Government should revoke the radio licences controversially granted under the administration of former President Bharrat Jagdeo and failure to do so would send a message that the David Granger administration has no interest in remedying the wrongs inflicted on the nation, former Auditor-General Anand Goolsarran says.
“Whatever the merits for and against the revocation of the licences, a grave injustice was perpetrated on established media houses when their applications were denied in preference to the favoured individuals and groups,” he wrote in his column in today’s Stabroek News. He added that the beneficiaries “have reaped an unjust reward” for which remedial action is needed to avoid a repetition of similar such occurrences.
“For these reasons, this Column is of the view that the administration should proceed with haste to revoke the licences. The failure to do so will send the wrong message that the administration has no interest in remedying the wrongs inflicted on the nation and its citizens,” Goolsarran declared. “If there are significant cost implications arising out of a possible judicial review and the Government ends up on the losing side, so be it. In the search for justice, there is no price that is too high,” the former AG asserted.
Shortly before the 2011 general elections, Jagdeo distributed a number of radio licences and broadcasting frequencies to mainly friends and supporters of the PPP/C. One of these licences went to former Minister of Natural Resources Robert Persaud and several relatives, who have since sold their interests to a Trinidadian media group.
Many groups and persons had denounced the awards, citing the absence of any clear objective criteria in making them as well as the disregard for applications from established media entities like Stabroek News and Kaieteur News. Broadcaster Enrico Woolford had filed a lawsuit to quash Jagdeo’s decision, arguing that it was unconstitutional. There have been other calls for the licences to be revoked.
Recently, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo had said he favoured more broadcast licences over rescinding those wrongly given out.
“Where licences had been given out to those who never held a camera in their hand, where licences were given out to broadcast to those who had no track record in broadcasting and where we have not love and unity but the putrid air and scent of hate and division and rancor, we can correct that; not by shutting down those who have been wrongly given licences but opening the airways and allowing the window of fresh air to touch our broadcasting in Guyana. Not that we may not shut down or we should not. I am not saying that. It is not my job. That is for the broadcasting authority to do but I am just saying that I would rather see more stations come on board, more people who have the wherewithal, should have the opportunity to do so via community stations or national reach, providing they pay the fees according to the zone in which they belong,” he had said.
His comments had attracted the attention of many who felt that the licences should be rescinded. Goolsarran noted the controversy and pointed out that there was a total lack of transparency, as the licences were arbitrarily issued to favoured individuals and entities with strong political and/or family connections to the exclusion of well-established media houses. “It was an act of unfairness, inequity, inequality and injustice, indeed the epitome of bad governance,” he said. He noted that in responses, several ministers felt that the licences should be revoked.
Nagamootoo has since clarified that he favours the reexamination and reversal of all licences illegally granted but said that such power is not vested in him but in the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority.
