Broadcasting authority head resigned before dismissal – PM’s office

-gov’t accepts that Insanally, Vieira in the clear

Cabinet accepted the advice of an inquiry into matters pertaining to the broadcasting authority that its Chairman Leonard Craig should be dismissed but Craig resigned yesterday before he was sacked.

This was disclosed yesterday in a statement by the Prime Minister’s office which said that PM Moses Nagamootoo had been given the green light by Cabinet to act upon findings of the Inquiry into the allegations made against certain members of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA). The Inquiry was headed by Major General (Rtd.) Joseph Singh. One of Singh’s findings was that Craig be relieved of his position as GNBA Chairman.

“The Prime Minister was in the process of notifying Mr. Craig of Cabinet’s decision, when he received an email dated 16th December, in which Mr. Craig tendered his resignation as GNBA Chairman, with immediate effect. Singh’s report had been handed over several weeks ago.

“In accepting his resignation, the Prime Minister expressed disappointment that Mr. Craig has taken no responsibility for his role in attacks on the character of two members of the Board, namely, Messrs. Victor Insanally and Anthony Vieira”, the statement said.

Upon receipt of Singh’s report, the statement said that the Prime Minister had caused copies to be laid in Cabinet for its consideration. He also served copies on the Chairman and members of the GNBA Board, and circulated same to the media. In the absence of the Chairman and one member, the `statement said that Nagamootoo met with other members of the GNBA’s Board, who expressed their lack of confidence in Craig.

Based on the findings of the Singh Inquiry, the Prime Minister advised the Board members of the following:

- that the characters of Board members, Insanally and Vieira, were impugned by public statements attributed to GNBA Chairman, Craig;

- that the Government of Guyana disassociates itself from those statements and accepts the Inquiry’s finding that, on the evidence, neither of the two members was found to be dishonest or corrupt;

- that further, the conduct of the Chairman and one other member, Vieira, contributed to divisive and hostile relationships at GNBA, which tended to bring the Authority into disrepute, and for which Craig ought to be relieved of his post as Chairman and Vieira be reprimanded.

In view of the resignation by Craig, the statement said that the Prime Minister expressed regrets over the attacks against the “good name and integrity of Messrs. Insanally and Vieira, and sincerely thank them both for their selfless contribution to the work of the GNBA in particular and to broadcasting/communication in general”.

The Prime Minister said he also feels that Craig is an “invaluable intellectual asset” who had accepted nomination to the GNBA with enthusiasm and commitment, but has “unfortunately mishandled interpersonal relations with other colleagues. The Prime Minister wishes Mr. Craig success in his postgraduate studies in the People’s Republic of China”.

The statement said that Nagamootoo looks forward to further engagement with the remaining members with a view to expeditiously re-constituting the GNBA Board.