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The Surinamese government will make more intensive use of the control mechanisms provided by the legislation to assess private media houses that are used for government communication. All media houses that did not, or did not fully meet, the set conditions were contacted for this. The Suriname Communications Service (CDS) reports this today.
The CDS message comes after it was announced in De Nationale Assembleé this week by NDP member Bouva that the CDS had entered into a collaboration with a ‘ghost company’ called Sranan TV for SRD 350,000. This company, which is registered in the name of Winston van D., turns out to be located in an empty building.
In a press release, CDS further states:
In June 2021, the government started broadcasting through various channels that were willing to provide their services. On July 1, 2021, the group was expanded with a number of channels. During the selection, a number of aspects were always considered, including viewing density, the catchment area and certainly also the price of the service offered.
All contracts with media houses have been checked to see if the services are actually provided to the government. When submitting the first invoice, it turned out that some stations were not ready administratively. Those stations are registered. To date, no station has been able to access resources. This is only possible after all applicable conditions have been met.
In the past, the emphasis of the audit has been more on ensuring that the services are provided. This takes into account the fact that, because of their setup, virtual transmitters in their operation are not necessarily tied to a physical location. Some providers now indicate that the operation is maintained remotely via the Internet. It has become apparent that a smartphone is sufficient to monitor and set up the broadcast. Nevertheless, the control has been intensified and the lessons are included.
This government ensures that government resources are used efficiently. Under the previous policy, there were unwarranted transfers from state-owned enterprises to the former NII. These payments were immediately stopped when this government took office. A criminal investigation has been going on for some time into the use of the aforementioned funds.
Furthermore, the CDS has started an investigation in which some employees will not enter the workplace for some timefor the smooth running of the investigation.
The board of the Suriname Communications Service is learning from what has happened and is now making more intensive use of the control mechanisms provided by the legislation. The contract with 1 media house has been kept due to the fact that the station is not yet able to offer services due to technical challenges.
Below is an overview of the media houses from which the government currently purchases services:
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