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The Ralph Ramkarran saga the events in my life

Jul 24, 2017 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

There is something about the law firm of Cameron and Shepherd that I have never seen in my life in this country and those that I lived in. Each time, this firm sends out a letter there is no signature of a person. In my capacity as a member of the University Council of UG, and in my personal capacity, I have received several letters from this firm but there is never a human name as a signature.
The latest in this pattern is a letter to me and the Kaieteur News threatening legal action if there isn’t a retraction of certain sections of one of my columns. The firm is headed by Ralph Ramkarran and comprises his two sons, Ms. Josephine Whitehead and Mr. Rafeek Khan. I don’t know who authored the letter, but for the purpose of this column, I will put Ralph Ramkarran as the actor. I have composed this column here after showing several friends of mine Ramkarran’s letter and many calls that I got enquiring why I apologized after the Kaieteur News interviewed me, went through Ramkarran’s letter and perused certain other documents.
When my editor, Adam Harris and I got Ramkarran’s letter, I told him I can defend the column in question, but I will still apologize because I didn’t want the paper to waste its time in legal battles. Harris asked me why apologize if the situation is factual. I went ahead and apologized and retracted the parts Ramkarran wanted. The publisher, Mr. Lall and Harris read what Ramkarran described to them. I had to put my side to them. The editor has seen my side and there is a news item on it in yesterday’s edition.
Ramkarran’s approach to my columns goes back two decades ago. Twenty years ago, he sued me and the newspaper. Khemraj Ramjattan, then in the leadership of the PPP with Ramkarran urged him not to proceed but settle for an apology. Ramkarran wrote the newspaper, identified a specific sum of money, and asked that he write the apology himself. The then editor Nills Campbell agreed to the last demand.
In that apology, my character was attacked. I complained bitterly to Glenn Lall who was out of the country at the time. Mr. Lall did not like the content of the apology because it was abusive to me. I have written about this several times, so Ramkarran knows my feelings on this matter. From that incident 20 years ago, I lost respect for Ramkarran and have never spoken to him since.
I did convey to Gino Persaud (now a High Court judge), who was close to Ramkarran at the time, that Ramkarran needs to apologize to me. Gino Persaud told me he raised it with Ramkarran and that Ramkarran did express some regrets in the presence of journalist, Denis Chabrol. I respect Gino Persaud immensely and I am certain he would not contradict my account here.
Years after, Mr. Lall called me in his office to discuss a letter of complaint by Ramkarran against one of my columns. This was about ten years ago. In the letter to Mr. Lall, Mr. Ramkarran wrote; “it was clear to me you had no intention of firing Freddie Kissoon that you assured me of.” From that letter, I know Ramkarran would have me in his focus.
In September 2005, there was another disagreement with Ramkarran that went public. This was my denunciation of the advice he gave the university to ignore two orders student leader Jason Benjamin got from Justice Winston Patterson to restore the Vice Chancellor’s position of Dr. Mark Kirton.
From 2005 to this day, I have made mention of what Ramkarran did in relation to the Order Nisi and Mandamus. I mentioned it again in my July 18, 2017 column and that is what has caused Ramkarran to threaten legal action. I will not let Ramkarran deny me my right to write that in 2005, he advised the university not to observe Justice Patterson’s two orders. I don’t deny he has valid explanations for so doing but I don’t accept them like so many other lawyers. Mr. Roysdale Forde told KN that the NISI carries authority with it.
As readers would see in yesterday’s edition on the issue, there was a manifestation of what KN referred to as dishonesty in the letter in which Ramkarran wrote that I referred to him as one of three Leviathans. He wanted a retraction of that. The words were unambiguous and could not be missed. I referred to Anil Nandlall, Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar as the three Leviathans. I await Mr. Ramkarran’s apology to me.

 

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