By Vanessa Braithwaite

PRIME Minister Moses Nagamootoo on Monday met with stakeholders of Linden to iron out issues relating to the management of a community television station.The PM met with regional leaders and prospective members of the television station’s trust — a special purpose company set up to manage the station. Director of Public Information, Imran Khan, told the media following the closed-door meeting that the discussion was fruitful and that much-needed clarity was brought to the issue.

“Prime Minister realised that there was a level of misinformation and a level of confusion that would have appeared, and some dissatisfaction; and given that he did not want to move forward in that sort of environment, he thought it best to have this stakeholders’ consultation,” Khan disclosed to the media.

Khan explained that the station cannot be manned by a RDC, hence Mr. Sharma Solomon, during his tenure as Regional Chairman, being cognizant of this reality, formed a company which was later changed to a trust. This was further explained by Chairman of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority, Leonard Craig, who related that the law does not allow for a television station to be controlled by an RDC or an individual, but only by a trust or a company.

In so doing, Solomon and prominent members of the community had joined together to form a trust. Dubbed the Region 10 Broadcasting Inc., the trust is officially recognised as the agency of the station, and not the RDC or any particular individual. The policy states, however, that any member of the community who desires to be part owner of the station should be residing in Linden.

Controversy erupted last week after a correspondence was sent to the office of the RDC, notifying Regional Chairman Renis Morian that the licence for the station had been granted. Being in receipt of information that the station would be operated by private individuals, Morian told the media that, as the elected representative of the people, information should be channelled through his office and that of the regional councillors. At the consultation, however, NBA Head Lenoard Craig revealed that the letter was sent in error by a staff of the GNBA, but it should have been sent to Solomon.

Khan said that in initiating this procedure, a letter from the RDC was sent to the GNBA in 2012, empowering the Authority to proceed with discussions relative to the licence.
“It was on that basis that the GNBA would have moved forward with the process, and it was on that basis, from the political side, with regard to that agreement, that we spoke of the 2012 agreement that the Prime Minister would have moved forward with, and there would have been discussions with the GNBA and with the Prime minister himself, and Mr. Sharma Solomon who at that time representative of the RDC and the trust,” he articulated.

License not yet granted

Meanwhile, Khan said the licence has not yet been granted. However, the Prime Minister has made it very clear that the issue of doing so is not up for debate, but will be materialized.

“That issue is a clear issue, it must happen. Government is committed to doing that, and will do so as soon as these matters are clarified. We will proceed,” Khan said.
He also said the National Communications Network Linden operation will not continue alongside Linden’s television station, but will be operating under the new station, thus the staff will not be adversely affected.

Morian said he would continue to rally for councillors of the RDC to be a part of the trust. “Based on the new truths that have emerged, the RDC, who is the legal representative of the people, will champion the cause of going forward. We want the people of Region 10 to have this television station, hence the elected persons should be part of this entity,” he told the media.

Currently, the trust is made up of six persons, none of whom is a member of the RDC. “The encouragement we got is to expand and to include council, business etc.,” he revealed.

Solomon has posited that he is in agreement with the trust being expanded, and any resident of Linden wanting to buy shares will be allowed to come on board.

In addition to Prime Minister Nagamootoo, other officials at the consultation included Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Valarie Patterson. There was a commitment to have further meetings involving everyone, to clarify specific issues involving legal matters involving the trust. A report will be sent to the Prime Minister which will allow for the process to move forward.