THE RADIO AND CABLE LICENCES SHOULD BE WITHDRAWN


The controversy surrounding the issue of radio and cable licences by the last administration in its dying days, adopted and defended by this administration, is not going away. Apart from a tepid intervention suggesting that President Jagdeo was keeping a promise to open up the airwaves, the Government has made little attempt to launch a proactive defence of Dr. Jagdeo. The result is that there have been demonstrations, protests, statements, newspaper advertisements and more, decrying not only the manner and timing of the issue but the persons to whom the issue was made, alleging bias and nepotism. Some of the criticisms have been egregiously vilifying.

The reluctance of the Government to take on the critics of the licences issue is mystifying when contrasted with its vigorous support for Dr. Jagdeo’s comments on the resurgence of anti-Indian sentiments or the loud and sustained campaign in opposition to the Budget cuts. Admittedly the latter are far more immediate and impactful than the issue of the licences. But the muted defence of Dr. Jagdeo, muted despite the Attorney General’s belated claim that the licences have a fair ethnic and geographic spread, is still rather surprising having regard to the daily dose of demonization delivered by the press.

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THE TRIPARTITE COMMITTEE


A Tripartite Committee, comprising the three political parties represented in the National Assembly, was appointed last year during the Budget controversy and is now revived. There was no agreement in 2012 on anything in relation to the 2012 Budget except for the aborted deal relating to pensions and Linden electricity rates. This unraveled when the AFC, having been left out of the discussions, joined with others and rallied the people of Linden to oppose the hike in rates. The Committee then lapsed.

It was not revived for this year’s budget and no discussions took place between the Government and the Opposition.  No one knows the reason why this should be so. It was clear that there would be a stand-off in the National Assembly. Presumably the Government figured that with the Court ruling in its back pocket and somehow being able to restore the cuts made last year, the Speaker would not dare, the Opposition would not dare and it would weather the storm. The Speaker and the Opposition had other ideas.

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‘THE OLD IS DYING AND THE NEW CANNOT BE BORN’


Antonio Gramsci’s statement, meant for a different situation, accurately depicts Guyana’s political condition. He describes this period as ‘the interregnum’ in which ‘a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.’ Our symptoms are: squabbling over the Budget, voting a hospital down, failure of the tripartite talks, the Speaker overruling the Chief Justice, Government’s support for ‘shared governance’ not ‘shared government,’ the licences controversy, unassented bills, Clement Rohee, general stalemate and so on.

But the most controversial symptom was President Jagdeo’s discourse at the funeral of the late Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud that stirred wide comment. Relying on evidence led by the defendants in an ongoing libel case in which he is the plaintiff, he concluded that Indians are on the receiving end of a resurgent campaign by the Opposition to intensify prejudice against them.

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BUDGET BLUES


Formal exchanges of letters between the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, and the Shadow Minister of Finance, Mr. Carl Greenidge, seeking to fix a date for a meeting to discuss the proposed Budget, and the inevitable name calling when the exercise proved unsuccessful, ought to have alerted everyone that no serious discourse will take place. The identical process and outcome played out last year. The identical process and outcome will likely play out next year. A different outcome will be achieved only when a larger political understanding leads to telephone calls between these distinguished gentlemen, or their secretaries, to schedule meetings, as is normal office practice.

That process having expectedly failed, the inevitable last ditch effort is being made on Monday morning, just as last year. The Opposition has a long list of demands with a threat of $40 billion in cuts if those demands are not met. We must all wish the Government and Opposition well and hope that the talks succeed.

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THE UNITED NATIONS AND MINING ON AMERINDIAN LANDS


I return to the issue of mining on Amerindian lands because of the international dimension introduced by a letter to the Government from the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (UNCERD). The letter expressed concern over mining on Amerindian lands of the Isseneru and Kako communities and has asked the Government to review the granting of permits and concessions without obtaining the prior and informed consent of the affected indigenous communities.

The impression created by the letter is that the Government continues to grant mining permits and concessions without obtaining the prior and informed consent of affected Amerindian communities. The information on which formed the basis of UNCERD’s letter was provided by the Amerindian Peoples’ Association (APA) and the Forest Peoples Programme (FPP).

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