The parliamentary Opposition, the A Partnership of National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC), is making clear its expectation the state-owned media will provide its Members of Parliament (MPs) coverage during the 2024 National Debate.
The debate on the $1.146 trillion budget got underway this morning.
In a statement issued today the Opposition reminds the state-owned National Communication Network (NCN) are not the exclusive mouthpiece of the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).
The State media which are funded by taxpayers’ dollars, the Opposition pointed out, are obligated to also cover the views and activities of the Parliamentary Opposition in a fair and objective manner. To this end the Opposition has laid out its position that coverage is fair in terms of programme schedule, duration, rebroadcasts, and relays, and NCN must also show proof of this by providing documentary evidence to demonstrate the fulfilment.
The Opposition full statement follows:-
OPPOSITION EXPECTS STATE-OWNED NCN TO PROVIDE EQUAL COVERAGE OF THE BUDGET PRESENTATIONS OF BOTH GOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION MPs.
Today, as Budget Debate 2024 commences, the Parliamentary Opposition is putting the State-owned media, in particular the National Communications Network (NCN), on notice that it expects these media outlets to provide fair and even coverage of the presentations of all Opposition MPs as they religiously do for government MPs.
Let us remind the management of NCN that the State media are not the exclusive mouthpiece of the ruling party. The State media are obligated to also cover the views and activities of the Parliamentary Opposition in a fair and objective manner. NCN is funded by taxpayers’ dollars.
NCN therefore has an obligation to its funders, the people of Guyana. It must cover the people’s representatives during their participation in national events as critical as the national budget debate.
In so doing, NCN must ensure that such coverage is fair in terms of program schedule, duration, rebroadcasts, and relays. Additionally, we call on NCN to provide documentary evidence to demonstrate the fulfilment of its obligation to the people of Guyana.
If the government has confidence in its budget and in its policies, then it should have no fear in allowing all Guyanese to hear the positions of the Opposition.
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