Moving on

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56525723

Moving on
Stabroek News. Editorial.
Monday, July 30th 2007

Responding on Thursday in parliament to a question from PNCR-1G MP
Aubrey Norton on when radio licences would be issued, Prime Minister
Sam Hinds once again invoked the memory of the failed Jagdeo-Hoyte
talks by referring to what had been envisaged i.e. the enactment of a
broadcast law followed by the establishment of a broadcast authority
which would then preside over the approval of applications.

He said that the government still anticipated moving along this path
but that licences were unlikely to be granted before the middle of next
year. Considering that the opening up of the radio sector had been
promised since 1992 - 15 years ago, the PM's words aren't very
reassuring. However, the embarrassment at the paralysis both here and
abroad may yet force the government's hands.

But it is the reference to the Jagdeo-Hoyte talks that should puzzle
and worry the citizenry. After the acrimony of the 1997 elections the
dialogue between the two leaders was an ignominious failure and created
minefields riddled with flashpoints as time went by. The broadcast
committee of Teixeira/ Bernard failed to successfully steer the
proposed legislation through Parliament and the effort died away.
However, many years later senior government officials would harp on the
most ridiculous argument that the broadcast law had been held up
because consensus was being sought with the PNCR.

It was the most inane and duplicitous excuse possible as this
government has never been shy of steamrollering through Parliament what
its heart desires - PNCR agreement or not. The latest example of this
was the Guyana Forestry Commission bill on the very Thursday which in
addition to the continuing troubling tendency to entrust lavish power
to ministers, was not available for adequate study by MPs and members
of civil society. If the government had indeed been interested in
forwarding broadcast legislation it would most certainly have done so.
Politically, the government may very well feel that it is unwise to
open up the sector as it is a medium that can reach far and wide and
communicates well with the grass roots.

If the Prime Minister and his government are now serious about the
broadcast law then it will be shown in their deeds. If it is the plan
that radio applications will be granted after the law has been passed
and the authority has been set up then it is clear what the government
has to do. The significant amount of work that had been done by the
previous committee should be immediately sent back to the parliamentary
draftsmen for any changes that may be deemed necessary and a new bill
tabled in Parliament.

In anticipation of the stumbling blocks, the bill could then be
immediately consigned to a select committee. By all accounts select
committees have functioned in a rarified atmosphere and produced
significant compromises away from the bellowing and jockeying in the
House. The process could also be opened up to stakeholders like the
television stations, the press association and advertising agencies.
The fruit of this labour should then have little difficulty being
passed and assented to by the President.

A larger point can be made about the political dialogue and the array
of important issues they held up even while advancing some. After the
experiences of the Jagdeo-Hoyte and Jagdeo-Corbin engagements one can
safely say that they were unhelpful because trust was lacking, the
capacity to execute agreements was not present and too much
one-upmanship skewered the atmosphere. The ongoing dispute over the top
judicial appointments is a salutary example of these problems. Another
withering failure is the ad hoc dialogue among parliamentary parties
convened by President Jagdeo last year at the Office of the President
following his election win. The most sensible place for dialogue to be
ensconced, managed and nurtured is in Parliament.

Considering the import and possibilities of Article 13, it is clear
that the constitution reformers had catered for Parliament being
accountable to and accommodating of the views of the widest spectrum
possible. It is time to move on and hopefully the President and Mr
Corbin - with a new mandate but albeit a shaky one - can now rapidly
advance their varied issues via comprehensive dialogue in the
parliamentary setting starting with the broadcast law.