Freddie Kissoon must first apologise

Mar 10, 2025 Letters

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Dear Editor,

I read with uncontrollable laughter, Freddie Kissoon’s piece, “These people should apologise to President Ali.” As we know, Freddie Kissoon is in servile compliance; he has no choice but to serve his master, whether or not he likes it. These days, he has switched targets, directing his bitter and unsubstantiated diatribes, not at the PPP/C, his former ‘object of hatred,’ but at the Opposition forces, pre-2020 allies and refuge.

Let me illustrate, but first, I will summarise Freddie’s norm. In this piece, he remonstrated with some 40 odd people, listing their names, who owe President Irfaan Ali apologies. His big issue is that “How can these people in multi-racial Guyana write the President for a change of policy and tell the President that they want the policy to change because African people die from that policy.” He was referring to the Oil and Gas situation in Guyana and its supposed endangerment to the environment, which his listed ‘potential apologisers’ said are effecting the African people.

Now for my important footnote, as Freddie Kissoon seems uninformed.

Editor, one is  correct in saying that Blacks are the more disadvantaged one when it comes to things environmental, regarding the repercussions of the Oil and Gas sector worldwide. It is well documented that Black communities, as well as many marginalized groups, ‘disproportionately’ experience the horrible negative impacts of oil, gas, and fossil fuel-related pollution. This phenomenon, labelled “environmental racism” is of interest to many people and in all levels and domains.

It is undisputed that ‘Exposure to air pollution from fossil fuels lead to increased rates of asthma, heart disease, and cancer. I add that from a medical/health perspective, the effects on all human beings are well-noted and no race is exempted, but what creates the grounds for quarrelling is that of ‘Disproportionate Exposure.’ Again, it is well noted that Black and low-income communities are often located contiguous to industrial facilities like oil refineries, coal-fired power plants, and gas infrastructure, leading to higher exposure to pollution. Readers, this may not apply to Guyana, but more than one million Black Americans live within a half-mile of natural gas facilities. Overall, black Americans are 75% more likely than White people to live in “fence-line” communities (areas near commercial facilities that produce noise, odor, traffic, or emissions that directly affect the population). I rest my case.

So, it is not ‘insane thinking’ Who said that “No race is made a special victim of gas house emissions?” It is fully accepted that historical and ongoing urban planning practices have disproportionately targeted Black communities, leading to issues like environmental harm, lack of resources, and displacement, highlighting the need for equitable planning approaches.

Freddie Kissoon needs to be taught, but first be purged from his emotionalism, as this swings both ways, depending on which corner he is backed into.

I need not belabour this point. So, I move to his urgent plea of “… are we going to see an apology…”  from these people. He noted that “These people are anti-government and anti-PPP. They have an agenda. They will not apologise.”

My retort is the same: “Are we going to get retractions, acts of repentance, and words of apologies from Freddie Kissoon, for decades of anti PPP/C lies, distortions, fabrications and venomous regurgitations?”  Freddie’s putrid utterances were directed at the Chronicle, PPP/C leaders, and associates and the party itself.

Editor, I am mindful of your generosity in offering me a place in your publication, so I will just make a quick comment where Freddie needs to apologise and the sooner the better. I think he knows that even when he apologies and repents and recants, no one will take him seriously. He is an inveterate hater of the PPP/C and all people and things associated therein.

Here I go.

On April 15, 2019, in  “Guyana Politics: I feel personally insulted by Irfaan Ali’s Press Conference,” Freddie Kissoon intoned that “Most people are familiar with that old saying, “whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad.” (and) If I had any respect for Irfaan Ali, (and) If I had any admiration for Irfaan he has lost it. I am referring to his recent press conference in which he appointed Kwame McCoy to direct.”

Apologies needed-to Irfaan and McCoy.

Imagine how ludicrous this man is. He wants others to apologise to Irfaan, thinking that people have forgotten how he wrote that “Irfaan has gone mad. The gods have destroyed him. Of course, the gods rendered him incompetent before sending him off to Hades.”

What a piece of Judgement!!!

Then on Jul 26, 2008, in “Democracy inside three memoranda,” Freddie was boasting his anti-PPP rhetoric, saying that “I read the Mirror newspaper every week (online of course; I would not take my money to buy that thing). I do not read the Chronicle. I eschew the Chronicle … and all that jazz that GINA puts out in the Chronicle, readers find in the two independent dailies and the Mirror.

He asked back then, “Why read the Chronicle then? I have a particular dislike for the Chronicle for two reasons: One is that there have been people put in charge of it since 1992 who lack any conceivable talent in journalism. The Chronicle, since 1992, but particularly the past seven years, has been an atrocious media house that is completely devoid of any journalistic decency. Everyday the paper turns out the most poetic praise for Mr. Jagdeo and the most venomous condemnation of PPP’s critics and all the signatories are false names. This thing is utterly sickening and disgusting. And the people at the apex of power enjoy this gyration of the jumbies.

Hence, I call on Freddie Kissoon to come out and publicly confess his ‘ways of error’ and seek the PPP/C’s forgiveness’ openly. Even then, he will be a liability to the PPP/C. In fact, Freddie Kissoon is the embodiment of PPP/C’s major contretemps.

Yours truly,

Presscott Mann.

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