GTV rejects PNCR charge of one-sidedness
-offers airtime on procurement issue
Stabroek News
June 28, 2003
The Guyana Television Broadcasting Company Limited (GTV) is rejecting assertions by the PNCR that it has not fulfilled its obligation as a responsible state media and it has offered to hold a panel discussion on issues relating to the Procurement Bill.
This follows statements by PNCR at its weekly press briefing saying that GTV Channel 11 did not afford the PNCR the “right to reply” to comments made on the same station by Minister Manzoor Nadir on the Procurement Bill.
General Manager of GTV, Mohamed Sattaur told Stabroek News that airtime had been given to the opposition.
According to the PNCR statement, GTV had accepted that Nadir’s programme was one-sided and had orally agreed to the PNCR’s right to reply.
This was rejected by GTV whose press release on Thursday denied that the station had orally accepted that any of its programmes were one-sided or had agreed to any arrangement other than the panel discussion.
A letter was sent by Sattaur to the General Secretary of the PNCR, Oscar Clarke advising him of the decision to hold the panel discussion. The letter said that Nadir had represented the government on the programme and not the PPP/C.
Part of that letter reads, “It is the understanding of GTV that the Communique signed by His Excellency the President of Guyana Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo and the Leader of the Opposition Mr. Robert Corbin [read] as follows, ‘equitable access (based on parliamentary representation) to the state-owned media by all Parliamentary parties (as distinct from Government) would be instituted without delay’. GTV has acted in consonance with this position.”
Meanwhile the PNCR stated that it had not yet been consulted or given any access to the draft legislation for the broadcast sector as catered for in the joint communique although considerable time had passed.
The press statement indicated that such draft legislation was promised within two months for discussion in clause 2.4 of the May 6 communique.
The statement noted that the Dialogue Committee on Radio Monopoly and Non Partisan Boards had agreed to establish a broadcast authority to widen regulatory powers to guide the evolution of all broadcasting in Guyana. It was agreed also that an environment would be created where broadcasting was an open sector with wide private sector participation and in which improved standards of broadcasting would be supported.
