Dear Editor,
Freddie Kissoon dishes out almost daily slander against people he does not like. He targets former PPP Government and, specifically, several of its officials accusing them of corruption and authoritarianism and other abuses.
But Freddie is a hypocrite when it comes to corruption and fraud as well as being a bully and authoritarian figure.
The evidence would reveal Freddie is guilty of the very same allegations he levelled against others. He pilloried those in positions as behaving like dictators. But when he became “ruler” (chief), he behaves no differently from them.
In fact, he behaves worse. As a columnist, Freddie has had a history of confrontations or run-ins with many individuals derogating and calling them all kinds of insulting names. He uses the media to personally attack people with whom he has had disagreements – a serious violation of media norms.
In addition, he has been very controversial making claims that turned out to be incorrect or that were outright lies and falsehoods. His scholarship in his writings has been very poor and could not be supported with evidence.
Freddie also attacked Chronicle editors for not carrying his responses when PPP controlled the Government. Today, under his coalition Government, Chronicle does not carry views of critics and dissidents – Freddie is silent. Freddie wrote that he was offered a job by David Hinds to be a columnist for Chronicle.
We did not know Hinds is a manager of Chronicle because Hinds himself complains about being censored at Chronicle. Freddie says he cannot write for Chronicle because his views are not consonant with Chronicle’s on the role of a free media. Really! So why censor others now that he is letters editor? On corruption, Freddie ceaselessly slammed PPP figures as corrupt.
He mentioned the name of Nirmal Rekha ad nauseam regarding the vehicle duty-free controversy up till today when the incident occurred a decade ago; notice Freddie does not write about corruption under the coalition APNU/AFC.
Freddie complained that his duty-free car was not approved. Rekha did not authorise a duty-free car for Freddie. So Freddie would not forget or forgive the man. But Freddie was not qualified for duty free – he wanted the man to break the law for him.
If Freddie had gotten his duty-free vehicle, all would have been well with regard to Rekha and the PPP. Freddie needs to address the charges made against him by GHK Lall and Maxwell regarding corruption. Freddie is accused of blackmailing businessmen for money not to write against them.
So when it comes to corruption and authoritarianism, and on professional conduct, Freddie is worse than those he attacked.
Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram
