Dear Editor,
I respond to Mrs Doreen de Caires’s letter in SN of July 28 (‘Isabelle and Brendan de Caires once worked at SN’). It would appear to me that the intention of Mrs de Caires’s letter was to inform readers that I was wrong to state that the two children did not work at SN. I didn’t know that. I have no reason to doubt Mrs de Caires. But this I know: their stint was not of long duration. But I accept Mrs de Caires’s clarification.
Secondly, Mrs de Caires went on to state that I was never an employee at Stabroek. Nowhere in my original letter did I outline that I was. I believe all Guyanese who are familiar with me since I started writing for the Catholic Standard and Stabroek News know that I have always been employed at UG. Even when I was an SN columnist, they knew that. All Kaieteur News readers are aware that I am not an employee there. It would have been inexcusably foolish of me to state that I was once a full-time employee of SN.
I was merely using a methodology when I wrote that children and employees cannot see the particular person the same way. It was meant to convey the impression that as a columnist at SN, I saw Mr de Caires differently from the way his children would. It is unfortunate that Mrs de Caires read something else into my use of juxtaposition.
Finally, I find it totally uncalled for that in clarifying that I was never employed at SN, Mrs de Caires went out of her way to pen the following words: “Freddie Kissoon was always a contributor whose submissions were not always accepted for publication.” Why was the latter part of this sentence necessary? Suppose I was to take this part of my response further and interpret for Mrs de Caires, and Isabelle and Brendan, why some of my submissions were not accepted? Would it involve the very issues Isabelle and Brendan de Caires raise in their letter about how a newspaper should operate?
I am thankful to Mrs de Caires for publishing that intemperate part of her letter because it brings into focus, the nature of this society that I have always been critical of.
Yours faithfully,
Frederick Kissoon