…Gov’t turns down US request to use its frequency to broadcast in Venezuela

THE Government of Guyana has turned down a request by the United States Government to relay Voice of America content to Venezuela utilising one of this country’s medium wave towers.
Guyana Chronicle was told that the request was made through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which, in turn, channelled the request to the Ministry of Public Telecommunications. Guyana Chronicle was able to obtain a copy of the memo from the Foreign Affairs Ministry to the Ministry of Public Telecommunications.

The memo by the Foreign Affairs Ministry said that it wished to bring to the attention of the Ministry of Public Telecommunications a request made by the US Government Broadcasting Board of Governors for one of Guyana’s medium wave towers to be used to reach populations in Venezuela. “The US Broadcasting Board relayed that their technical team has informed them that Guyana has four Medium Wave allocations registered. They are 1010kHz, 7000Khz; 760kHz and 560kHz,” the memo from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Ministry of Telecommunications read.

It added: “In this regard, the broadcasting team would like to know if the following would be possible: Would the 560kHz station lease any time to VOA? Would Guyana be open to issuing a licence to VOA to put a new signal on MW, either on an existing allocated frequency or a new one? If so, could the power be increased to 50 kw, either on an existing frequency or a new one?

In an invited comment Director of Communications at the Ministry of the Presidency, Ariana Gordon, said the government’s position is that “Given the length of an unpoliced western border, the influx of refugees, the unsettled territorial question and the public health risks, it would not be in our national interest to do anything to contribute to destabilising relations at this time.”

Washington has imposed severe sanctions on the Nicolas Maduro administration over a range of issues including human rights violations and poor governance. Guyana and Venezuela, on the other hand, have had years of tense relations due to a spurious border claim by Caracas which is currently before the International Court of Justice. Guyanese have speculated that Washington’s deep interest in the current electoral process is being influenced by Guyana’s oil and other considerations, but US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah Ann Lynch, denied these claims, on Thursday, during a media conference.

Relations between Guyana Government and the United States Government have not been as cozy in recent times, following the stalemate flowing from the March 2, 2020 elections. Only this week US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, announced that Washington will be imposing visa restrictions on officials here who are undermining democracy. The US and several of its other allies have been pushing for the Guyana Elections Commission to make a declaration of the results of the elections based on the data from the recount. However, the recount uncovered a vast number of irregularities, which many said should render it flawed. In response to the US announced visa restrictions sanctions, the Guyana Government said the decision is regretted. It added: “The matter affecting the outcome of Guyana’s elections is still before courts, which is entirely the responsibility of the judiciary. No declaration has been made. The Executive Branch has not participated in the undermining of the electoral process and urges all countries interested in Guyana’s development to await the logical conclusion of the process which is being managed by the Elections Commission, in accordance with the Constitution of Guyana. The Executive arm has not interfered in the functioning of the Elections Commission.”

President David Granger also, only recently, reaffirmed Guyana’s commitment to Western Hemispheric values and to the furtherance of mutual goals and ideals. He emphasised that the United States of America is a friend and has worked closely with Guyana over several decades through several organisations such as The Carter Center, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and US Agency for International Development (USAID), among others. “Guyana is part of the Western Hemisphere. We have very cordial relations with the United States from defence, economy and security points of view,” the President was quoted as saying in a release by the Ministry of the Presidency. He said Guyana, together with other Caribbean states, cooperates with the US Southern Command through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), which is aimed at combating drug trafficking and other transnational crimes that threaten regional security.

President Granger made it clear that Guyana’s strategic interests in the Western Hemisphere were not in jeopardy. He said Guyana and the USA have enjoyed mutually beneficial defence, economic, political and social relations since Independence. He noted that relations between the two states have deepened through cooperation in the fields of defence, public health, public security, the economy and youth empowerment. The Head of State emphasised that Guyana remains committed to strengthening its relations with the USA to overcome challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and to continue to build the groundwork for a peaceful and prosperous Western Hemisphere.