Dear Editor,
Re: Ravi Dev’s article (KN, August 23), I have stated before that I (along with many others) also know that pollster Vishnu Bisram is a teacher (and where he teaches et al) but Freddie Kissoon chooses to conclude that Bisram is not a teacher based partly on his own ‘sources’ which he has never disclosed and partly on a logic that says that since Bisram refuses to tell Freddie where he teaches and what colleges he attended, Bisram cannot be a teacher. I also know that Bisram possesses several masters degrees and that as a teacher of over twenty years experience he is among the highest paid teachers in New York. In fact any teacher who has been teaching for more than twenty years, automatically falls into the highest paid bracket – one of my colleagues (name and address of school given so Freddie cannot conclude that I’m not a teacher) at Middle School 206, 2280 Aqueduct Avenue, Bronx, NY 10468) falls into this bracket.
I also know that until the financial crisis kicked in last year, many Guyanese (and others) invested in real estate while holding down nine to five jobs.
On Sunday, for example, I met a Guyanese lady from Brooklyn, who works with the city and who has extensive real estate holdings. I, myself, own a couple of buildings, but I don’t work in real estate.
Finally, I’ve stated in the past that I know of the existence of NACTA as that was one of the first organizations I gravitated towards when I came to New York in the early nineties. In addition to the three names that Ravi Dev mentioned I know of a number of others who are/were members.
Incidentally, since Bisram has repeatedly said that he attended City College and New York University, it is rather very easy for Freddie’s ‘sources’, especially the one who is in the media to verify or refute this. That same media source can also verify/refute the claim that Bisram is a teacher by using his/her investigative skills and, if needs, be, file a freedom of information claim. Media in the US routinely obtain all sorts of info by investigation and/or using the FOI. In fact, although we have never had cause to use the FOI, The Caribbean Voice has always been
able to ferret out information for the numerous investigative pieces published over the years, many of which led to redress.
Finally, regardless of what he thinks of Bisram as a pollster, Freddie should know that the only way Bisram’s findings can be disregarded is on the basis of his track record, not on mere speculation and certainly not because Bisram refuses to answer questions posed by Freddie Kissoon. And any analysis of Bisram’s polls over time will reveal that he has only been off target a couple of times. I know this because The Caribbean Voice has always been tracking Bisram’s polls. Now if Freddie can
prove that Bisram’s polls are generally inaccurate, then his call not to take Bisram seriously will have merit. Otherwise it is Freddie who will not be taken seriously.
Yours faithfully,
Annan Boodram
The Caribbean Voice
