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Dear Editor,
For some time, I have ignored Mr. Frederick Kissoon and his self-serving attacks on me, the WPA, and members of its leadership. I have noted with great repulsion his cowardly, and frequent abuse of Brother Eusi Kwayana in the most uncultured and uncivilized manner even calling him at one point a “monster”. This degeneration in public discourse is unfortunately being facilitated by Kaieteur News. This allows Kissoon to pass his offensive writings as credible polemics and responsible public discourse.
However, my concern in this letter is to respond to his Monday May 10th 2021 column, (KN) captioned, “This is what an “objective, honest” take on race relations look like”. In that column he concocted what could only be called “drivel” which he presents as objective analysis on my position on MP Amanza Walton- Desir’s controversy. Kissoon’s motive is not objective or fair but driven by his unending desire to be recognized as an Indian “Bad man” and to satisfy his lust for public attention amid an inability to write beyond a few narrow and repetitive topics.
In his column Kissoon deliberately used a racial construct for his so-call analysis which he framed as a dispute between an African woman vs an Indian man, that is, MP Amanza Waldron-Desir against Mr. Roshan Khan. This is revisionist deception since the matter was between the PPPC/allies and Ms Walton. Having framed the dispute falsely he then presents my letter in defense of the MP as simply support of a black woman. He writes, “A Black woman pens a most sordid and condescending racially volcanic statement. An Indian man denounces her for that output. Up comes Mr. Ogunseye, defends the Black woman and labels the Indian’s response as “racist propaganda.” Mr. Kissoon, for your information we are Africans not Black. Show the same respect for us as you are doing for Indians. In Kissoon’s mind every position I take is seen as coming from an African political lens. He reduces me, and African leaders and activists as sub-humans incapable of complex thinking. The context of my intervention in the Waldron matter is clear. I responded to an orchestrated campaign by the PPPC and its allies to twist the words of MP Waldron. As I said in my previous letter, the controversy was not about establishing the truth of what was said, but promoting racial/political antagonism.
If the controversy was merely an exchange between Waldron and Khan, I would most likely had let it pass. I will contend that if the remarks made by Roshan Khan on his Facebook pages were made by an African supporter of the PPPC I would consider those remarks as racist and poisonous. Back to Khan, this gentleman is no stranger to controversy be it racial or otherwise. But what is more important in this matter is the fact that he was a member of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) and dealt with accusations against other citizens for making racial utterances. He must therefore be held accountable to higher standards on race/racial issues. If as Kissoon is claiming Roshan Khan’s Facebook utterances are not race poison then none of the persons that appeared at the ERC in Khan’s presence engaged in racist remarks.
There is another aspect of Kissoon’s construct which I have chosen not to address, his comparing what I wrote with what he claimed was said by MP Jermaine Figueira. But I refer to Mr Kissoon’s passionate comparison of his hair style with that of British Prime Minister. How more trivial can this columnist get? What does his hair style and suits have to do with the matter under discussion? Apparently, in Kissoon’s world it means a lot. No wonder a letter writer referred to his column as constituting “Stupidity and Foolishness.”
I end by making this observation: if the PPPC and its allies were interested in objective discussions on what MP Walton had said, they would in the first instance have honestly highlighted the exact words used by the MP. Instead, they chose to be wicked and at the same time bullies, displaying their wrong and strong attitude and playing dangerous political games with this sensitive issue of race. The PPPC and its allies, having decided that MP Walton’s remarks will be propagandised as “racist”, with which Frederick Kissoon concurs, are seeking redefine the reality or desiring others to accept their definition of reality. I reiterate my complete rejection of their efforts.
Regards
Tacuma Ogunseye
