Cabinet approves new broadcast authority board

Cabinet has approved the appointment of a new Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) Board, which will be chaired by attorney Leslie Sobers.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon yesterday made the announcement although he was unable to name the opposition nominee for the board.

Addressing reporters at a post-Cabinet press briefing yesterday, Harmon identified Sobers as the chairperson and businesswoman Scheherazade Ishoof Khan, veteran radio broadcaster Dr. Rovin Deodat, communication and media specialist Jocelyn Josiah, Manager of Windjammer International Aretha Campbell, attorney Joel Edmond and a representative from the opposition as the other members.

Harmon said that the life of the Board is two years beginning February 1st, 2017 and ending on January 31st, 2019.

Later asked about the identity of the opposition nominee, Harmon said that he was not in possession of that information. “I suppose the opposition in due course will send us their nominee. As you know, in the past the opposition had stayed away from naming nominees to boards and [Opposition Leader] Mr [Bharrat] Jagdeo had made a public statement,” he said.

Josiah sat on the last GNBA Board, while Khan has served as a member of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited Board, which oversees the state-owned Guyana Chronicle.

The last GNBA Board, which was chaired by Leonard Craig, was plagued by serious internal strife.