“BAD JOHN” columnist Mr. Fredrick Kissoon in KN, 5-16-2010 feels he is very familiar with the thoughts of Caribbean Indians. He promotes “the contention that East Indian people are generally and anthropologically (sic) racist”.  In other words he means that Indians (no other races) are naturally and inherently racist. Then in KN 10-14-2010 he hacks their limbs off with glee when he adds that “Trinidadian Indians are more nationalistic than their counterparts in Guyana. Indians flock to carnival in prodigious (sic) numbers. Try getting Guyanese Indians to “Mash” down. Conversely an Afro Trinidad government will not seek to miniaturise Indian capitalism in Trinidad.”  Mr. Kissoon is convinced that they do not criticise the current PPP/C government because they believe it’s their “turn”.
This lamentation of Mr. Kissoon that Guyana’s Indians are a failure in ‘whining up’ in Guyana during Mash to prove themselves is reprehensible.
Does Mr. Kissoon have a clue of why he is disliked so much? Mr. Kissoon, I believe, seems to have a fondness for wiggling and jiggling and bending over in the streets of Guyana. I don’t believe he wants more men to do so but actually prefers seeing Indian women, shaking their body- line, cutting, jumping up and down the cargo line. And the prominent lecturer who daily teaches our children at the University of Guyana both in Georgetown and Berbice can have his way with them.  He is paid to teach them what is right. Right Mr. Kissoon.  Would Mr. Frederick discriminate against other races? Naah. He would just as well advocate the same wiggling and jiggling on the streets for Chinese, Portuguese and yes our Amerindian women too, without leaving out black women who can continue to show the others how experience counts. Right Mr.Kissoon?
Mr. Frederick is obviously proud that some Trinidad Indians are commendable examples of this kind of bacchanal. But he fails miserably to explain what contributed to those Trinidadians becoming ‘calypso Indians’: why is there Indian economic progress, why are they crossover vote’s targets, why do they demonstrate “only superficial racial bitterness” and why their absence in any race riots quite unlike Guyana? Now has Mr. Kissoon, again, got it right about Trinidad’s Indians?
Surely  Frederick is aware that Trinidad since independence in 1962 has been ruled by a predominantly black dominated PNM with Dr Eric Williams, Mr. George Chambers, Mr. Patrick Manning,  ANR Robinson, Mr. Manning again and only two Indian Prime Ministers … a total of 5 black Prime Ministers during the overwhelming majority of  Trinidad’s 48  year post independence history.  Surely he is aware that when the black dominated PNM defined and institituionalised the creolisation of Trinidad’s culture resulting in the creolisation of some Trinidad’s Indians it was certainly not done by mutual consent. It is a matter of historical record that the PNM used both direct and indirect coercive measures against the Indians in Trinidad which resulted in them subsuming their culture to PNM creolisation.
Trinidad’s Indians were marginalised and taught not to oppose their cultural genocide, yet they were expected to embrace their fate as an acceptable replacement for their Indian cultural way of life. Should they oppose creolisation they were not surprisingly branded racists.
How would Mr. Kissoon be able to understand that the PNM in a calculated way kept the Indian capitalist at bay in a controlled manner? There was in fact no ceiling for Trinidad’s Syrians, Lebanese, local whites and French creoles who always had exclusive preference to billion dollar government contracts and imports.  With the latter groups getting preferred treatment the aspiring Indian capitalist was kept in their place and the PNM was critical in their miniaturising.
Mr. Kissoon is accurate that the PNM managed to win marginal constituencies over time. The PNM deliberately made an effort to create crossover votes in marginal constituencies by creating voter banks. How? They constructed government financed housing projects in those constituencies surrounding opposition Indian perceived strongholds and gave those houses to predominantly Afro Trinidadians who then voted PNM. So the PNM won those “marginal” seats. So you want a house? What do you do? Whine you body line or riot? There are lot of Kissoons in Trinidad too you know.
The targeting of Indians in nationwide heinous crimes, job discrimination, awarding of government contracts, voter banks (housing) in Indian constituencies because of fifty years of predominantly Black PNM rule, did indeed take its toll on Trinidadian Indians. Complaining and rioting was not a viable option as they were quickly labelled racists and dealt with condignly by the black dominated security forces.  Who can forget the removal of sitting Chief Justice Satnarine Sharma and the jailing of former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday by Mr. Manning? Moreover Trinidad’s civil service as well as army and police as in Guyana are predominantly black. For that matter no Indian was ever appointed head of Trinidad’s police and army as if Indians are not capable of such responsibilities.
Mr. Kissoon must explain why there is a burden on Guyanese Indians or any other ethnic group to bastardise their cultural tradition for the sake of peaceful coexistence.  Does he find Dr Kean Gibson’s attack on Hinduism and Hindus acceptable and doesn’t this strengthen the racist perception of Indians which he promotes?  He in effect must explain himself and his loss of his Indian culture and religious underpinnings and what he has now become; does he happily makes such recommendation of ‘whining up’ on the streets to his only daughter of a Muslim mother?
Since Mr. Kissoon has ceded that he is an ‘Africanised Indian’ he should not expect that his failings and loss of cultural pride must be the panacea for others.  Otherwise, he would have a lot to explain why he has no Indian heroes and his heroes Mr. Eusi Kwayana, Dr Clive Thomas, and Mr. Tacuma Ogunseye et al have reverted to Africaness induced by Indians. Would he advocate replacing ‘whining up’ on the streets during Mash for them rather than ACDA’s new cultural thrust which they have obviously selected and chosen?
Mr. Kissoon’s rationale and explanations would indeed be revealing. Guyanese would then obviously decide whether all ethnic, racial cultural, religious and political groups must inculcate a healthy respect and acceptance for each other’s traditions, beliefs and existence through education and an institutional racial balancing of the armed forces to guarantee their mutual security or, instead continue to live in racial acrimony and suspicion.
Moreover, one cannot really expect any cultural group to freely acquiesce in their demise by force, coercion or consent.  Few would therefore be convinced that Guyanese behaving as a ‘calypso Indian’ as in Trinidad is laudable and would solve Guyana’s race problems. Decentralisation of those Guyana government institutions to eradicate ethnic fear and the crossover of ethnic votes by free will rather than coercion and fear should be a desired goal. For that matter, I myself enjoy a good whining up, but I want to do so of my own choosing whenever I so decide. Everyone should have the same choice as well.