The protest action against the recent termination of University of Guyana (UG) lecturer Freddie Kissoon grew yesterday with more support from the opposition parties and the university students and staffers.
About 200 persons demonstrated during a one-hour peaceful protest at the Turkeyen Campus, where they called for the reinstatement of Kissoon, who is also a newspaper columnist.
“Tell government hands off UG!” and “Students power! No dictator!” were among the chants by those who participated in the protest.
Later, at a briefing held by outgoing Vice-Chancellor Lawrence Carrington, Kissoon questioned whether there was any university in the world where there is an entity that tries to control and run its operations.
Carrington, in response, said at the University of the West Indies, there are no government representations on the five appointment committees. “What that does is that it allows you to focus on the academic issues related to the appointments rather than the intrusion of political issues,” he said. His response was met was loud applause from the packed George Walcott Lecture Theatre (GWLT).
Kissoon and supporters believe that his termination was politically-motivated, noting that the five persons on the University of Guyana Council who voted to terminate his contract are all government officials.
Kissoon, who was a member of the council, yesterday admitted to the hundreds of students and university staff that he often leaked information emanating out of its deliberations. In justifying his position, he said that there were things that “people in this country needed to know and I make no apologies. If I am put on that council I will do the same.”
Stabroek News had attempted several times to determine why Kissoon was fired. O’Neil Greaves, Dean of the Social Science faculty would only say the termination was as a result of his job performance.
‘No basis’
Adel Lilly, speaking on behalf of the University of Guyana Student Society, told this newspaper that the fact that more students came out to show their solidarity yesterday is a positive sign and shows that they are concerned.
UG lecturer and economist Dr Thomas Singh questioned if there was a basis for firing Kissoon. “I don’t think there is any,” he opined.
He added that there are two possibilities for the termination—either that it had to do with his retirement age, in which case the argument would be that he was hired through a contract; or poor performance, in which case the university’s statutes and regulations have a procedure outlined that involved laying a charge in writing as was done with lecturer Evan Persaud and allowing that person an opportunity to ask for a special committee to review the charge. He pointed out that in the case of Kissoon no procedure was followed. “I can find nothing in the statue to justify dismal on the spot”, he said.
Dr Singh, who was on the committee that investigated complaints against Persaud, also noted that in that case the committee stated that it could not find enough of a basis to make a recommendation to the University Council that he was guilty. “It’s the same sort of principal that applies here,” he said. “I am surprised because I would have expected this action before the elections. I don’t understand why it is happening after the elections,” he added.
Also present at the protest were Alliance for Change Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan and members of youth arm of opposition coalition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).
‘Intervention’
General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) Lincoln Lewis yesterday dispatched a letter to UG Chancellor Professor Compton Bourne, asking him to intervene to resolve the situation.
“In the case of Mr. Kissoon there appears to be an industrial dispute that is also perceived by himself, members of the university community, and the general public who also are of the belief that said dispute is resultant from violation of basic industrial practices and denial of natural justice which should underpin even contract for service labour agreements,” it said, while adding that the call on the Chancellor to intervene to bring about a resolution is critical given the questions surrounding the termination of contract.
Lewis said the GTUC is also suggesting that the UG council engage both unions on campus and put in place a committee to investigate the circumstance that led to this situation and make the appropriate recommendation on the way forward. This suggestion, he added, is guided and influenced by precedent where late former lecturer Dr. Desrey Fox’s contract was not renewed/terminated and the council sought resolution by appointing a committee to investigate the issue.
“Public perception of victimisation, spitefulness, and political interference, can only take root in absence of sound decision making, hard evidence to demonstrate poor performance, non-fulfilment of research quotas, and failure to correct same after these were brought to Mr. Kissoon’s attention and were not corrected. GTUC takes note that Mr. Kissoon in the public media has denied the latter and we are of the knowledge that his termination letter refrains from giving motive for same,” Lewis added, while saying that the council must show leadership and commitment to independence.
Meanwhile, other organisations added their voices to the condemnation of Kissoon’s dismissal yesterday, while urging citizens to speak out.
The African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) urged patriotic citizens to make their voices heard on the issue, saying although it would not support all of Kissoon’s views, it would defend his right to the freedoms of speech, association and work. It called the dismissal a serious issue that reflects on the country’s politicians, its democracy, its due process, its civil and human rights and its decency. Presidential advisor on governance Gail Teixeira, it noted, was one of five, including two parliamentarians, who voted against on the University council against Kissoon’s employment.
“We call on supporters of the ruling party to not be held in international shame and be complicit in this act of “naked revenge,” it added, while urging President Donald Ramotar to reinstate Kissoon. ACDA also pointed out that the libel case brought by President Bharrat Jagdeo had put the government in a bad light both domestically and internationally. “Now this issue will only place Guyana in darkness,” it said.
The APNU-affiliate, the Youth Coalition for Transformation (YCT), dubbing Kissoon’s dismissal a “dangerous” development, similarly singled out the ruling party, saying the PPP/C controlled council has created “more doubts in the minds of the people that this minority regime will work to promote a Guyanese society….”
While noting that Kissoon has been a staunch critic of both the PNC and the PPP/C governments, YCT warned against the dangers of a zero-tolerance for dissenting or differing views and urged Guyanese to resist attempts to render the people without a voice.
“The Freddie Kissoon sacking cannot be isolated from the many acts of victimisation and discrimination which prevails wantonly in our society,” it said, adding that it believes there are overwhelming reasons to believe that his dismissal was for sharing views different from the government.
“Let us demand a full and impartial disclosure of all allegations, if any, made against Freddie Kissoon and strive to see whether those disclosures are justified or real,” it urged, saying, “The burden is on those who instituted the dismissal to prove that the non renewal of Kissoon’s contract to lecture at the University of Guyana is without malice, contempt and divisive practices.”
