CENSORSHIP could be perceived as an attack on the right to free expression, according to Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, but there is caution currently displayed with respect to creative licenses in Guyana.

He was responding to a question posed by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) MP Annette Ferguson regarding the establishment of a censoring system for music.
He suggested that local stations should adopt the censor mechanism which blocks out inappropriate content, a mechanism similar to that implemented by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
Dr. Anthony noted that the law of the land censures indecent, lewd and explicit language, and the Guyana National Broadcast Authority is provisioned to treat with lewd and inappropriate language on the air.
According to him, provisions in the Postal and Telegraph Act may also be equipped to censure language that is considered gross and unacceptable.
He said that at the moment there is no censor board in place since former censor boards were exclusively concerned with the monitoring of cinema content and with the disappearance of cinemas, the Censor Board would be unnecessary.
The Minister observed that there is a strong school of thought suggesting that Governments should not be allowed to censor lyrics of violent or explicit songs, because such a mechanism would bring the question of selective implementation or enforcement.
He maintained, however, that the more plausible option would be to interject through the industry standard warning labels which would inform parental units of possible explicit content of CDs.
Minister Anthony stated that if there is such persuasion that censorship of local music is a priority, then the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport would be prepared to adopt any and all appropriate measures in response to strong public sentiments.

(By Derwayne Wills)