PAM claims Government abusing national Radio/TV station ZIZ
By VonDez Phipps
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – During the first press conference of 2009 for opposition party the People’s Action Movement (PAM), its leader Lindsay Grant claimed the incumbent government is “abusing the state-owned radio and television broadcasting station, ZIZ”.
Grant said yesterday (Jan. 14) that the government continues to deny opposing political parties access to the station and was instead “using it for political purposes and patronage”.
“This government has continued to abuse the state-run ZIZ radio and television Broadcast Company. As we enter an election season, it is important for us to recognize that ZIZ must be opened up to the national debate and that people with contending views and ideas must be allowed access to the state-run media. Our democracy, if it is to be called that, demands and deserves it,” Grant reproved.
PAM’s leader also chastised the government for not allowing “the management of the stations to do their professional duties”.
“We believe that there are people within ZIZ who are eager, willing and able to do their professional duties, only that we have a government that would not have the decency to let them prevail in their professional lives. We must allow the management of the stations to do their professional duties to not refuse to cover up the opposition events and not refuse to accept commercial advertisement from any other party other than the Labour party.”
Grant reiterated his plea to the Dr. Denzil Douglas-led Labour administration to allow ZIZ to give equal time and opportunity to contending political parties to “articulate their positions and air their views”.
The PAM Leader referenced the incumbent government’s commitments made to open up the state-owned airwaves when it signed on to the Four Season’s Accord in 1994, a document signed by all political parties and representatives of the civil society in recovering from the Political Unrest of 1993. Grant urged the Prime Minister in particular to “live up to both the spirit and the letter of the accord” signed some 15 years ago. ~~Adz:Right~~
Grant indicated that the party has applied on numerous occasions for a number of its leaders to host a programme on the station, noting however that “after more than six months, we have not even had the courtesy of a response from ZIZ”.
During an October 21 broadcast of ‘Ask the PM’ radio programme aired on ZIZ, the Prime Minister responded to Grant’s previous identical claims of PAM being barred from accessing ZIZ.
He stated that there is “no difficulty whatsoever in members of the opposition accessing the media” in the Federation.
“I want to emphasize that this country belongs to all of us. And when I say all of us, I mean all of us with different political persuasions and with different backgrounds in life. I have never, ever tried to prevent the opposition from using the facilities that are owned by the government in reaching to people, that is radio or television,” Douglas had countered.
Grant however, contended yesterday, “For the longest while, especially over the past year, ZIZ has consistently refused to air anything the opposition People’s Action Movement has offered. We have written numerous letters during the last year and have been back and forth, trying to get a programme on ZIZ but to no avail. ZIZ has refused our money when we have even tried to book advertisements.
“Last Christmas, it even refused to air the Christmas messages from our senior members of the party. For ZIZ, the message of peace on earth and good will to all mankind was too toxic coming from the PAM leadership. We believe that this government is seeking to lay the basis of an unfair election by continuing to refuse the Opposition access to the state-run stations that are partly funded by all of our taxes. But, a government that is afraid of hearing from its people is not fit to lead.”
When contacted by SKNVibes, R.A. Peter Jenkins, Chairman of ZIZ Broadcasting Company (ZBC) said he was unaware of the statements made by Grant and as such would not comment on the matter.
