I was about to write another article when an ongoing discussion between “national icon” Freddie Kissoon and one Mr. Devanand Bhagwan caught my eye. The discussion is on the contributions made by one’s race to the local scene and in the world at large. Mr. Devanand has taken the higher ground in highlighting the notable achievements of his race to society,to which Freddie took umbrage and in response highlighted the downright lows of that race.
While Devanand must be applauded for his letter, I am very amused by Kissoon’s who denigrated his own race. Now you are quite familiar with this character who has denounced that he is Indian which is “very enlightening” for a man that looks, speaks, behaves – in fact his every trait is Indian – yet he thinks he is otherwise.
The last I know when I saw him at Bourda Market, he looks very much like the race he abhors. However, Freddie conveniently thinks he is not. The Bible asks the rhetorical question: can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard his spots. This is precisely the point Freddie cannot hide even if he is in a crowd with that race he has adopted. He is so distinct.
And this is my springboard to jump into the debate I am aware of the cause for Kissoon’s grouse with his race a reason which most of us are familiar with, that is, taking bribes or  granting favours to one’s own race even if it is the wrong thing to do.
We know the story of Kissoon approaching the PPP for such largesse but was denied, which is cause for his anger. He has become so bitter that he wants to reverse his genealogy. Quite interesting! And his soft target seems to be the PPP/C and Jagdeo in particular. The former President seems to have a special place for his target practice, an unnatural obsession of man with man which causes me to have very unhealthy thoughts about Freddie. Well, Jagdeo is not so soft a target after all, because that same nonsensical racial talk has landed him in hot water, in a place wherein he is at a loss to extricate himself.
 The point is you cannot denounce your race just because you would have had bad relations with person/s of that racial grouping, it simply does not work that way. I am an Afro-Guyanese who prefers to be called a Black Man, Black and proud – it makes me proud of my race. By the same token, there are very many things the race does that I am appalled and would readily castigate the perpetrators for bringing the good name of the race down. I would not be as asinine as Freddie and denounce my race. And speaking of the evil deeds of a race, I would like Freddie to approach a protesting PNC/Black crowd without them knowing that he is the so-called Indian columnist that “champions the cause of the Black Man” and see what they will do to him. I would like him to make it a test case.
So, here’s an example of the backwardness of my race that I am not proud of, this constant attack on the Indian whenever they are in so called protest action.  Linden, Agricola, Buxton and many other incidents of these kinds cast a dark shadow on the Black Man. These are all acts that must be strongly condemned.
But I would never entertain the idea of changing my ethnicity.  Freddie is delusional and he has taken it to a new low. I would ask him not to take my race down that low road with him. What he needs to do is lift up the race with positive engagements and not of the kind he is presently advocating. We in the Black community have enough problems of our own than to deal with the added burden of a surrogate masquerading under the banner of a Black Man.