Remembering Kamal Persad’s contribution in the struggle for FFE in Guyana

Dear Editor,
The contemporary history of the Indo-Caribbean and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has lost an irreplaceable figure with the passing of Kamal Persad, educator and public commentator, who died last week.
He championed equality for Indians in T&T, Guyana, Jamaica, Grenada, St. Lucia, and elsewhere in the region; and he welcomed Guyanese and other Indo-Caribbean activists whenever they visited Trinidad.
There are many fond memories of correspondences and meetings in engaging him, and of his activism and reading his published writings. He was warm, kind, wise, clever, brilliant, tenacious, resourceful, analytical.
Kamal met Cheddi Jagan several times in Trinidad, and read virtually all of Cheddi’s works. Not many are aware of Kamal’s contributions to the Indo-Caribbean people, or are aware that he had contributed to the struggle for free and fair elections (FFE) in Guyana.
He was removed from mainstream media two decades ago, and unfortunately suffered a stroke a decade ago. He came around health wise, but his writings became sparse over the last few years. He remained, till his last breath, steadfast in fighting for equality for Indians.
I first learnt of Kamal Persad from his writings and socio-cultural and political activism while he was a student at UWI during the 1970s, and subsequently as a teacher and while I was a student at City College of City University of New York, and an educator. This led to exchanges of correspondence with him and other Indo-Trinis. Baytoram Ramharack also corresponded with him on behalf of our NY group that was formed to combat electoral fraud and human rights abuses in Guyana.
Ramharack flew to Trinidad in 1981, and met him and a number of other Indian activists as he sought their assistance in our struggle for restoration of democracy in Guyana. A trip to Trinidad in the summer of 1981 allowed me an opportunity to engage Kamal and other activists, and that was followed by many trips involving struggle for equality of Indians and restoration of democracy in Guyana.
They were influenced to form a pressure group to support our NY movement. The Trinidad group included Kamal, Samaroo Siewah, Kumar Mahabir, Ashram Maharaj, Rajnie Ramlakhan, Roodal Moonilall, John Jaglal, Mukesh Baburam, and Ramdath Jagessar. Devant Maharaj and Doolarchand Hanoman would, in later years, support the movement for free and fair elections in Guyana.
Kamal and several other Trinis worked closely with our NY group, which also included Ravi Dev and Vassan Ramracha. Those and a few other Trinis contributed to the struggle (1970s onwards) for restoration of democracy (1992), but were never recognized in Guyana for their contributions to democracy. A group of us in 2017, at a reception in Trinidad, honoured Kamal, Kumar, Siewah, and a few others; they were conferred with a Guyana Medal of Freedom established by our private group.
Having taught for some thirty years, and with a lifespan of distinguished community activism, Kamal was among the best researchers (on Indian issues) and commentators (columnists) I have ever read. He roamed through libraries on early Indo-Trinidadian history, and did some research on previously unknown Indian pioneers in various fields, including Guyanese and other Indo-Caribbean persons. He also wrote booklets and columns on Indians in the Caribbean, exposing racism and electoral fraud in Guyana. He made a remarkable contribution on contemporary social history of Indo-Trinidadians. His voluminous writings were a sign of extraordinary intellectuality. He subscribed to the idea of an unwavering commitment to truth, writing with incredible candidness and supported by facts and great research.
More than a writer, he was a consummate advocate for fairness and equality for Indians. He courageously and fearlessly exposed societal and governmental misconduct and racism. He took on Selwyn Ryan and other nationalist African commentators, and was a great admirer of those of us involved in the struggle against anti-Indian racism in Guyana, praising us for our writings. In Trinidad, he went to every lecture or programme involving Ravi Dev and Swami Aksharananda, and showered accolades on Ravi’s writings. He categorized Ravi as among the best speakers in the Indo-Caribbean community.
Kamal, like a few other activists: Rajnie, Ashram, Kumar, Siewah, and others, assisted with polling of NACTA in Trinidad, volunteering time to interview many respondents in dozens of polls from 1995 onwards. Kamal had always praised NACTA polling, which he stated countered that of what he described as the bias of Prof Selyn Ryan’s. Kamal collated data for NACTA, and based on findings, also suggested ideas for commentaries in press releases.
Kamal, as well as Ashram, Rajnie, and Ramdath Jagessar who are no longer with us, will be remembered by those of us who knew of their activism for contributions to country and to the Indian community. We are grateful for the contributions of Kamal, Kumar Mahabir, Siewah, and all others in the struggle for restoration of democracy in Guyana.

Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram