Georgetown : On Wednesday April 29th the National Communications Network Inc. in a letter, informed A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change that in keeping with the company’s mandate , NCN was providing 10 minutes for a “free political” broadcast to be aired on television by the APNU+AFC Coalition. The letter further stated that any additional time for other broadcast would be treated as a commercial arrangement.
Over the last three months, the Peoples Progressive Party Civic- PPPC was able to use the immense reach of NCN to out- message the opposition. The APNU+AFC was not given equal time and because of the unfair distribution of broadcasting licenses, citizens continue to be inundated with pro PPPC messaging. APNU+AFC has been reliably informed that NCN plans to air live the PPPC’s final rally at Lusignan this Saturday May 9th 2015. After the 2011 Elections observers from the Organization of American States (OAS) cited the disparity and lack of access to the state controlled media as an area of deep concern and one that had to be corrected if there were to be free and fair elections in Guyana.
APNU +AFC feels strongly that for there to be free and fair elections, political parties must have equal access to the media especially the state media.
NCN as presently configured is a Government entity that is funded by the Guyanese taxpayers and tasked with a mission to disseminate information to the people of Guyana. However what has happened is that the PPPC has used the government airwaves as a propaganda arm of the party. Guyanese taxpayer dollars are being used to maintain a network that is biased in its coverage of the news. The National Communications Network has been unbalanced in its reporting of current events and it has given the PPPC an unfair advantage and unlimited access to the public airwaves.
As the largest political grouping in the country APNU+AFC sees this allotment of ten minutes as totally disrespectful and a continuation of NCN’s policy of unfair and unbalanced reporting. We therefore reject the offer and register in the strongest possible manner our disappointment in the management and operation of the National Communications Network Inc.
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