My book theft 39 years ago when I was a 17-year-old rascal

Oct 18, 2009 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

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Mr. Anand Persaud, Editor-in-Chief of the Stabroek News, still published a letter by Mr. Hemraj Muniram (of Canada), family member of a senior leader of the PPP, accusing me of stealing 88 books from the National Library even though when Mr. Persaud contacted me I told him Mr. Muniram’s presentation was fictional.
What was the reason for his letter? My evaluation of Mr. Ralph Ramkarran’s politics is in a missive in the Stabroek News. Mr. Muniram chose not to reject my analysis but instead wrote a long, long libelous correspondence attacking my mother and accusing me of stealing 88 books. Mr. Muniram’s lengthy letter (which Mr. Persaud edited) is full of details but he couldn’t remember the year. He said it was in 1973 or 1974.
He wrote that a lawyer named Hemraj Bhagdas defended me. Guyana never produced a lawyer by that name. I told all of this to the Stabroek’s Editor-in-Chief.
Did I steal 88 books from the National Library in 1973 or 1974? This is absolutely untrue. But yes, I was charged for stealing books from the National Library in 1970 which Mr. Muniram allowed me to take from the Library.
Here is the story of my book theft. We will come to the correspondence with the Stabroek News’s editor who happens to be a strong friend of Vishu Bisram and Hemraj Muniram for reasons all Guyana would know and which is none of my business except that Mr. Persaud has been extremely vicious to me.
Had he published the section where Muniram attacked my mom I would have become uncontrolled in my emotions. I told Persaud how I felt about that part of Muniram’s letter. I loved my mom blindly and I will not let Anand Persaud and Hemraj Muniram publish untrue things about her. I hope Mr. Persaud is reading this. I mean it to the depths of my heart.
In 1969, four of us left the PPP and hung out together. Leyland De Cambra who is in the UK now; Ronald Gordon who is a Muslim priest now; Winston Humphrey, the foster son of Mr. Brindley Benn who I think is deceased, and me. We visited the National Library every single day. We read voraciously.
In 1970, I stole two books from the Library; biographies of Napoleon and Jawaharlal Nehru, and was caught by Mr. Muniram who is of my age group. He allowed me to take them and we developed a friendship in which he gave me many more books. Mr. Muniram was nice. He also gave me money because I was a starved youth from Wortmanville.
Then one day, outside the British Council where now stands Oasis Café, Mr. Muniran embraced me and started to kiss me. I was angry and struck him in the face and broke his glasses. I regretted I did that but I felt he hurt my manhood.
I didn’t tell my friends because I was afraid of the taunt. The only person I told was Kemmy Persaud, the then brother in-law of Nadira Jagan and he broadcasted it to everyone. The next day, Muniram brought the police to my home and they took away the books. At that point I didn’t tell my parents of the fight with Muniram.
A week later, the police summoned me to appear in court. My parents went to the Library to speak to the officials there to drop the charge. There was a young staff member who played national hockey and with whom I developed a close relation. She told my parents that Muniram painted a horrible story about me to the Library officials that I beat him up after he caught me stealing books.
The Library officials believed one of their own and not my parents.
I was born in the yard where the Bishops lived and my parents and siblings were very close to Aubrey Bishop. By this time, I had told my mom about the homosexual encounter. She went to the young lawyer, Aubrey Bishop, and told him why I was charged. He appeared in court and I was reprimanded and discharged.
I had an elder sister that most Georgetowners and all political activists in the PPP, PNC and WPA knew in the seventies- Gwendolyn known as Gwennie. Outside the court, she assaulted Mr. Muniram and was charged by the police for assault and was fined.
That is the story of my book theft 39 years ago. Now can Mr. Muniram tell us why he was expelled from his studies in the USSR and what was his nickname among PPP students? Can Muniram tell us why Mrs. Jagan fired him from The Mirror? Why Novosti Press Agency terminated his employment?
Anand Persaud has to know that David De Caires turned down Mr. Muniram’s application after the Novosti episode. In the late eighties, Mr. Muniram and I became friends again. I told him I regretted hitting him. And he apologized for calling the police on me. I told him I was not against homosexuals but that I am deeply heterosexual.
I visited his home thrice in Thomas Street, Kitty, for information on Mrs. Jagan. Over the years, from Canada, Mr. Muniram mentioned me in two of his letters in the very Stabroek News. In one of his letters, he expressed deep respect for me.
I hope Mr. Anand Persaud locate those letters and publish them. I will try to find them myself.
Finally, in the e-mail exchange with the Stabroek’s Editor-in-Chief, he was ragingly hostile to me. Every denial of Muniram’s contents was met with hostility. I challenge Mr. Persaud to release the emails so the public can know that I denied Muniram’s allegations. Unfortunately, I erased mine and would appeal to computer experts to help me retrieve them so I can expose Mr. Persaud.
I will raise Mr. Persaud’s attitude with the Guyana Press Association. I will send my defence to the Stabroek News. I demand that my reply to Muniram be published.
Finally, is Mr. Persaud willing to deny that he is a personal friend of Vishu Bisram and Hemraj Muniram? Do they have anything in common?

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