Poorer Jerome, Louis, and 102FM

I am giving my views on some attempts to glorify two fools who recently left Power 102FM. Jerome Lewis and Louis Lee Sing.

While they were at that station, they went out of their way to discourage any discussions about African history and culture on their radio station. They totally dismissed the people who helped build that media and they were bent on keeping that station in a maze of hype and trivia.

These two fools had to go.

They could not adequately serve the interest of the owners, who were formally PNM opportunistic supporters, and the interest of the people. The Gillette's were no different to any other business people who aligned themselves with the party in power to secure certain contracts. People should have expected them to switch loyalties once there was a new political party in power.

It is the same Louis Lee Sing, while he was the head of the state media, who refused to entertain African programs. He maintained that position when he aligned himself with the Gillettes to open Power 102FM. He stayed silent while the little child, Jerome Lewis, insulted callers almost daily. These people felt they had finally acquired a license for their own uninformed views with total disregard for the sensibilities of others. Yes, they were beyond the control of the owners and the politicians, they even had no self-control and self-respect and that is the problem.

These dishonest hypocritical people gave instructions to hosts to discourage any discussions about African affairs. Remember, it was the same Louis Lee Sing who allocated one of the radio stations in the state media for 100% Indian programming without any type of context or understanding of the type of bias he was showing. Making money is all that counted and whom he felt had the most got all the considerations. In his eyes, African people could not afford his preferred lifestyle so why cater to them. Even though some of us were willing to pay for our own air-time on our own media that have always neglected us, we were refused.

There is nothing heroic about these fellows who resigned out of shame and not courage. Louis Lee Sing knew he had to go since the Gillettes pulled him from the post of General Manager in order to ensure that PNM supporters did not have adequate say during the elections. These Gillettes had to serve the interest of the UNC whom they were now begging favors. Lee Sing was thoroughly humiliated in that impasse and it was only a matter of time before he left. He chose this issue to try to appear principled, but his leaving had nothing to do with principle.

The other clown, Jerome Lewis, probably thought that he would get the support of the owners when he tendered his resignation following threats from the Prime Minister to pull the license of the station following an interview with Abu Bakr. Jerome had degenerated into believing that the station could not do without him. But as the Prime Minister was calling for the head of someone, the Gillettes knew that securing their cable monopoly and going after other telecommunication licenses were far more important to them than principle.

I say good riddance to them both but I am afraid we have not heard the last of them. Louis Lee Sing is a staunch PNM supporter and he is probably expecting to once more control the state media when or if PNM gets back into power. He may drag his sidekick back to the media frontline to humiliate Basdeo Panday.

I strongly condemn any attempt to portray these two clowns as heroes or principled people when their history speaks differently. Of course, I cannot overlook the fact that they entertained Selwyn Cudjoe, but that had more to do with political party loyalties and the attempts to galvanize African votes. They were never interested in entertaining African programs and they ensured they highlighted views opposed to this effort.

Louis was a guest on the morning show and I called in and asked why they do not allow African forums. He replied that such programs would bring this country to another Bosnia and Sarajevo. I had to remind him that he was the one who allocated a station for Indian programs and we did not descend into the conflicts in Bosnia and Sarajevo.

This is the history of these two unprincipled characters.

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