Putting Kissoon’s assertions in proper perspective

Nov 15, 2010 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I have avoided engaging with Freddie Kissoon publicly, but there are statements, assertions, positions in his commentary of Saturday, November 13, 2010, titled, “Alvin Kallicharran’s brother-in-law speaks”, that need to be put in proper perspective.
Firstly, I have indeed been out of the public debate in Guyana for, more that 10 years. Since the 1997 General Elections, when I made a robust, energetic and strident effort to head a PNC campaign across Guyana, especially in former PPP strongholds of Regions Two, Essequibo Coast and Islands, Region Five, West Berbice and Region Six, East Berbice, in an attempt to try and undo my earlier role in the efforts to remove, inadvisedly, Mr. Desmond Hoyte as President of Guyana, after the narrow victory of the PPP in 1997, I took the decision to desist from open criticism of the ruling party, as they had won a narrow victory. This decision was forced on me because I was not named to Parliament (although I was able to increase the PNC’s votes in the areas where I had concentrated my campaign efforts), largely due to the back stabbing of the Indian Cabal within the echelons of the PNC.
Mr Hoyte tried to explain this to me in, diplomatic language, at his North Street residence, just before I left to head the PNC March against Janet Jagan’s throwing away of the court order attempting to stall her swearing in ceremony. I have, in the interim, vehemently defended Freddie’s right to conduct his journalistic pursuit against the current Government, especially given that I knew of Freddie’s close friendship with Bharrat and his circle in the early days of the PPP administration.
I have pointed out to Minister Moses Nagamootoo, that Freddie Kissoon was doing a similar job to that of the Mirror during the sad days of the Burnham Dictatorship. I was also having lengthy exchanges with Anand Boodram, almost on an issue-by-issue basis, as Freddie stood up valiantly to the injustices and wrong doings of the PPP, at tremendous cost to his family and his health.
I do not share all of Freddie’s views or positions, but I continue to defend his right to them. I know what a lonely path it is to be ostracized for one’s views, having myself have been a beacon for my “differing and contending views and my ability to articulate them”.  However, I followed the discourse between Vishnu Bisram and Freddie and Freddie’s insistence that Vishnu was not a genuine teacher here in NY. Thus I can state, ‘Freddie you have been wrong on that score all along’, but what surprised me during the entire debate, is that very few were prepared to point out what is open public knowledge here in NY.
Freddie, my allegiances and political philosophy cannot and will not be defined by the likes of Ossie Rodgers, Ralph Ramkarran or Hydar Ally. Today I am an aspiring Liberal Democrat; previously, I had been a devoted Democratic Nationalist. For the records, I was never a Marxist-Leninist; belonging to such a party does not make one automatically so.
Like legions of Guyanese before our time, I supported Cheddi Jagan and the PPP for every reason, other than his imported Marxist-Leninist disease. This ideology was brought to Guyana by his wife, and consumed the life of two brilliant young Guyanese Nationalist, Jagan and Burnham, to the extent that when one of them was dead, no one cared to remember the address of the other. I also supported Cheddi because of my perception that he was continuously robbed of his rightful place as the most popular politician at voting times. I told him as much when he conducted an interview with me on his return to Guyana after I was appointed as Political Organiser for Georgetown in 1989.
In that monologue, (Cheddi always seemed to listen but never heard a word), I said that there was enough in common between us, for us to work together. Big mistake, although to keep me as a clog in the PPP wheel, he did say at that meeting, “you are going to be one of the future leaders of the PPP”.
Furthermore Freddie should know of my central role in the Guyanese Organisation For Liberty and Democracy (GOLD) where I was the Executive and Administrative Director. I drafted the position paper for its initiation and successful launching as a political entity in 1997. This document squarely condemns Cheddi Jagan, one year before his self-induced demise, in the strongest possible terms. I still have copies of this document, which I can make available to Freddie, for his perusal. This historic document will put to rest any lingering doubts as to my complete break from any perception of continuing adherence to anything PPP.
In passing I would like to remind Freddie of the following two incidents:
1. One day in 1994 you were coming up Robb Street and you met Rohan Singh and me in front of Michael Forde Bookshop. Rohan began to relate to you that I had, minutes before, finally gotten my fourth resignation as Party Organiser for GT accepted by Donald Ramotar. Your response was, “You guys take me for a fool? Who would resign now after all the hard work is done? Now is time for the rewards to come your way!”
Freddie you could not contemplate that there were people like Lionel, Rohan, Prakash, Anand, who were not prepared the accept the largesse of the PPP, because they were well grounded in the struggle of the Guyanese poor.
2. Subsequent to tearing up my Party Membership Card at a GT District Conference in April 1996, after being continuously denied the floor to speak on issues related to GT, I immediately posted my resignation as a financial member of the PPP and all offices I then held. Janet Jagan immediately called on the Conference to appoint Roger Luncheon, Moses Nagamootoo and Khemraj Ramjattan, as a three-man committee to “go to Peter’s home and try and bring him back”.
The PPP did attempt to do so on several occasions, by always sending me very late verbal notices to meetings with Donald Ramotar, Ralph Ramkarran, Komal Chand and Harry Persaud Nokta. I always declined because I told the messengers that they had no respect for my time and schedule.
I never intended to return to that poorly run and mismanaged organisation. I had broken from past and was intent on pursuing other avenues to social progress and the upliftment of the Guyanese Peoples.
Also Freddie one mid morning, during the same period, you came to my residence in Bel Air, telling me that Cheddi Jagan had sent you to speak to me. I did not entertain you. I knew that you were looking for news. In fact, my anecdotes are numerous but I will ask readers to refer to a booklet by the late Ranji Chandi Singh, “Why I left the PPP”.  It applies.
I hope Freddie, that I was able to satiate some of your curiosity in this short missive. You can email me at: [email protected].
Lionel Peters

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