I am a GNBA board member but I do not back Broadcasting Bill

Dear Editor,

I am a member of the Governing Board of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority, having been nominated by the Leader of the Opposition.

I refer to the headline and page 3 article carried by the Guyana Chronicle on Friday, August 18, 2017, which headline says in bold print ‘GNBA backs broadcast bill’. The article is accompanied by a picture of the board members and GNBA officers in a group with the Prime Minister who is the Minister responsible for Information, including broadcasting.

I would like to state very clearly, that while I am a board member, I do not in any way “back the broadcasting bill.”

I was appointed to the board after a delay of more than two months, during which time, the other members were involved in drafting recommendations for regulations to the Broadcasting Act 2011, which recommendations the Prime Minister claims he used as the basis for the infamous amendments to the Act.

Personally I consider the amendments to be unconstitutional and as a member of the Board I was not involved in making any recommendations. In fact it is my belief that my appointment to the Board was deliberately delayed for the period during which the recommendations were being drafted.

At Wednesday’s meeting which the Prime Minister attended, the board was not asked to nor did it express it’s “backing” for the amendments to the Broadcast Bill.

I therefore wish to disassociate myself from the Chronicle’s headline and page 3 article.

Yours faithfully, Bibi Shadick