President Bharrat Jagdeo on Friday decided to suspend the privately-owned CNS TV6 for allegedly libelous statements against Juan Edghill by Tony Vieria in a commentary four months ago.

The station goes off air on Monday by which time the licensee would receive a formal notification of the suspension. 

The Vieira commentary on May 4, 2011 for which the station and Vieira have since been sued by Edghill and the Advisory Committee on Broadcasting has gotten involved is the reason for the suspension. 

Co-owner of the TV station, Savitrie Singh-Sharma told Demerara Waves Online News  (www.demwaves.com ) that Jagdeo informed her and her husband, Chandra Narine Sharma that they could appeal the decision to the new president. 

She told Demerara Waves Online News that even before the election, she plans to seek an audience with Peoples Progressive Party Civic presidential candidate, Donald Ramotar. 

Singh declined to say whether she believed that the timing of the closure had anything to do with the upcoming general election campaign. “I don’t know. I am not really politically minded. I am not in a position to say,” she said. Chandra Narine Sharma is regarded as a harsh critic of the Guyana government.

She said her station would lose at least GUY$6 million monthly. She plans to lay off at least 28 of the 30 staff members.

During the one-hour long discussion with the President, who is the Information Minister, she said he at first said the station would be pulled off the air for eight months. 

However, after she pointed out that she had a variety of commitments including those to commercial banks, staff and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), he decided to cut the suspension by half. 

The CNS TV co-owner said that it is Vieria who should be punished not her station, although she admitted that a mistake was made in playing the wrong edition of the commentary. 

“I think its unfair for us to be punished and punished twice. Yes, there are  responsibilities but mistakes are made all around the world,” she said. 

Singh ruled out moving to the court to challenge the suspension, saying that it would be a waste of money because previous litigation “have been put on the shelf.” 

CNS TV 6 had been suspended twice in the past for broadcast breaches, the first time for one month and then for four months.