The University of Guyana Students Society (UGSS), the University of Guyana Workers’ Union (UGWU) and the university’s senior staff association will begin a picketing exercise on the Turkeyen campus today to protest the recent dismissal of lecturer Freddie Kissoon.
The three university groups met yesterday and took the decision to stage a protest in front of the administration building on the Turkeyen campus, which they are also considering closing down to demonstrate against the dismissal and other concerns, including the non-renewal of the contract of current Registrar Vincent Alexander.
The government yesterday distanced itself from Kissoon’s termination, stating that the university council was the appropriate body to address the issue. Kissoon and supporters have said that the decision by the council to terminate his contract was politically-motivated since he has been a strong critic of the PPP/C administrations.
Kissoon’s contract was terminated during a council meeting last Wednesday. Although he is a member of the council, Kissoon has said he was not invited to the meeting. His termination letter, delivered on Monday, did not outline why he was dismissed and Dean of the Social Sciences Faculty O’Neil Greaves would only say that the decision was based on his job performance.
Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday, Secretary of the UGSS Adel Lily, however, questioned the wisdom of the decision given its impact on students. Although Kissoon’s contract would have ended on August 31, the termination was with immediate effect, leaving his department scrambling to find a replacement with the new semester due to begin next week.
“The UGSS’s position is more than Freddie. It is about the students. There is nobody to replace Freddie when classes start on Monday… The UGSS’s position is that students must not be put at a disadvantage,” Lily, a Sociology major, said.
Lily added that besides the Kissoon dismissal, the three groups will be protesting the institution’s deplorable conditions and voicing their disapproval at a decision not to automatically renew Alexan-der’s contract as Registrar.
Advertised
Lily noted that the Registrar’s post is one of three that must be advertised in the international and local media and pointed out that it is a known fact that this was not done in the case of the two other positions. While not naming those positions, he said that the persons who held them had their contracts renewed without any advertisements. He said that Alexander’s contract will end shortly and “it is the position of the UGSS that he be given that contract.” He said that during a meeting, it was revealed that the position of Registrar will be advertised and that person can apply.
“We are saying that the same privilege that was given to the other UG officials should also be given to him; that is, that they were hired and had their contract renewed based on performance appraisal from the Vice-Chancellor. We are saying that the same privilege should be given to Alexander,” Lily added.
Alexander could not be contacted yesterday.
Stabroek News was reliably informed that the other two positions that were filled without an advertisement were those of the Director of the Tain campus and the Bursar, held by Professor Daizal Samad and John Seeram, respectively. This was done sometime last year.
The Alliance For Change (AFC) during a press conference yesterday condemned Kissoon’s dismissal, while stressing that it will address the issue with President Donald Ramotar in the tripartite engagement along with the Leader of the Opposition and in the National Assembly.
“Kissoon’s dismissal reeks of the cut-throat culture of the PPP/C. It is an appallingly blatant demonstration of their abuse of power and the control they wield over lackeys who are prepared to carry out every instruction of the PPP/C,” the party said.
It was noted that the dismissal highlighted the central government “stranglehold over institutions and agencies of the state, such as the University of Guyana, the state-owned media entities, the National Frequency Management Unit, the Guyana Post Office Corporation and others.”
AFC said that it intends to review legislation governing all State Boards with a view to making these Boards more reflective of the wishes of the people of Guyana. On Tuesday, the main opposition APNU also condemned the council’s decision.
Confidential
business
Meanwhile, government spokesman Dr. Roger Luncheon, responding to a question on the Kissoon situation at a press briefing yesterday, said that the council should be the one to clarify the issue “because we are concerned about the gross misrepresentations of what transpired and speculations about what inspired the council to act the way they did.”
Luncheon said that the responsibility to comment on the issue was neither that of the government or him, “as there is a convention about disclosure of the council’s business”.
Later, the UG Public Relations Division, in a press release, said that all the council’s deliberations are confidential. It noted that recent news items on the last week’s meeting “contain errors of fact, misguided deductions and information without a context for its evaluation.”
The release clarified that during the January 18 meeting, among other matters, the council considered appointments matters that had been referred by the Appointments Committee as permitted by the University Statutes.
It was noted that the council was guided by several of the university’s normal considerations, including the university’s rules on the recruitment of persons over the age of retirement; the academic qualifications of persons recommended for appointment; the academic record and performance details of the recommended persons; the proper instruction of students; and the relative value of filling vacancies on a long-term or short-term basis.
“The council of the university reminds the public that its deliberations are confidential and that the university does not disclose information that is privileged in its relationship with its staff, applicants for employment or other persons being considered for employment,” the release said. It added that unofficial reports on deliberations of university committees, including the council, “must therefore be treated with appropriate caution.”
UGWU, meanwhile, in a press release, accused Kaieteur News of unbalanced reporting on Kissoon’s dismissal, after it published a story in yesterday’s edition in which it was suggested that Kissoon’s last contract had been renewed contrary to normal practice. The UGWU questioned the use of unnam-ed sources in the report and accused Kaieteur News of transmitting what has been relayed by politicians on the UG council and President Ramotar. Kissoon is a columnist for Kaieteur News.
