WPA describes CNS suspension a dictatorial move

 

Georgetown : Working People's Alliance (WPA) is outraged at the government’s decision to close down CN Sharma’s CNS Channel 6. The party says this action represents one of the most brazen acts of government overreach in modern Guyanese history.

Party co-leader Rupert Roopnarine describes the action by the government is the latest in a series of dictatorial moves by the PPP/C government. It confirms the view of many Guyanese citizens that the present government has entered the realm of dictatorship.

This action against CN Sharma must be seen at two levels. First, it is a direct blow against fair and open electoral competition in an election season. By closing down the station, the President and the PPP have effectively cut off a most important medium of opposition and independent political communication. This strikes at the heart of the electoral process. It calls into question the very integrity of the pending election. As others have already asserted, there can be no free and fair elections when only the ruling party has the right to deliver its messages via the public media. Second, the action represents a denial of the right to earn a living. The unilateral and arbitrary decision to take bread from the mouths of Sharma and his employees is heartless and wicked.