Former Telecommunications Minister Camilo Gonsalves has revealed that under the previous Unity Labour Party (ULP) administration, political opposition radio stations were routinely allowed to continue broadcasting without active licenses or while out of regulatory compliance, specifically to safeguard freedom of speech and open democratic debate.
Gonsalves raised the historical precedent during a national radio address, contrasting the ULP government’s past leniency toward critical media outlets with the current National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) leadership’s attempt to force the ULP-aligned Star Radio off the air over administrative filing technicalities.
According to Gonsalves, long-standing administrative and procedural protocol at the NTRC dictates that as long as a radio station submits a license renewal application before its current license expires, the station is permitted to remain on the air while the application is being processed.
He stated that this practice has applied in “umpteen cases” with various broadcasting entities across St. Vincent and the Grenadines. In the case of Star Radio, the station submitted its formal renewal application and paid the requisite fees in November 2025, months prior to its license expiration in mid-2026.
Drawing from his experience as the minister previously responsible for the NTRC, Gonsalves disclosed that several opposition-aligned radio stations had operated for extended periods either without valid licenses, beyond their expiration dates, or while failing to pay required regulatory fees.
He noted that even when these stations aired harsh daily critiques against the ULP administration, the government resisted taking them off the air:
“I can tell you that there are radio stations in this country, political radio stations in this country, who spoke every word out of their mouth opposed to the then government, who were still not paying their fees and not abiding by their license,” Gonsalves said.
Rather than issuing cease-and-desist orders or revoking broadcast rights, Gonsalves explained that former Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves and cabinet ministers advised regulators to “low them”—a local phrase meaning to leave them alone—and to continuously engage the stations to help them bring their paperwork into order. In several instances, non-compliant opposition stations were given months, and sometimes over two years, to regularize their filings without facing transmission halts.
Gonsalves argued that the ULP administration viewed shutting down media outlets over administrative or paperwork defaults as an excessive measure that would severely damage democratic discourse.
“We said pulling them off the air would be an excessive act that would defeat freedom of speech and open discourse in this country,” he remarked.
He contended that the current regulatory stance against Star Radio—demanding that the station cease operations for up to three months while resolving minor corporate registry formatting issues dating back 15 to 18 years—represents a sharp departure from established regulatory practice and risks giving the country an international “black eye” regarding press freedom.
Gonsalves urged the NTRC’s leadership and board to apply consistent administrative standards, exercise maturity, and allow Star Radio to continue broadcasting while any remaining paperwork matters are resolved.
