Bisram replies to Asquith’s inaccurate claims

Nov 16, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,
I am responding to a letter (No Second Chance for Dr. Persaud, Kaieteur News, November 15), from a Dr. E Asquith Rose who attributed comments to me that I did not made. I have never heard of Asquith nor saw his name to any letter before this one.
And as such I do not know if he exists or is a phantom, but the several incorrect claims of Asquith suggest he has issue with me.
My poll in Trinidad was spot on. Asquith made several other incorrect statements against me and I hope he would tender an apology and make other appropriate amends.
Asquith claimed that I defended Roger Khan stating that “Khan should not be jailed” and that I condemned GDF Major Clarke stating “Clarke should be imprisoned”. I never made such statements.
To the best of my recollection, I never mentioned the names of Khan and Clarke in any of my writings.
In attacking me with such falsehoods, Asquith did not cite any source of his information. There is none.
I never stated that I believe that Dr. Persaud was “framed” in his indictment or conviction.
I wrote “Dr. Persaud claimed he was framed by his wife” (Kaieteur News, November 14) and he cited “marital issues” as a reason.
I also stated that “I don’t know Dr. Persaud and as such cannot pass judgment on him”. I endorse the view of Neil Adams (Kaieteur News, November 15), that Persaud should be allowed to practice in Guyana (under intense supervision – my emphasis as I penned on November 14), because he was already punished for his crime in the US and wants to have a fresh start in Guyana.
I do not know the details of the charges leveled against him in the Long Island court or his conviction and I never made a claim to the contrary.
I only know, and indicated as such in my missive, that he was convicted of “attempted sexual offence” and I cited that Dr. Persaud confessed that he “touched” his wife relative but in a “playful” manner.
Asquith stated a litany of details against Persaud without offering his sources of information. I never stated that I believe Dr. Persaud’s explanation of his actions.
I penned, “It is conceivably possible that Dr. Persaud is telling the truth when he stated that he innocently touched the privacy of children” – based on our culture in Guyana and many other societies where touching children intimately is not sexually abusing them.
I cited the Egyptian couple’s experience as case in point. I did not make this up as Asquith claims. It was aired on CBS Sixty Minutes some years ago and he can verify it with the TV station.
With regards to his claim of my making up stories about Guyanese who lost their professional licences, I cannot divulge the names of people as it would be unprofessional to do so.
I was a union leader and represented teachers at hearings and am very familiar with several who lost their teaching licences.
But I can assure Asquith, I do not manufacture information (unlike others) to support my claims. Asquith exposes his ignorance of court proceedings when he pens that “a guilty plea is an admission of guilt”. No it isn’t that simple and straightforward as it appears. There are many, too many cases, of accused pleading guilty when they are innocent and reports have been aired on TV shows (including 60 Minutes) as well as in investigative reports in reputable newspapers, including Washington Post and New York Times, which I read almost daily.
Many accused plead guilty because they feel it is convenient for them and they don’t want to be bogged down by years of court waiting for a trial. I know of youngsters who did so.
Finally, I am not a propagandist for any political party and my opinion polls are professionally conducted and mostly on target. My last poll in Trinidad in July 2010 found that the ruling Peoples Partnership (PP) would win 10 local governments with a chance in one more and the PNM three. The results showed the PP won 11 and the PNM 3.
Asquith is advised to get his facts together when attacking me or anyone.
Vishnu Bisram

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