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Too much hurt in NBN closure
Posted: Sunday, January 23, 2005

By Stephen Kangal

THE EDITOR: Enigma, a potential ethnic exclusion agenda, political patronage, nepotism and intrigue continue to haunt the foolish and premature closure of NBN. This pathological disrespect and lack of appreciation for a historically and culturally important institution of our multi cultural broadcasting heritage symbolised in NBN is no different from the neglect of the Magnificent Seven around the Savannah and so many other aspects of our accumulated cultural heritage. Is this an underlying manifestation of a transient (lack of ownership) and renting ecology that passes for governance and nationhood?

Was the much touted and aborted NBN leasing to Lee Sing part of the BBC Plan? Will Government now continue to subsidise a disguised and reincarnated TTT via the coffers of the NCC by carnivalising the programming and cannibalising TTT's facilities? Did the enigmatic BBC Business Plan recommend the NCC to take over prime property/equipment at #11a Maraval Road at a pepper corn rental within two days of TTT's closure? Is it within the remit of the NCC to undertake commercial television broadcasting and to do so more effectively than TTT? Is this similar to TIDCO paving roads? Did the BBC actually know that Carnival was three weeks from January 14 and that TTT has traditionally monopolised the broadcast of carnival events?

What information did the BBC in fact factor into its CNMG Business Plan? Information disclosed from a most reliable NBN source is that no BBC Team came to TT and there is no BBC Technologies Business Plan. The real and only plan is for the NCC to project Carnival cultural expressions to the exclusion of other legitimate expressions of our cultural mosaic. It is to be noted that Minister Saith spoke only of the return of FM 100, CNMG and FM 98.9 and not FM 91.1. In fact the unconvincing body language displayed by Saith revealed that he was unwillingly doing the bidding of others. He was the fall guy.

Believe me dear readers the public display of heart-rending tears that I witnessed, the deep pain, hurt, trauma and agony suffered by NBN staff and their respective viewers/listeners will not go unnoticed by Mother Saraswati and Durga Mata. The uncaring and inhumane perpetrators of this act must not and cannot expect to be exempted from the prescriptions of karmic and political justice. There was too much hurt.



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