I CONDEMN in maximum force the diabolical third segment of the event I attended on the 26th June, 2010 at the National Library, organised by the Guyana Institute for Historical Research. While there were genuine efforts to engage in the productive and informative first and second segment, the event degenerated into a virulent and poisonous opportunity to denigrate His Excellency the President, the government, and the PPP/C.
The chairman, Dr. Thomas Singh, and the organisers of this event allowed Mr. Freddie Kissoon to make unsubstantiated, ill-considered, irresponsible, and spurious assertions without intervening, or allowing another presenter an opportunity to challenge these assertions. Furthermore, the additional travesty of this event was the censorship of attendees to make statements (myself included) to confute those pernicious assertions under the Chairman’s ad hoc guideline that attendees had only a window of thirty seconds to speak. Where was the balance? Mr. Desmond Trotman loudly and openly ‘booing’ when comments were made in defence of the government and His Excellency the President is emblematic of the immature and puerile modus operandi of the ‘old guard’ that has stifled conciliation and development.
How can our beloved country fulfill its potential when an ostensible and genuine effort to engage is merely political subterfuge and opportunities to deceive? The Kissoon segment of this event was a disgrace and the organisers, the chairman, Dr. Thomas Singh, and Mr. Freddie Kissoon should be ashamed of themselves.