’t argue with that, but to put the views of a minority government to the people of Guyana in the state owned media, to the complete exclusion of the opposition who now holds the majority of the seats in the National Assembly where the money comes from, is illiterate and in keeping with the rest of this letter.
f. What is dividing us, is the total disregard for the majority of the people in this nation who did not vote for the PPP in the last election, and is doing its very best to operate as if it’s business as usual, when in fact it is not.
Yours faithfully,
Tony Vieira