I cannot contextually understand the continuation of the dildo controversy

Apr 22, 2022 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

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Kaieteur News – Obviously, given my line of work, I read the newspapers very early. I buy the print editions which arrive very early by an extremely dedicated young lady. Yesterday, I saw a letter written by someone who signed his/her name as RK Singh.
The title of the publication is, ‘Where are we headed as a nation.” Here are some words from that publication: “Where are we headed when two other MPs, one being the Minister of Local Government (again) engage in exchange on social media? How are we surprised at the violent, at times bestial society in which we live when the supposed leaders cannot engage in proper communication or civil behaviour with each other, but instead go after each other in the most demeaning of ways?”
Since the dildo controversy in February, there has been a continuous stream of letters in the press denouncing Minister Dharamlall. It has continued non-stop since February. I did not support what the minister said in parliament. But in that column of mine, I did mention that he has apologised.
There are politicians in this country who have done more harmful, morally repugnant things and I wonder if RK Singh knows about them. Before we expand on that, here is the content of an email I received. I will withhold the name because it was a private correspondence by a woman to her former university lecturer.
I am publicising the content because my reply to my former student is relevant to the main thrust of this commentary. Here is what she wrote to me on Feb. 14: “I am a former student of yours in the 90s at the University of Guyana (Politics:101: Political Philosophy). I resided here in the USA over two decades I followed your viewpoints sometimes I disagree with you but I was so disappointed that you did not say anything about what the honorable Minister said in Parliament in Guyana. I do not belong to no political parties I am writing you as a woman how I felt with that remark. You should know Mr. Kissoon, we called that sexual harassment in the workplace over here in the USA and the Parliament is considered a workplace in Guyana. I would really like to hear your take about this incident. Thank you Mr. Kissoon (name omitted). Your former student of Political Science Class of 97 University of Guyana.”
Here is my reply: “Why you haven’t written to me on so many, many things, an ocean of things that were bad before? I have my list of priorities like every other columnist. Tell me what other things bothered and bother you happening in the political world in Guyana apart from the dildo comment. Thanks for writing.”
So what are the other things happening that Yvonne (that was her first name) did not write me on and RK Singh may have failed to highlight? Yvonne spoke about how women feel about sexual harassment. I am not a woman but as a philosophically driven man, I could empathize with women.
But violence against women is deadlier than sexual harassment because the woman can lose her life. I will never forget how helpful Kit Nascimento was in highlighting in the press what happened to a teenager and her grandmother in post-election violence in 2020.
Two leading bigwigs of the PNC went to Region Five, instigated violence and Indian people became victims. The teenager wrote a heart-breaking letter in the press describing how close she, her grandmother and their driver came to be killed. It remains a graphic indictment of the double standards of this country.
That letter of the teenager about the tragedy is in the September 12, 2020 edition of the Stabroek News. It is not to be read by the fainthearted. For my analysis on the ugly double standards and repugnant hypocrisy of those who remained silent, see my column of September 21, 2020 with the caption: “A helpless 16 year old girl, her grandmother and 3 LGBT victims.”
I did not receive an email from Yvonne about what the two PNC leaders did that resulted in the tragedy. I did not receive a letter from Yvonne about the worst outbreak of violent behaviour in parliament in the history of this country. The RK Singh letter addressed the issue of the behaviour of prominent names that could be related to violent behaviour in the society. But the letter writer, while naming Dharamlall, studiously avoided any mention of what the two PNC leaders did that led to the violence against that teenager and her grandmother. Maybe Singh did not know what happened in parliament when MPs behaved like riotous football fans.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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