I AM responding to Royston King’s “Freddie Kissoon lacks political etiquette” regarding Freddie’s negative attitude towards, and evaluation of, Dr. Prem Misir’s professionalism. I happen to know Prem very well in New York since 1986 during the anti-dictatorial struggle and worked with him on academic projects since 1987.

Contrary to what Freddie thinks and writes, Prem is a very productive academic, churning out major works, although I don’t agree with all of his hypotheses, conjectures and theories.  I don’t know if Prem’s works are published in peer reviewed academic journals.  But one is impressed with his voluminous writings published in book forms.  At times, his writings were difficult to absorb.  But his recent writings are easily comprehended and flow logically and unemotional unlike Freddie’s vitriolic, hostile and bitter outbursts against Prem, myself and so many other decent people.

I met Prem through Ravi Dev who had founded the Guyana United Democratic Movement(GUDM) which hosted a number of Guyanese politicians in New York, including Eusi Kwayana, Rupert Roopnarain, etc. Although not an activist like Dev and myself, Prem supported and gave financial assistance to the efforts of GUDM’s anti-dictatorial struggle.

I recognised and respected his academic background as he was teaching at St. John University and Long Island University. When a group of us were asked by UWI Prof. Brinsley Samaroo (who was Minister of the NAR Gov’t in Trinidad) to take on the responsibility to plan and organise the Fourth Conference of Indians in the Diaspora, we recommended Prem to Chair the Committee.

At a March, 1987 meeting at CUNY Graduate School which I arranged and which was attended by Professors from several universities, Ravi and myself succeeded in our lobbying and got him elected as Chair even though he was not present at the meeting.

We lobbied for and got Prof. Mohin Gosine elected as Chair of the Academic sub-committee. Several Professors, led by Dr. Morton Klass, from Columbia University, agreed to host the conference in July 1988. During this time, Prem had presented academic papers at several conferences and was duly recognized for his work.

We spent countless hours planning, organizing and raising funds for it. Unfortunately, the committee split over, among other reasons, ties with a government-organized committee hosting a similar conference in Guyana to mark the 150th Anniversary of Indian Immigration.

Two conferences would he held – one at a Queens hotel led by Prem and Dr. Tara Singh; another by Mahin, Roop Persaud, myself and others at Columbia University.

Prem presented a paper at the hotel conference.  Dev and I presented papers at the Columbia conference.  The Thakoor brothers (Rishi would remember) also presented papers there. Since then I met Prem at several academic conferences.  He presented several papers at conferences I helped to organize at St. John University (on several occasions) and at La Guardia Holiday Inn hotel sponsored by GOPIO.

I chaired a few of these sessions and also made presentations in those and at conferences at CCNY, Brooklyn College and Hunter College.  I also organized conferences and symposiums at CCNY and hosted well known Guyanese personalities including Prof. Chaitram Singh, Fred Wills, Prof Ken Ramchand and Brinsley Samaroo of Trinidad, Raul Manglapus of The Phillippines, etc.

So I know about academic conferences — something Freddie is not familiar with.
I also met Prem at the Pravasi Conferences in India where he presented academic papers and in Trinidad.  A couple of years ago I was in Suriname and was told he was presenting a paper at the University in Paramaribo.

So Prem has a long track record in academic circles. I am not supportive of his politics and we have had major differences on a number of positions and issues, especially relating to community activities in NY.

But one has to respect the man’s ability and his work even if we don’t like what he does. He has been hired by the government to perform a job and, unlike what Freddie writes, I think Prem is very competent in his position especially in defending the government, certainly more competent than is Freddie in academia or in newspaper commentaries.