Dear Editor,
Permit me to respond to recent letters in the newspapers.
Letters and comments by Freddie Kissoon are, to say the least, disappointing and frustrating. As a university lecturer, it is incumbent upon him to ensure that the contents of his writings are accurate. As a university lecturer does he grade his students based on hearsay and only what he likes to hear?
The situation is out of hand and Freddie Kissoon needs to stop writing unless his information is verifiable. Ravi Dev, Moses Nagamootoo, etc have, understandably, resorted to derogatory name calling. Glenn Lall and Freddie Kissoon’s superiors at UG need to be aware of his unprofessional conduct and take appropriate action to prevent Freddie Kissoon from perpetuating his daily inaccuracies.
2. Vishnu Bisram claims that “polls must be scientific.” As a scientist with a PhD in Applied Science, I would argue that surely this information can’t be accurate! In fact, my PhD advisor emphasized on numerous occasions that polls and science should never be used in the same sentence! During my PhD coursework, I took a number of courses in statistical sampling. Despite what Vishnu Bisram’s revered and often-referred-to professors at New York University would say, a little common sense would tell us that a poll is as accurate as the source data. Very simply, the concept of garbage in, garbage out applies aptly to polling. There is nothing scientific about a poll but a good understanding and application of relevant and accurate sampling. This is not science, it is common sense.
Vishnu Bisram stated that his polling, by whatever means it’s done, is almost 100% accurate. That is commendable since it appears that he is a one-man show. Question: Why would an individual elect to be a school teacher in New York (we know how much school teachers in NY make) and not seek employment with a reputable polling firm (there are many in the USA) where his salary could be doubled or perhaps tripled based on his past record of polling accuracy?
3. Eric Phillips continues his personal assault on the government. Having provided no specific information to justify his claim on marginalization, he embarked on the C N Sharma TV licence suspension bandwagon. One cannot help but ask, what would Burnham (Phillips’s former leader) have done to C N Sharma? For a start, Sharma would not have enjoyed the freedom to do and say things that he does today.
Most likely, Burnham would have sent Sharma to somewhere in the interior, put him in lock-ups, and thrown away the keys!
The President acted on information obtained from his advisors. Not all decisions made by Presidents are fair or accurate (check out the USA for example, where President Bush’s approval is at its all time low).
In fact, while I respect the President’s decision, I suggest that the President reinstate Sharma’s TV licence. We do not have to resort to character-assassination to achieve our objectives. The late Dr Martin Luther King and ex-President Nelson Mandela have demonstrated this to be true.
Yours faithfully,
Anand Persaud
