Freddie Kissoon should conduct his own polls

Dec 14, 2012 Letters

---

 

 

Dear Editor,
I write in response to Mr. Freddie Kissoon’s missive (KN Nov 24).  After being provided the information umpteen times, Kissoon stated he would still like to know about my employment and academic employment. Reputable individuals like Mahadeo Persaud and Baytoram Ramharack, both of whom taught with me at the same building, penned letters of my employment as did Mr. Annan Boodram, who I often met at union meetings (as leader of the union in my building of about 135 members).
Several others like Vassan Ramracha, Lionel Peters, Ravi Dev, etc. penned similar notations confirming my employment. Stabroek News published my work site through which Mr. Kissoon penned a query to the principal of my school and received affirmation of my job status.
It would seem that Kissoon has an insidious agenda or something is not quite right in his frame of thought. He should follow Annan Boodram’s advice.
Mr. Kissoon contends that SN has allowed me “too much latitude without demanding answers about my status in the US”. My status in the US is very legitimate and has nothing to do with my writings or my polling.
Contrary to what Mr. Kissoon penned some time ago, putting down Indo-Guyanese, not all Indo-Guyanese live in basement apartments in the Bronx and not all are illegal (nothing wrong with being a basement dweller as I was told Kissoon himself was a basement dweller in Canada.
Contrary to what Kissoon stated, the status and existence of NACTA was laid out in the media umpteen times and addressed by Vassan Ramracha, Annan Boodram, myself and others. Yet Kissoon simply refused to accept those statements of affirmation.
Kissoon stated that he has collected releases of NACTA polls over a ten-year period.  I applaud him for the dedication and commitment shown in ardently following the NACTA polls conducted in various societies. He also stated he has been keeping track of my frequent travels overseas and contends it is not possible for any academic to travel so often. I thank Freddie for the interest shown in my travels.  I hope he is not jealous. I can arrange for Mr. Kissoon to travel every month.
All he needs to do is prove I am not a teacher and I will buy monthly tickets for him and his wife to travel every month to whatever destination they choose including for hotels, meals, sightseeing, etc. If Mr. Kissoon cannot prove I am not a teacher, can he do same for me?
I love to travel and have been doing so over many years with grants, scholarships, etc. studying and writing on various societies.
It is possible to travel every month while working as a teacher or academic in New York. Please note, Freddie that I once was granted a paid sabbatical (given to senior teachers based on years of experience) and traveled to the Philippines, Morocco, Indonesia, etc. conducting research on multi-ethnic societies.
The N.Y school year has many breaks which I use to travel to educate myself (as a travel writer and researcher) about other societies – something Mr. Kissoon, who was an academic, was and still is deficient. Mr. Boodram previously explained the practicality of an NYC educator working in the classroom  and traveling.
Mr. Kissoon refuses to accept Boodram’s explanation stating “no school operates that way”.
Kissoon states that he has “no respect for my so-called scholarship”. Why then is he collecting my writings and why is he so obsessed with my work, polls and travels? No one can accuse me of distortion, misinformation and misunderstanding of social science concepts, etc.
No publisher or editor of a newspaper has ever accused me of being dishonest or lying.
The same cannot be said of Kissoon.
Kissoon is right in stating that I perambulate around the world. But he fails to mention that I do so to promote Guyana (out of my own expenses) and to lobby for assistance for my homeland so people like Freddie can become a beneficiary.
Kissoon knows I spent two decades in the struggle (traveling quite a lot at my own expenses) to liberate Guyana from the yoke of the dictatorship so Freddie can have freedom to attack me and denigrate Indo-Guyanese (as Bronx basement dwellers) in his KN columns.
Kissoon is obsessed and engrossed with my job. My employment has nothing to do with my activities relating to Guyana, the liberation struggle or the community where I live or the Guyanese (Caribbean, Indian) diaspora or polling.
Kissoon penned that he asked a New York Times reporter to conduct research on my job and the reporter came up empty.  He said he also did his own research and found that “I am not employed as a teacher anywhere in the world”. Bravo! Well done Freddie! You will get a prize of free monthly travel if you can provide the proof.
Kissoon stated he feels I am a real estate agent because of some joke Dr. Ravi Dev played on him.
If Freddie can provide proof of my real estate license, I will give him my home immediately.  Any competent researcher would be able to find out if a person is a teacher, real estate agent, a college graduate, universities attended if you know how to do your research.
I worked several years as an assistant to the librarians at CCNY, NYU and CUNY Grad School before becoming a full time teacher. I master the field of research and could find information on anyone’s degree and academic position long before the internet was invented.
Vassan Ramracha and Baytoram Ramharack can attest to my library skills because they also worked at the CCNY library with me.
I note that at one time, Kissoon was totally against the papers publishing my polls. One positive aspect of his position is SN and KN should publish the polls but under my own name and not NACTA’s.
Suddenly, Kissoon accepts my right to write and disseminate info.
Thanks, Fred, for giving the media permission to publish my polls.
Vishnu Bisram

---

---