THE following is the full text of a statement issued late yesterday by the Office of the President (OP) in response to allegations leveled against the government by the proprietors of CNS Channel Six television station:  

“The most incredible statement attributed to the Sharma’s licensees of CNS Channel Six and appearing in the October 8 edition of the Stabroek News was that they did not engage in negotiations with the President when they met him on Friday, September 30, 2011, in relation to sanctions to be imposed for their May 4 broadcast of the (Tony) Vieira Commentary.
The Sharmas may want to deny the following:-
–    They were told that the ACB (Advisory Committee on Broadcasting) recommendation had been considered by the President, and no less than six months was the ACB’s recommendation
–    They were told that the President was proposing eight months
–    They acknowledged that the infringement had taken place, and again indicated that it was an operator’s error, and as such felt the sanction was uncalled for
Mrs. Sharma, reading from a prepared document, started to bargain by offering the first of a variety of reasons why the President should not impose such a penalty on them. These reasons included:-
–    Others had broadcast the commentary apparently without being brought before the ACB
–    The health of Mr. Sharma, who Mrs. Sharma alleged could drop dead at any moment
–    The firm’s indebtedness to the Bank
–     Tax obligations to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA)
–    The plight of their 30 staff members
–    The Administration’s apparent discrimination and a false impression of CNS 6 being an enemy

The President responded to the argumentation of the Sharmas; they continued to advance reasons for staying the President’s declared intention, proposing instead that he be lenient and forgiving.
They offered to have Mr. Sharma excluded from programming. The President indicated that he was not in a position to act otherwise, and a penalty could not be waived.
When asked what was their suggestion, Mrs. Sharma responded by proposing four months. The President asked the Sharmas to be excused while their positions were considered.
On their return, the President disclosed that he was going to reduce his original eight months sanction period of suspension to the four months that they had proposed.
He indicated that a formal letter to the effect would be provided later on Monday. At that time, Mr. Sharma suggested two months, a proposal that the President did not consider.
This true reflection of the Friday, 30th September engagement between the President and the Sharmas clearly illustrated the President’s opening pronouncement on the sanction; the duration of the sanction; the argumentation by the Sharmas against its severity; their proposal
of an alternative to the President’s intention; the adoption by the President of their suggestion; and the subsequent intention to communicate formally the sanction to the Sharmas.
To disclaim the negotiations that took place, for Mrs. Sharma to resort to a prepared document for the engagement, is dishonesty of the highest order by the Sharmas.”