Handing out of new radio licences by the broadcast authority constitutes acceptance of the controversial distribution by former President Bharrat Jagdeo in 2011, just weeks before he demitted office, according to attorney Anil Nandlall.
The distribution of these licences in 2011 to persons who had been described as friends and family of the Jagdeo government had been strongly condemned and there had been many calls for their rescission. When APNU+AFC took power in 2015, the fate of the Jagdeo licensees led to a furious row at the Guyana National Broadcast-ing Authority (GNBA) between then Chairman Leonard Craig and board member Tony Vieira and the matter remained unresolved and was passed on to the new board that was named in February this year.
After passage of an equally controversial, amended broadcast law on August 4th this year by the APNU+AFC government, all those holding licences were told to reapply. There had been fears that the reapplication process would be used to deny licences to those who were favouredby Jagdeo in 2011. However on Friday, the GNBA chaired by attorney Leslie Sobers handed licences for 2016 to several radio stations which were granted licences in 2011 including the PPP’s radio station.
