Dear Editor,
I wish to refer to President Jagdeo’s statement that he prefers to settle in court, the issue of the suspension for four months of Channel 6 TV station’s operating licence, rather than respond to a request for a further meeting on the matter, emanating from the owner of Channel 6 TV, CN Sharma.
A caller’s threat to take the life of the President and its repeated airing form the core reason for the suspension of Channel 6 TV’s operating licence. However, it is contrary to democratic norms for the victim to be judge and jury. Also Mr Jagdeo is head of state, and therefore the ultimate boss of the government’s TV station, Channel 11, which is in direct competition with Mr Sharma’s Channel 6. It is clearly not fair then for President Jagdeo to order Channel 6 TV off the air for four months. Any determination as to the appropriate action to be taken, after careful consideration of the circumstances, should be made by a neutral, third-party regulatory body.
