There is a particular cruelty in the venom Freddie Kissoon spews at Black women in his weekly columns. For years now, he has used his platform to insult, belittle, and undermine Black female professionals who dare to speak, organize, or critique the state of affairs in Guyana. His latest target is Dr. Alissa Trotz, a brilliant academic and respected public voice, whom he now attacks for the apparent crime of not writing what he wants, when he wants, and how he wants it.
But let’s look beyond Freddie for a moment. Much has been said about the kindness and sweetness of his wife, a woman often described in glowing terms by those who know her. And yet, one has to wonder, how does a woman so allegedly wonderful share a home with a man who seems so consistently cruel, unhinged, and obsessed with tearing down Black women? If she truly believed in the dignity of these women, would she not have whispered, at least once, for him to stop? And since he has not stopped, should we assume that she, too, finds satisfaction in his bile?
Freddie Kissoon’s latest rant is as unhinged as ever. In his July column, he lashes out at Dr. Trotz for not writing about Azruddin Mohamed, accusing her of hypocrisy and implying that silence on Mohamed’s politics is somehow a betrayal of Guyana. Who does Kissoon think he is? The editorial police? The ideological gatekeeper? He demands that professionals jump at his command, write on cue, and serve his preferred narratives, otherwise they are traitors, cowards, or worse.
This is not journalism, it is attempted control. It is an intellectual form of intimidation. Kissoon routinely accuses others of silence while he tiptoes around the corruption, extrajudicial killings, money laundering, and state-enabled criminality under the very regime he now flirts with defending. Where is his column on Roger Khan? Where is his outrage at the racial disparities in government appointments? Where is his voice on the cocaine shipments flowing out of Guyana, on the looting of oil revenues, or the assassination of character by state-linked operatives?
Freddie Kissoon is no moral authority. He is a relic of a past era, desperate to remain relevant by provoking controversy. He targets women because he believes they are easier to destroy. He harasses Black women because he thinks no one will come to their defense. Well, this is a defense. And it is also a warning, the time for quietly tolerating Kissoon’s bullying is over. When Freddie attacks those we love and respect, he can expect same.
And to his wife, the “sweet and kind” one, silence in the face of abuse is not neutrality. It is complicity. Birds of a feather do flock together, and we see you both.
