For me ANUG is an idea that is bigger than ANUG itself

Apr 26, 2019 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

Mr. Freddie Kissoon’s (I would vote any day for Jagdeo as president over Ramon Gaskin KN: 25/04/2019) attempts to vilify me go back to about 1989, when I was the Dean of Social Sciences at the University of Guyana, and as I remember it, he thought I was not supporting him in the university’s attempt not to renew his contract. He wrote a letter, which he copied to Professor Clive Thomas, stating that he would relegate me ‘to the dustbin of history.’ Not knowing much about Mr. Kissoon, I went to Thomas with threats about what action I intended to take, whereupon he showed me the numerous letters in the right side drawer of his desk and said, ‘that is Kissoon; you have time to waste’.
But when, in his usual fashion, Mr. Kissoon tries to distort important public issues with which one is closely associated, one usually feels obligated to reply although my opinion of his contributions has never been good. Indeed, those who have the time to waste would know that he is obsessed with what is going on at the University of Guyana. On 11th November 2004, when I was Minister of Education and was asked for a comment on one of his ramblings about what was taking place at the ministry, in a letter to Stabroek News I wrote, ‘Editor, Out of respect for you, I will make a final comment on this matter. Mr. Frederick Kissoon’s comments … have been factually and logically flawed.’ I then concluded: ‘Mr. Editor, Mr. Kissoon’s distortion of the facts as illustrated above is not unusual. Any careful reading of his writings will show that they are generally littered with inaccuracies, wild speculations and attempts at character assassination. This kind of approach may well have its place and appeal but it is not to be taken seriously.’
In the KN article above, Mr. Kissoon claims, ‘If you are very young, you need to know more about Jeffrey’s political history before you make the fatal mistake and vote for him in the forthcoming election when his party ANUG is expected to field candidates.’ As it has always been, your opinion of me is immaterial but your intervention gives me an opportunity to restate the essential goal of ANUG and my place in it.
Let me put your mind at rest: as I have repeatedly reminded my colleagues, no one will have to vote for Jeffrey as he is not running for any government or party position. My only intent has been the establishment of a political party dedicated to win a sufficient number of seats to force the largely ethnic parties to establish a consensual shared governance regime without which this country will not unite and progress in a timely manner. As has been the case for some years, my task at this stage is to continue to help in driving this process against all comers.
In a letter to Kaieteur News in January 2011, in response to one of Mr. Kissoon’s usual distortions, I said, ‘If ever there was doubt, I am now more certain than ever and will demonstrate below, that Mr. Freddie Kissoon does not truly understand many of the social and political concepts he bandies about; is usually quite oblivious of the implications which arise from their use and finds it extremely difficult to put together a logically consistent argument.’
This is still my position, and since Mr. Kissoon is a kind of Trumpian narcissist whose mind becomes clouded when anyone does not take him seriously, although all the evidence is around him, I am certain he will not clearly grasp that for me ANUG is an idea that is bigger than ANUG itself and thus my contention and positioning.

Henry B Jeffrey

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