Newly-appointed Chair-man of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority’s (GNBA), Lennox Craig, on Thurs-day scoffed at criticisms about his political affiliation and assured he would run the regulatory body impartially.
“I am willing to absorb whatever criticisms people might have. I am not bothered [in] the least… I intend to execute my duties professionally,” Craig told Stabroek News in an interview.
The GNBA Chairman explained that he will discuss his qualifications when the GNBA board meets the media at a press conference sometime soon.
However, columnist and political analyst Henry Jeffrey says that while Craig’s assurances may be genuine, it is the perception of impartiality that has to be addressed and he feels that the APNU+AFC coalition government needs to be wary of this.
Craig was on the APNU+AFC list of candidates for the May 11th, 2015 general and regional elections.
“Both the APNU and the AFC, their manifestos generally speak to independence of the media. One is left with the impression that they have some different understanding of independence. I think they tend to believe that it doesn’t matter what your political commitments are, you can be independent,” Jeffrey said.
“It’s like putting somebody in a conflict of interest position. The minute you see Mr. Craig you are likely to say, ‘Well he is an AFC man and will be biased to the AFC. How-ever the AFC would argue, ‘Oh you can’t do that, you gah wait ’til he acts and see if he acts in a way that is biased.’ However, that is not how these things are supposed to work. Because the minute I spot Mr. Craig and I know he is AFC, I might not take my question to him,” he added.
Craig says that not only is he more than aptly qualified for the position but he believes that broadcasters countrywide believe in his impartiality. He explained that he has met with most local broadcasters and those meetings have been positive.
He pointed to the sections of the Broadcasting Act, which lists the qualifications of the members of the board, and he stressed that he is “more than qualified.”
It states that members of the governing board must have experience in at least one of the following areas: Information and Commu-nication Technology, Broadcasting, Law, Per-forming Arts, Finance, Literature, Accountancy, Administration or Public Service.
Craig, who is the holder of a Master’s Degree in Economics and Commu-nication and an Informa-tion Technology specialist, said that an additional and integral part of those requirements is common sense. “By law, I surpass the requirement but such a job also needs common sense and a common sense approach to dealing with broadcasting. I am confident that I possess the requisite common sense and as such I am not bothered,” he noted.
Jeffrey says that despite academic qualifications, persons in public positions should not be political.
“They (the APNU+AFC coalition) have a spurious understanding of what these things in their manifesto meant. It must not even be possible for me to think that a chairman of such a committee would be biased. I don’t have to wait until he acts to say he is biased.
You can’t put him in that sort of position and it is the same situation [that] exists with the REOS (Regional Executive Officers) because they are telling you wait and see if they are going to act bias but they are taking their own people and putting them in these positions,” he said.
“It is of more than just Craig, it is a fundamental problem and perception of the kinds of people you need to put in these types of organisations. The public must initially perceive them to be and they must not be in a conflict of interest position. Craig isn’t the first and he won’t be the last because the politicians are there, you work for them and they find jobs for you… but you can’t put them in political position and then say they are not going to be biased. I believe that is the problem they face,” Jeffrey added.
