MTV isn’t going to use me against the government

May 24, 2017 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

You have to be suspicious of people when they have ignored you all the time, then they turn up suddenly, and pay you recognition. Channel 65 MTV was founded by the PPP and was registered under the names of certain PPP leaders with Robert Persaud being the manager and his wife the marketing officer.
MTV is known in Guyana as the PPP channel. In the fifteen years of the Jagdeo/Ramotar reign, MTV never asked me to comment on anything. I didn’t exist for them.
Several times last week, the MTV reporter kept calling me for my commentary. On one occasion I was walking my dog on the Turkeyen seawall and the crew agreed to meet me there for the interview. I was flattered that MTV has now recognized that I have views on what goes on in society.
Yesterday (Tuesday), MTV called again. I was at the veterinary surgeon. My dog was sick. They did the interview at the vet’s clinic. So the first thing I asked was; what do you want to talk about? I was told my contract termination at UG is a topic
That one really floored me. On January 18, 2012 when the news was announced, a strike at UG followed, the Chancellor’s resignation was demanded, all of this was carried in the newspapers and electronic media but MTV never asked me for a viewpoint. When the cameras began to roll on me yesterday, I brought that observation and said; “better late than never.”
Now interestingly, none of the questions were on the activities of SARA and SOCU. None of the questions were on the violations committed against me and my family during the reign of Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar. But all of the questions were on the APNU-AFC performance.
I brought up the reign of Jagdeo. Will MTV broadcast what I said about the long nights of Jagdeo and Ramotar? I am no cricketer but I think I batted well.
In response to my take on sugar, I asserted that sugar is dead and the industry cannot be kept alive but I forcefully concluded that the sugar lands should be given to the workers; if not the government must find employment for them. Asked about the two years’ performance of the APNU+AFC; I used the opportunity to sermonize about the evil of the Jagdeo years. I did use the word “evil.” When the interview was over, I told the crew I expect all my critiques of Jagdeo to be deleted.
My point to the MTV interviewer was unambiguous and pellucid – the two years of APNU+AFC rule could not conceivably be compared to the evil of the Jagdeo regime. I made the trenchant statement that the Jagdeo hegemony was the worst atrocity the British West Indies has ever witnessed. I don’t know if that part of the interview will be carried but I did tell the entire crew I doubt any of my criticism of the PPP governmental depravities as described by me in the interview will be aired? Then I took a wager with one of the crew members.
The bet is as follows; he knows that MTV will carry my anti-Jagdeo vocabulary. I am saying it will not. If he wins, I buy what he wants. If I win, he buys what I want. He is a working class guy and I will not make a ponderous demand. I think I will settle for the latest Johnny Mathis album, about to be released; he will have to ask Matt’s Record Bar to download it. Of course the natural question was how is the economy doing?
I couldn’t bring myself to deny that there are indentations in the economy since the APNU+AFC took office but there is an explanation and I offered one to the interviewer. Drug money and money laundering are being confronted by the Granger presidency. It means that consumer spending is down. I explained that when drug money was building high rise structures, the spin off was national – more consumer spending from every angle. That is gone. When it went, less money began to circulate.
So there we are – the PPP aligned media house has sought my comments. I don’t know if Tuesday’s occurrence will occur again. But this I can and will tell MTV – I will be not be used by MTV to heap criticism against this government. I will denounce the fifteen years of disastrous domination by the Jagdeo/Ramotar cabals. If MTV comes again, I will speak and I will offer more evidence of the insanity Guyana experienced under Jagdeo and his sycophant, Donald Ramotar.

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MTV isn’t going to use me against the government

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