Tony Vieira first brought television to Guyana (his critics say he brought pirating). Now, he is taking the initiative to challenge the state monopoly of radio. First, he started a radio station without permission which has been closed. Secondly, he has filed a legal action asking the court to declare that the consistent refusal of the government and the National Frequency Management Unit to acknowledge an application by his company eight years ago for a radio licence is tantamount to a refusal. He argues that this refusal is a breach of the constitutional right to freedom of expression. He also argues that the state media monopoly of broadcasting is unlawful.

Mr Vieira must be congratulated. Action to break the radio monopoly is long overdue. The PPP/Civic had committed themselves to this in their l992 manifesto but then put it on the back burner. It was at one stage said to be tied to new broadcasting legislation which was indeed badly needed but kept being postponed indefinitely. Moreover, he is virtually certain to succeed in his court action as there are decided cases in other jurisdictions that show that the action of the state in arbitrarily refusing to grant broadcasting licences is unconstitutional. The state monopoly cannot be legally justified under our constitution.

A three man Advisory Committee on Broadcasting has been set up headed by senior lecturer at the University of Guyana Mr Pat Dial and including engineer Mr Ron Case and consultant Mr Carlton James. This committee is responsible for drafting regulations to govern broadcasting and the licensing of stations. There are several precedents available in the region which they will no doubt consult and there are also experienced persons in Guyana whose advice they should seek. The anarchy that has existed on television for some time and which was castigated by Messrs Whylie and Mayers, two experienced and respected Caribbean broadcasters, needs to be subjected to a regulatory structure that is broadly acceptable. The media code set up by local practitioners to deal with coverage of the last elections was a step in the right direction but it was not honoured by several stations.

But making a virtue of the necessity created by Mr Vieira's action and after taking legal advice the government should at the same time make it clear that private radio licences will be issued to those who satisfy the criteria provided under the new laws to be introduced. A radio monopoly is archaic, undemocratic and a hindrance to the constitutional freedom of expression. It is a blot on what has otherwise been an excellent governmental record as regards freedom of the press.