Desperate times call for desperate measures
–in light of APNU’s sinister threat to GINA and NCN

OLD KAI is appalled at the latest attack by Opposition Leader David Granger on employees of the Government Information Agency (GINA) and the National Communications Network (NCN).

Mr. Granger and the combined Opposition have used everything in their power to destabilize the functioning of these state media entities and affect their employees. This latest threat by Granger — that if GINA and NCN continue to refuse to bow to the will of APNU, they will suffer the consequences — is very serious.

We are informed through iNews that Granger stated: “Our concerns remain the same as existed over the last two years… All we seek is balanced coverage, and if that is not provided, we will know how to deal with them, if they don’t hear…”, Granger said, as others in the room echoed, “They will feel.”

Let us, at this point, not forget that both GINA and NCN have had cause in the past to solicit assistance from the Guyana Police Force for security reasons. Let us also not forget that the NCN transmission studios in Linden were firebombed in 2006 during the general elections.

So, the undercurrent of this public statement by the APNU leadership could have severe implications for these two entities; which is why I am in support of the proactive approach taken by Head of GINA, Mr. Neaz Subhan, in both expressing his concern for the safety of his staff, and alerting the GPF of this threat.

This opposition party will, no doubt, quickly try to play down its warning by having its mouthpieces in the media imply that the sole aim of the comments was directed at cutting funding once again for these two entities in the upcoming budget presentation.

This position would clearly be a misinformed one, as the High Court has already ruled that the Opposition actions in cutting the previous budgets for 2012 and 2013 were illegal. The mere fact that the Opposition not only participated in these court proceedings, but also appealed the decision to have the Opposition leader excluded from the budget cut case contradicts the position that the court has no jurisdiction to interpret the constitution with regard to how it is applied in the National Assembly. Why would they participate in proceedings if they were convinced it was illegitimate in the first instance? In any case, all this speculation has been put to rest by the chief justice when he cited specific areas in the constitution on which he based his ruling.

Based on this fact, the Opposition clearly already knows that it will not be in a position to slash support of these two entities in the upcoming budget presentation.

This brings us back to the severity of Mr. Granger’s threat against GINA and NCN, that “…if they don’t hear….they will feel”.
Clearly he cannot be referring to the budget, so what other measure was he referring to in his plans to make these entities “…feel” the wrath of APNU?

Let us also be reminded of another fact, that AFC leader Khemraj Ramjattan has publicly referred to employees affected by their illegal budget cuts in the past, including those at NCN and GINA, as “collateral damage”. Therefore, if they cannot legally make these people operating in the state media “collateral damage”, there is only one other option available to them, and based on both past and recent history, we are fully aware of what that entails.

It is here that I wish to congratulate and recognise the members of staff at both NCN and GINA for remaining firm against these assaults, which have affected them in so many ways. Throughout this ordeal, they have managed to execute their responsibilities of informing the nation of Government’s plans, policies and projects without fear and in an effective manner.

They have provided more than enough coverage of the Opposition in the National Assembly and during other activities, such as their press conferences etc.

But this notion that GINA and NCN must always bend to the will of the APNU and AFC is delusional at best; the Opposition is not the Executive, they are not responsible for managing the affairs of state. It is the PPP/C which was elected, so who else does APNU expect will be covered by GINA and NCN in articulating the position of the Administration and being accountable to citizens, if not PPP/C officials?

Let us also be reminded that it was Mr. Granger’s APNU which refused to participate in the NCN publicly televised debates. They cannot have it both ways, refusing the coverage provided by NCN and then at the same time attacking the entity for not providing coverage, and in the process hurling threats.

This is another example of the unreasonable and downright dishonest disposition of the Opposition.

With this in mind, Old Kai has warned all along — and now we have witnessed — that it is APNU and the AFC which have not been ‘listening’ to their support bases; which is why they ‘felt’ the backlash by the recent polls indicating a significant drop in support.

The pressure from this reality seems to have taken a toll on Mr. Granger and the APNU leadership, as one would expect a more responsible approach from the opposition to win back lost support. Instead, the nation is greeted with an increase in their barrage of threats.