ATTORNEY General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall is questioning on what basis in law government can acquiesce to the Alliance For Change (AFC) request that it revoke radio licences.

Responding to the call by the AFC yesterday, Nandlall told media operatives at a People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) press conference that any revocation has to be done by the National Broadcast Authority.
According to the Minister of Legal Affairs, should the state grant the Opposition request, it would be exposing itself to a host of legal litigations and liabilities.
Government, he said, cannot arrogate onto itself and arbitrarily revoke the licences granted.
He said too that what the AFC has called for would be for government to usurp the functions of the Broadcast Authority.
The AFC, following its recent meeting with Head of State, Donald Ramotar, had said that he avoided discussion on whether or not former President Jagdeo acted in bad faith when he issued the licences.
“Their (Gov’t) position is that the leader of the opposition delayed naming their nominee to the Broadcast Authority and this delayed the commencement of the new Act,” the AFC says.
The AFC at the time had said it is advocating a clean slate, starting with the revocation of the grants made in 2011, “a reversion of these to the NFMU; and with all applying to a new Broadcast Authority.”
In April last, the head of the Broadcast Authority, Bibi Shaddick, had vowed never to be bullied into revoking any of the licences previously issued, without cause.
Shaddick made this comment during a presentation in a debate to the National Assembly, to address the brewing controversy surrounding the issuance of several radio licences.
She told the House at the time that the board of the GNBA operates under the new broadcast laws and regulations.
Shaddick said that each of the existing broadcasters would have been made to become compliant with the new requirements.
She reminded the House that prior to the Act, all approved broadcasting licensees had to apply for permission to continue under the new regulations.
All entities operating currently applied and were granted permission to continue broadcasting, according to Shaddick, who said that, “without exception, every entity was asked to apply to be licensed under the New Broadcast Act.”
Turning her attention to calls being made and reports surrounding the revocation of several of the licences that had been issued, she said that the “board has never discussed revocation of any licence.”
She said further that the board is neither authorised to revoke any of the licences, except by cause.
Shaddick said that the board will continue to function under its mandate regardless of the rumours or heads of media agencies that picket their own media houses in an attempt to bully the process.
“I have never succumbed to bullyism, I don’t expect to succumb to bullyism and I will not head a board which will buckle to those things.”