Kissoon details why he called former President ‘ideological racist’
Kaieteur News columnist Fredrick Kissoon
With the Bharrat Jadgeo libel case making its first call for the year, defendant, and Kaieteur News columnist Frederick Kissoon yesterday returned to the witness box for the continuation of his evidence-in-chief before presiding Judge Brassington Reynolds at the Supreme Court.
Kissoon, and National Media and Publishing Company, publisher of Kaieteur News, and Editor-in-Chief Adam Harris, are being sued for over $10M, by the former head of state who is claiming libel in one of Kissoon’s daily columns published in 2010.
Under the direction of Attorney-at-law Nigel Hughes who is partnered with Attorney Christopher Ram, Kissoon started to explain how he came to term the former President an “ideological racist.”
With investigative research materials which have already been provided to the court, Kissoon said he has based his conclusions on his findings.
The columnist and former University of Guyana lecturer stated that from 1978, when he commenced research on Guyana’s political economy, it was revealed that there were two major ethnic communities, distinct in spheres and existence. He said they were the Afro-Guyanese and the Indo-Guyanese who were manifestly different in culture, religion, politics and economy.
From historical data, Afro-Guyanese, he said, maintained an existence with administration of the state, including state activities, education, the Arts and related activities.
With this, Kissoon said, came derived Afro-Guyanese power, authority and influence, while the more land and property based Indo- Guyanese derived their power from their physical possessions and wealth.
Kissoon said the two ethnicities, by (named) political theorist and sociologist, were described as “the Plural model” which provided social stability since each ethnic community was content with their sphere of influence. Additionally, Kissoon said that the ethnic communities found protection for their future existence in their own political parties.
But from the period of 1966-1992, Kissoon said the “Plural model” worked. That was until the 1992 General elections and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) came into power.
He said prior to that, the ethnic communities saw no perceivable threat to their sphere of existence and thus continued in their varying ways of life.
Subsequent to the 1992 elections to modern day, Kissoon charged that research has shown a “Fundamental shift, pregnant with disastrous possibilities.” It was the attempt by the Administration, Kissoon claimed, to do away with the, “Plural model,” a practice he said, that continued up to the conclusion of his research in June 2010.
During the tenure of the Plaintiff, Kissoon said that it was clear that, “98 percent possession of land, commerce, financial houses, the import and export trade and in general, wealth,” belonged to Indo- Guyanese. This phenomenon, Kissoon said, occurred with the increased presence of Indo-Guyanese in state sectors and “by decreasing most manifestly the Afro- Guyanese presence in totality in state sectors.”
Kissoon continued that various sectors were included in his research including, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Customs and Excise office, the University of Guyana Council among others.
In looking at GuySuCo, Kissoon said that research showed, statistically, that under Jagdeo’s watch, Indo- Guyanese predominance was facilitated into the upper echelons.
Sixteen Afro-Guyanese administrators all being replaced by Indo-Guyanese. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kissoon said his research showed that 15 Afro-Guyanese administrators were removed and replaced with Indo-Guyanese workers.
At the Customs and Excise office, Kissoon again, with the use of research material, said that at about 42 Afro-Guyanese holding pivotal departmental positions were replaced by Indo-Guyanese.
Kissoon went on to say that the University of Guyana Council is encompassed by four non-state appointments and those chosen by the Government. Apart from those not chosen by the Government, Kissoon said all state-appointed members are Indo-Guyanese.
For these examples, the defendant provided the court with names and designations of those who were terminated and those who were implemented.
Prior to Kissoon’s pronouncements, the former UG lecturer provided research on a specific programme that service the totality of state sectors in Guyana which is the Diploma and Degree in Public Management, branching from the Faculty of Social Sciences.
From 2000-2009, Kissoon said that research showed that less than 10 percent of East Indians graduated in that field yet the vast majority of persons sitting in the upper echelons of total state systems are by Indo-Guyanese.
This, he said, showed a “graphic and preponderant imbalance in ethnic representation,” which led to the conclusion that Indo –Guyanese were being favoured to operate in the upper echelons of state sectors.
The hearing will continue next Monday when Kissoon is scheduled to take the witness box again.
