Guyana Observer News

Kissoon’s firing from UG is a blatant disregard of academic freedom.

Friday, 27 January 2012

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Dear Editor,

Two months after the general elections which gave the PPP its first minority government in 19 years, the party has relegated it self to a new low by firing Freddie Kissoon from UG. The dismissal of UG senior lecturer Freddie Kissoon is an abuse of power and a violation of his academic freedom, which Prem Misir is aware of. If nothing else, the firing of Kissoon is more than enough evidence that the PPP minority government under Donald Ramotar is just as vindictive as the one led by the vicious and deprave Jagdeo. The actions of the PPP members on the UG Council, which includes Prem Misir, Gail Teixeira, Bibi Shadick, Indira Chandarpal and Nirmal Rekha are sadistic and immature.

They have become the judge, jury and executor of all UG policies. But the questions one must ask: Who gave the Council especially these five PPP members the authority/right to determine qualifications and performance? Have any of the PPP Council members qualified and impartial to determine who to fire or hire? Do any of these people have the student interests at heart? I doubt it. What scholarly method or academic standard have they used to terminate Mr. Freddie Kissoon? This very group has publicly sanctioned and supported the re-hiring of a professor who is known for using foul language in the class room and who instead of teaching his course indulged in sexual discourse with students. To all and sundry, the truth is this particular professor does not belong in a classroom and these PPPites should not be members of UG Council. Clearly, they are bias, irrational, and unprofessional. Their actions/behavior should not be tolerated by the citizens, the opposition and faculty and students at UG.
Over the years, the University of Guyana has had more than its fair share of problems and the last thing it needs is political interference from the PPP council members. It is the students who are suffering. The University has a gutted infrastructure, poor housing facilities, poor light fixtures, shortage of qualified professors/lecturers and administrative staff, empty library shelves, dismal leadership, and all the departments are suffering from insufficient funds, yet Pro-Chancellor Misir sees it fit to quote foreign authors and educational institutions to justify the decrepit situation at UG. Misir has done absolutely nothing to raise the image of UG or improve its infrastructure.
It is time for Ramotar to rise above this pettiness, stop this foolishness and reign in his political hacks. The PPP minority government must have a decorum and decency in order to govern and gain the respect of the citizens. It must stop its stranglehold on the University of Guyana and allowed it to flourish as an academic institution, something the likes of Gail Texieira, Indira Chandarpal, Nirmal Rekha and Bibi Shadick do not and will never understand. They are not intellectually and scholarly qualified to make important academic decisions at Guyana’s only public university. I have said it before and I will say it again that Prem Misir cannot honestly and effectively serve as the Pro-Chancellor of UG and as advisor to the president. One of the two will suffer and it is UG that is in anguish. His cut-throat politics has and continue to cause the decay of UG. Several students at UG have told me that the Pro-Chancellor will only have a dialogue with students who are supporters of the PPP.
Now is the time for the combined opposition to act. They must make it their duty to remove the PPP members from the Council and allowed the University of Guyana to progress academically. The PPP members have embarked on a vicious campaign to not only stifle freedom of the press but also to prevent the citizens of Guyana who disagree with the PPP, access to government jobs. President Ramotar must be reminded that he has a minority government and must therefore act accordingly. The opposition will not tolerate the PPP minority government stranglehold over UG and all other government institutions and agencies, including the state owned radio and television stations.
The dismissal of Freddie Kissoon is wrong and immoral and I strongly condemn it. It is political persecution. I call for his immediate reinstatement. The PPP minority government cannot absolve itself from the sleazy actions of its operatives on the Council. Such callous behavior by the PPP minority government cannot be allowed to continue. Therefore, I call on President Ramotar to end this madness once and for all at UG and to inculcate a sense of civility and fairness if Guyana is to progress under his presidency. He must act swiftly to stave off any unrest that might be on the horizon.

Yours faithfully,
Asquith Rose.

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