The Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) has a new Board of Directors which will be chaired by Attorney at Law Glen Hanoman.
According to a press statement from Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy the appointments were made by President Irfaan Ali pursuant to the Broadcast Act No. 17 of 2011.
The appointments take effect from December 1, 2020 for a period of one year.
Hanoman will be supported by Valmikki Singh a Telecommunications and ICT Specialist and former Managing Director of the now defunct National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU), Davie Sukdeo – Administrative and Marketing Manager, Robert Mohamed – Broadcaster and Radio Frequency Communication Engineer, Darryl Akeung – Information Technology Specialist and Jason Abdulla who has been described as a Digital Communications Specialist.
A nominee from the Leader of the Opposition is still to be named while the Head of the Telecommunications Agency is also expected to sit as a director.
The GNBA is the legal body in Guyana with the responsibility to regulate, monitor, protect, improve and maintain the highest standards of broadcasting in Guyana.
McCoy said in his statement that “the selection of such a diverse and experienced board is indicative of Government’s commitment to ensuring professionalism, equity and high standards in the broadcast industry in Guyana.”
These appointments have been made four months after the previous board was “dissolved” with the current government claiming it was constituted illegally.
According to Attorney General Anil Nandlall the decision to dissolve the board was taken because it was an illegal Board and he duly advised government on the issue. He was then empowered to terminate the life of the Board.
“The process was not done in accordance with the Broadcasting Act. The Board members were written to and were requested to submit their instruments of appointment for this current tenure. Some of them replied that they did not have instruments of appointment. Some produced a Cabinet Memorandum stating that Cabinet recommended that the Board appointed previously be reappointed for two years and their names were published in the Official Gazette but there is no record that they were appointed by the President in accordance with the Act,” he said.
