Progressive Minds

Ok honestly, I’ve been distracted many of times flipping through the channels and being drawn to CITV. I find it to be a very educational station that may, in time, build unity for us as Bermudians.

Going back to when it was first announced that the CITV channel was about to commence is an important aspect in explaining why so many (not just the UBP) were skeptical or against the station. It was a time when rumors of an election were rampant, the spot light was on the Premier for his role in the BHC scandal and the many other negative stories about the Premeir. We can contrast this to the lead up to the war in Iraq. The US demanded that UN inspectors be allowed freely into the country for weapons inspections. Sadaam denied them the right and restricted their access to his country. Also, this was a time when the wounds of September 11th were still fresh and the last thing the US wanted was another attack on their soil. What did this look like? Obviously, it appeared as if Sadaam had something to hide and the US went on the offensive with a preemptive strike. Consequently a major war campaign was waged against Sadaam that eventually led to his demise and ultimately no weapons of mass destruction were found.

I’m not saying that any war will break out over a government funded TV station. Instead I’m pointing out that TIMING IS EVERYTHING and CHECKS AND BALANCES mean a lot! If the atmosphere of unity and harmony were amongst Bermudian people this would have never been an issue. Bermudians would have welcomed a station to publicize Bermuda’s history and the great Bermudians and their contributions towards Bermuda. Indeed many other countries have TV stations that are subsidized by the government and are not used for propaganda. However, in our situation only time will tell. I’m unaware of any regulatory agency that has been appointed to oversee this station. It might be worthwhile to implement an independent board to oversee this station so that CITV will continue without any political agendas in which a political party can benefit. But then again this government is not fan accountability and transparency and certainly not a fan of someone telling them what to do…. They have a heck of a time controlling HOTT 107’s propaganda, give them a station of their own and there’s no wonder why people are concerned.