Dear Editor,

Frederick Kissoon is the only daily columnist in Guyana who takes on the President of Guyana almost as frequently as he deserves. His direct style of questioning and demanding answers, as well as letting out information not comfortable for the regime, yet known, has made him an influential columnist. An added factor is that he writes in his own name.

He now claims that some colleagues of mine were not active and forthcoming on President Jagdeo’s domestic misconduct. He named a number of Guyanese men in various countries who he claims wrote fittingly on the President’s marriage games. In his list of praise he left out one man, who had written in such a way as to let the presumed husband off the hook. As I read the list – and I know their names and high reputation – I have seen an answer by Nigel Westmaas affirming the right of Ms Trotz’s ‘Diaspora’ column, and his co-offenders including Andaiye, and of Global Dayclean which Westmaas edits and publishes, to treat what they think fitting, as Mr Kissoon does.

Kissoon’s uninformed unfair and direct attack on Andaiye is disturbing. He declares, “Andaiye is a woman activist but strangely didn’t utter a word about what poor Varshnie Singh went through with her relationship with President Jagdeo.” This was a low punch, because the statement is false. Andaiye and Sister de Souza officially for Red Thread, and perhaps elsewhere not only “said one word,” but said it in such a way as to challenge the President and leave him without defence. To maintain credibility in the public interest, Mr Kissoon has the option of correcting the misleading record. He can choose whether he wants to be seen as reliable or not.

He also suggested what Andaiye should have spoken on when she received a public award from a civic organisation. A dictator we all fought once said in Barbados, “In Guyana, we don’t tell people what to print; we tell them what not to print.” Mr Kissoon must know whether he wants to be seen as telling people what not to print and also what to say.

Mr Kissoon’s misleading article appeared on July16. I am writing this on July 19, 2009.

Yours  faithfully,
Eusi Kwayana