-80% of respondents say in NACTA poll
An opinion survey conducted by the North American Caribbean Teachers Association (NACTA) has found that most Guyanese want President Bharrat Jagdeo to end the suspension imposed on CNS (Sharma) TV preventing it from broadcasting.
Respondents say they miss watching the station and feel the four months suspension meted out to TV 6 for a broadcasting infringement is too harsh and tantamount to closure of the station or driving Sharma out of business. They urge President Jagdeo to review the severity of the punishment and to forgive the station for its violation of “a broadcasting code” so that it can resume broadcasting.
Most respondents describe Channel 6 as their favourite station saying they miss watching their programmes on the station. Many noted they miss watching “Death Announcement”, “Voice of the People”, “Evening News”, “Good Morning Guyana”, and entertainment (Bolly-wood movie and song dance programmes, in particular). Many people feel that the Death Announcements shown on other channels are not as good as those aired on Sharma TV.
NACTA is a New York-based polling group that has been conducting polls regularly in the Caribbean on social and political issues. The latest survey was conducted last week to find out peoples’ views on a host of current issues. The survey interviewed 890 individuals representing the diversity of the population. It was co-ordinated by Vishnu Bisram, a political scientist and newspaper columnist in New York.
According to the findings of the survey, most people agree with the President that TV 6 infringed the broadcasting code prohibiting the airing of threats (especially against the head of state) by re-broadcasting a threatening comment against President Jagdeo without editing it out. But people do not feel the severity of the punishment fits the crime. They feel the President should be forgiving and reduce the suspension allowing the station to return to the air.
Asked if they support the four months suspension of Sharma TV station for the broadcasting infringement, only 6% answered in the affirmative with 14% offering no response or saying they are “not sure”. A whopping 80% said the suspension is excessive and harsh. Some respondents feel Sharma was not given “due process” feeling the President should have recused himself from being “the judge” in the hearing process since he was the aggrieved party.
The survey finds that Sharma’s TV station remains enormously popular wherever it can be seen, and even in places where the signal is not received such as the Corentyne, Essequibo Coast and the interior people know of Sharma and his controversial “Voice of the People” programme. Most people say they tune in to Voice of the People (VOTP) which is the subject of the broadcasting infringement. For many of these people, the programme is an obsession with people planning their time so they can watch VOTP which they find entertaining and/or informative.
They say the programme gives voice to ordinary people by highlighting their concerns and “abuse of their rights”. The programme has become like a TV soap to many women and even little children say they love to watch “Mr. or Uncle” Sharma on TV and that they miss him since he has been off the air. There is a general consensus among people that VOTP is the only TV programme that holds the government accountable for its missteps and failures and that the President should applaud Sharma for exposing the shortcomings of his Ministers. Some people query whether the stiff sentence meted out to Sharma is a “payback” for his sharp critique of the government.
Respondents urge President Jagdeo to reconsider his four months suspension pointing out that not only Sharma, his family and staff have been hurt by the suspension but tens of thousands of viewers and children who can’t see their favourite programmes.
They feel Sharma will have learnt a lesson from this suspension. They also point out that Sharma has been remorseful and apologetic for the infringement and are confident he will be “more professional” in his conduct should the President terminate the suspension.
