“Folks alledgedly the NTRC received a letter today (alledgedly written by Min. Gregory Bowen) and was instruted to deliver said letter to one Mr. George Grant instructing him that Chime FM was to be decommissioned at 12pm today. He was to cease and desist immediately thereafter or face arrest and fine. Where is Shere-Ann Noel now? What are GRENADIANS prepared to do in the face of this continued insult and threat to freedom of the press? FELLOW CITIZENS, PLEASE DEFEND YOUR RIGHTS!!!!!” Posted by Randal Robinson (Former NDC Candidate) 20-10-2014 “BREAKING NEWS ST. GEORGES, GRENADA, Oct 20, 2014: Report reaching me says that the Ministry of Works have issued Mr. George Grant a letter mandating that CHIME FM 100.9 to be closed effective 12:00 a.m. tonight or risk 10 years imprisonment or a million dollar fine. This is coming on the heels of weeks of apparent sabotage of the both radio talkshows hosted by #Kem #Jones namely: The Eagles Eye and The People Court. Why in a democratic country freedom of expression and the press isnt respected? We shall overcome someday. Yes, we shall overcome someday! Folks please #SHARE this post.” Posted by Kem Jones (NDC Political Activist) 20-10-2014 I have posted the two Facebook messages posted earlier today in order for everyone to understand the level of deception and downright lies being peddled by the forces arraigned in opposition to the New National Party (NNP) Government. Both posted onto Facebook with clear intent of misleading the Grenadian public and the world at large on a very clear cut issue. In the first post by Randal Robinson who was roundly defeated by Minister of Works Gregory Bowen in the 2013 elections clearly makes what is a false claim when he says that the NTRC has sent a letter to George Grant written by Minister Gregory Bowen (allegedly in this instance does not change what the intent of the knowingly false statement is which is to make the issue a political one and mislead readers. This is indeed false as the NTRC has a Board of Directors and manage the affairs of interaction with stations on their own while. A simple visit to the Telecommunications Act of 2000 would have clarified that in no way could it have been the Minister writing to Mr. Grant. Additionally we have Mr. Jones who is not known for being very factual or truthful (sensible?) in his pronouncements claiming that the Ministry of Works has written to Mr. Grant the direct inference here being that it was Minister Bowen shutting down Chime FM. Again the NTRC is a regulatory body working along with ECTEL for the management of the system of radio frequencies etc as the need arises. That is not the job of the Ministry of Works. As such before I go further I wish to call on: Randal Robinson Please provide the letter sent to George Grant or to the NTRC by Minister Bowen since you have told the world that it was he who sent the letter to Chime through NTRC. If you cannot do so please apologize for misleading the people of Grenada. Kem Jones Please provide the letter sent to George Grant by The Ministry of Works since you have told the world that it was they who sent the letter to Mr. George Grant. If you cannot do so please apologize for misleading the people of Grenada. George Grant You usually post up information scanned and otherwise within minutes to grenadabroadcast can you please post the letter sent to you with haste so that all Grenadians can either join your fight for justice or at least gain and understanding of the true situation. I will also like to pose the following question to Mr. George Grant and his media and NDC political activists colleagues: 1) Does Chime FM owned and managed by you have a license to operate a radio station? 2) Did you and your organization follow the rules as regards the setting up and operation of a radio station as regulated by the NTRC and ECTEL? 3) Were you written to before about the issue of legality of your entity and if so when by whom and what was the issue which had been raised? THE QUESTION OF ‘APPARENT’ SABOTAGE OF THE NDC MORNING AND EVENING PROGRAMS Several times over the past few weeks there have been statements made by Mr. Jones about alleged ‘sabotage’ of his radio programs. With absolutely no facts to surround his statements with the exception of circumstantial information such as todays case where somebody locked a door (seems as though NNP and Government has keys to every door in Grenada). While all businesses within the town of St. George have been experiencing minor Internet issues over the past few weeks in the case of Fresh FM Mr. Jones uses it as an example of NNP trying to shut his program down. Indeed there have been instances of the same cries in the past. Case in point the chopping up of a transmitter used by Allan Campbell during the reign of the NDC while he did his program Issues Live. Mind you this transmitter was located in the Grand Etang Forest Reserve in the area known as 1910. In fact this issue even found its way into a United States Diplomatic Correspondence on the Political State of Affairs in the country at that time. Mr. Jones simply needs to ask himself if the constant threats of legal action for statements made by himself as host, his guests from time to time and from his overly aggressive and insensitive callers may be just a bit troubling to Fresh FM as it was obvious it became to Spice Capital Radio. Both stations may have gained listeners due to his program but lost significant amounts of advertising as many persons and businesses refuse to be associated with the type of behavior on display daily. Indeed there is an old saying that the lice in your own head are the ones that bite you. So he needs to look closer to home for his so called ‘sabotage’. And finally Ms. Shere Ann Noel as President of the Media Workers Association of Grenada (MWAG) it must be understood that you are not answerable to Mr. Randal Robinson or the NDC. You are only answerable to the media workers of Grenada. As such you cannot defend wrong doing within the fraternity and if an entity breaks the laws of Grenada or if a person does so the LAW of Grenada must be allowed to be the guide. Laws may be made by Politicians but they are enforced by the courts and if found to be unconstitutional they can be thrown out when challenged. Not because laws are brought to bear on a media practitioner who has breached them means it’s politically motivated. After all remember Mr. George Worme was arrested under his own NDC Administration for stealing sand one lonely morning about 3.00am on a beach in St. David. Was that political victimization? I hope that before a release is issued by MWAG in relation to this issue that the FACTS of the matter are properly researched and the truth of the matter put forward. I hope that MWAG does not follow the running off halfcocked approach of Mr. Robinson and Mr. Jones. But then MWAG still has some integrity can we say the same of the other two?
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 00:59:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015