Leader of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Bharrat Jagdeo has revealed his party’s intention to bring to the International community’s attention, what it believes is a violation of the party’s radio station’s right to freedom of expression allegedly by the Guyana National Broadcasting Corporation (GNBA).
“This is major issue…We’ve prepared a file, and we’re sending it to every international organisation, and we’re briefing the International community about GNBA,” he told media operatives during a press conference hosted at his Church Street, Georgetown Office today.
“GNBA has been writing, namely Freedom Radio and stations…So that they have to submit everything. So, every one of my press conferences become X-rated; it offends the people in GNBA, the press conferences because they don’t like us to expose the APNU (one-half of the governing coalition). They’ve (Freedom Radio) become X-rated…They’re (GNBA) offended because we call [President David] Granger ‘low energy’ or ‘charlatan’ or something like that. They’re offended by that,” Jagdeo said.
The former president alleged that an official, who heads the Special Investigative Committee at the GNBA, is an ex-candidate on the Coalition’s list of candidates for the 2015 Regional and General Elections.
This, he said is worrying, and brings the committee’s credibility into question.
“It’s sick, really sick. And so, he heads the Special Investigative Committee – an AFC man, partisan, an executive member,” Jagdeo lamented.
The individual is also reportedly the husband of a current Coalition candidate for the March 2 elections.
“And this is the group [of persons], who wants to sanction these stations…And so, we are going to be informing the International community, and we will be protecting our rights. Because, I think they either want to suspend the stations, or shut them down as we get closer to the elections. This is an attack, a major attack – political attack – on freedom of the media. And we will pursue it,” he said.
This development comes mere weeks after the party accused the GNBA being “partisan”, after Freedom Radio was fined $75,000 for allegedly committing several infractions.
Jagdeo subsequently told the media that the station was fined for referring to President David Granger as a “charlatan”.
However, GNBA Chairman Leslie Sobers said that Freedom Radio was summoned to a hearing – as provided by Section 28 of the Broadcasting Act – not for any reference to the President as being a “charlatan”, but for other breaches of the Broadcasting Act.
Sobers revealed that between January 2019 and September 2019, the station committed over 20 infractions. Despite this, Jagdeo continues to take jabs at the GNBA, accusing it of kowtowing to the government.
