The PNC’s horrible and horrific mistreatment of Nigel Hughes

Nov 29, 2020 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

Kaieteur News – If there is any philosophy I embrace in life is that a man must fight for his family; family comes first. I love Janet Kissoon and have been married to her for 42 years. You can tell me anything you want, you can throw any physical thing in my direction to harm me and I will take it but do not mess with my family. I will die for my wife and daughter.
The PPP government messed with my family and that was unforgivable. During its era in power, it ran an anonymous web site and inserted a fake photograph of my daughter in a compromising position with another woman. It was not my daughter. I know the person who did that. He is in the PPP’s leadership and he needs to apologize to my daughter.
The former Head of GOINVEST, Geoff Da Silva, writes a letter in the newspapers each week. But Mr. Da Silva has not penned one word about my wife’s professionalism when he was her boss at GOINVEST. Mr. Da Silva knew that the PPP government had targeted my wife and literally ran her out of GOINVEST. When CLICO collapsed, she lost her pension. I lost monies I was entitled to when the Ramotar presidency terminated my UG contract in December 2011.
I was walking my dog one night in the compound of the Aquatic Centre when my cell phone rang. On the line was a long-time friend of over 45 years. He was now the advisor to the PNC’s 2020 election campaign– Dr. Mark Kirton.
He asked me to send him the Ombudsman’s damning report on the termination of my UG contract. He said the government is looking at the idea of compensation. I was thankful for Mark’s intervention and indicated I need the money to buy a car since my old Rav 4 was fit for the scrapheap. He came in person the next day at the National Park where I was walking my dog and collected the documents. I never heard back from Dr. Kirton.
Dr. Kirton is a principled man who keeps his promise. It meant someone in the Granger Government rejected his effort. I call upon former presidents Jagdeo and Ramotar to apologize to my wife and daughter. Da Silva should publicly acknowledge my wife’s professionalism when she worked under him at GOINVEST. Jagdeo and Ramotar should apologize for my illegal UG contract termination. I hope Dr. Kirton can say why the compensation idea died. As we move into a brave, new future I think these historical wrongs, though just a few years old, should be corrected just by a simple apology.
What has this long rambling diversion got to do with the caption above? It has to do with family and the insensitivity of the corridor of power to the sacred value of family. While in power, the authorities bestowed the status of Senior Counsel on a number of attorneys of which two should have headed the list in the first conferral – Nigel Hughes and Anil Nandlall. These are two of the most pointed legal minds Guyana has produced, talent that is comparable in a world context.
Obviously, the APNU+AFC would have blocked Nandlall’s accolade. But why was Hughes overlooked year after year? My take on denying him his accolade was based on the PNC’s perception of him. If there is any African Guyanese the PNC is afraid of, it is Hughes. There is that feeling that he could be persuasive among the constituencies that keep the PNC alive.
In all this time, Hughes’ wife was one of the leaders of the coalition partners in government. This is where the “Senior Counsel” denial is mysterious and complex. How could the relevant authorizes behave like this? Whoever arrived at the decision to select the names for “Senior Counsel” had to be deliberately dishonest to compile their list without Hughes on it. The man meets all the requirements that I am afraid some of whom were chosen did not.
The government changed in August 2020 and weeks after Anil Nandall got what he deserved in terms of what he accomplished. It is a moral depravity to continue to overlook Hughes. I hope very soon this wrong is righted. I have never spoken to Cathy Hughes since she became a minister in 2015. I requested to see her through a text message, but she declined. Then 10 days after she got back saying she was available but the issue on my mind was dead, so I declined to meet. If I ever see her, I would ask her why she did not remonstrate with those who were doing a wrong to her husband.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)