Broadcasters forced to comply with 11th hour applications

– which PPP dubs as ‘blundering incompetence’ by GNBA

Broadcasters were this past week given four days to comply with the new broadcast legislation and to re-apply for licences as a result of blunders by the Guyana National Broadcast Authority (GNBA).
The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has said that, despite calls from the Guyana Press Association, Caribbean Association of Media Workers, Reporters

without Borders, and other major organisations representing the cause of journalism and freedom of the press, and despite the PPP/C’s call to the Government to withdraw the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2017, “the Government ignored all these calls, passed the Bill in the National Assembly, the President assented to it, and upon the directions of the Prime Minister, the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) has begun to enforce its provisions.”
According to the party, “We reiterate that this Act unduly restricts press freedom, expropriate private proprietary interest, and is oppressive and unconstitutional. We intend to lead the constitutional challenge against it in the Courts.”
The party documented that as a result of blundering incompetence, the Government has made the enforcement of the Act as draconian as the provisions themselves.
“Although the Bill was assented to, and came into force since the 7th September 2017, this information was only made public on the 24th September 2017…Then, only on the 1st October 2017 did the GNBA inform broadcasters that they have seven days to submit their applications for a licence under the Act. Even then, the incompetence continued: only late on the evening of the 3rd October 2017 were application forms for the licences made available.”
Broadcasters are now being forced to complete application forms which require a massive amount of financial and other technical information before the deadline of Saturday, October 7th, 2017. “If they fail to do so, then they would be forced to close down their operations, or expose themselves to be charged with a criminal offence which carries a fine of $1million and imprisonment for one year, and their broadcasting equipment is liable to be forfeited by the Government under the provisions of this law.”
According to the PPP, “This oppressive regime of requirements is another reminder of the harsh reality that we are careening down the road to political dictatorship…We say to the Government that is it not too late to withdraw this oppressive piece of law.”