Dear Editor,
Alston or ‘Kim’ Kissoon was a man brimming with ideas.
When the then Opposition Leader Cheddi Jagan put together the Civic Component of the PPP, re-branding the Party, PPP/Civic, Kim Kissoon was on the original team just before the 1992 General and Regional elections.
Because Dr.Jagan was the embodiment of Dale Carnegie’s ‘How to win friends and influence people’ he was always reaching out to people from all walks of life. Thus it came as no surprise when Kim Kissoon visited Freedom House for the first time to meet with Dr. Jagan and to share with him, his ideas of a Guyana under a PPP/C administration.
At every meeting of the civic component with Dr Jagan, Kim Kissoon would speak up throwing out ideas that were either unconventional or unimaginable. How he conceived of his ideas could only be explained by him. He had a fertile mind from whence sprung creative, innovative and bold suggestions of an indigenous developmental character.
At meetings of the civic component. Kim Kissoon spoke with a passion and conviction so much so that it was not unusual to hear Dr Jagan, after such meetings asking the receptionist at Freedom House to “put through a call to Kim Kissoon.”
Dr Jagan wanted a one on one with Kim to expand on his suggestions. Jagan was hunting for progressive, developmental ideas he considered applicable and Kim Kissoon was the man to talk to.
Many people do not know that it was Kim Kissoon who first threw up the idea of bridging the Berbice River. When he asked that it be made a manifesto promise, many demurred on the ground that it would be too costly and with the heavy debt burden on the country’s shoulders, Guyana simply could not afford it nor were the financial resources available locally to invest in such a project.
‘Where will the money come from?’ was the perennial question that confronted Kim. In response Kim jocularly quipped, “With a PPP/C in government money will come why do y’all think we have Dr Jagan as our Presidential candidate?”
Dr Jagan found the idea of bridging the Berbice River attractive from a developmental perspective but was swayed by the arguments highlighting affordability.
Kim persisted with the view that with the PPP/C on the cusp of forming a new government, the “party” he said “must project its vision for a future Guyana.” The matter was put down for further consideration.
At a political campaign rally held at Port Mourant, Corentyne, Kim Kissoon was among the speakers listed to address the massive crowd.
In the course of his speech Kim Kissoon, to the surprise of many, announced that a new PPP/C government would build a bridge across the Berbice River.
The crowd went wild and cheered ecstatically.
That ended the internal debate on the project.
The PPP/C manifesto for the 1992 elections was emblazoned with the slogan ‘Time for Change,Time to Re-build.’
Under ‘Transportation’ the document stated:
‘A thorough investigation will be commissioned into the operations of the Demerara Harbour Bridge and into the possibility of bridging the Berbice River and the feasibility of re-establishing a railway system.’
Kim Kissoon’s push to have this project included in the manifesto won the day, so had his insistence for the re-establishment of the railway system which President Jagdeo had begun contemplating during the latter part of his presidency.
The Bridging of the Berbice River became a reality eleven years after during the Jagdeo-led PPP/C administration.
That bridge should be renamed the Kim Kissoon Berbice River Bridge.
With the victory of the PPP/C following the 1992
general and regional elections, of its fifty four candidates, Kim Kissoon was among the thirty two persons named to serve in the First Session of the Guyana’s 6th Parliament.
He served in the National Assembly from December 17, 1992 to February 13, 2001.
While a Parliamentarian, Kim Kissoon contributed to budget debates in 1993,1994, 1996 and 1997. He also spoke on motions treating with the PPP/C Government’s policies on privatization, the International Monetary Fund, bauxite and the Income Tax Bill.
Because he had a burning desire to lift Linden and Kwakwani out of the doldrums and exuding knowledge of the bauxite industry, Kim Kissoon was appointed chairman of the LINMINE Board of Directors and a member of the BIDCO and BERMINE Boards. He served for a number of years in those capacities giving strong support for the re-fashioning and repositioning of the bauxite industry.
Kim Kissoon was a big man with big ideas. He never withheld his ideas from anyone. He shared his ideas with those around him. He wanted his ideas to make the rounds knowing that somewhere, sometime they would germinate and become a living reality for the benefit of the Guyanese people.
The Berbice River Bridge is a good example of how bold ideas and their creative applicability can become a concrete reality.
Yours faithfully,
Clement J. Rohee
