Kissoon libel case … Defence concludes evidence-in-chief
March 5, 2013, By KNews, Filed Under News, Source
Fredrick Kissoon wrapped up his evidence yesterday in the Jagdeo libel case after relating information about source documents used in the research that encouraged the former University of Guyana lecturer and Kaieteur News columnist to call former President Bharrat Jagdeo an “ideological racist.”
Kissoon was led in his evidence-in-chief by Attorney- at-law Nigel Hughes while lawyer for the plaintiff, Bernard De Santos, SC, will commence his cross examination of the witness on the next occasion.
In conducting the research, Kissoon said before Justice Brassington Reynolds at the High Court, that he sought information from primary documents such as official government documents, national institutes, official reports and international organizations.
The secondary documents, he said, came from published books and journals, while other information came from local newspapers, interviews and unpublished manuscripts.
Prior to that, Kissoon was asked to relate from the notes section of his report, the explanation he gave coming closest to the meaning and process of ideological racism.
According to Kissoon, his conclusion was guided by the product of German philosopher Karl Marx and French philosopher Louis Althusser. It was with these approaches that Kissoon said he argued that “ideology is essentially a false consciousness. Meaning that; the adherent of ideology is guided by his or her relation to the external world by an interpretation of that world that may not be grounded in objective reality.”
In this context, Kissoon highlighted that, “The French philosopher says it is the acceptance of knowledge by the adherent that is indispensable to understanding “lived relations” which is a psychological category of people’s past and present experiences in any given situation.
Kissoon further said that in his research he applied ideology into the approach of power and ethnic relations by former Presidents, Cheddi Jagan, Forbes Burnham and later, Desmond Hoyte.
De Santos will cross examine the witness on March 11.