Dear Editor,

THE polygraph test, also known as the lie detector test, which is often used in law enforcement and intelligence agencies, has been in existence for over a century. The mechanism of its action is quite simple. When someone lies, there is a stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system which is manifested in physiological changes, namely increased blood pressures, heart rates, sweating etc. It is these physiological parameters that the polygraph machine measures, and what inform the result. The effectiveness of the polygraph test has been up for debate, and rightfully so, for decades. Firstly, intrinsic to the test process is the assumption that we all have a conscience which will trigger those physiological changes alluded to. This is far from the truth, since, without doubt, psychiatrists have long established that psychopaths don’t, hence polygraphs test would result in false negatives in that cohort. Secondly, It is also an established fact that there are a cohort of persons who can practise for the polygraph test, hence “beat it”, if we are to use colloquial language. Conversely, there are those who generally have a nervous predisposition, driven by increased sympathetic tone, resulting in false positive tests. It is because of these limitations, among others, that polygraph tests are not admissible in court.

As humans, we are born with, or more likely develop as a consequence of our environment, our own innate “polygraph machine”. This has evolved over thousands of years to guide our intuitive determination as it pertains to the truthfulness of a statement. Without a doubt, this innate process, which covers the spectrum from the gullible to the paranoid, is subjective, hence cannot be scientifically tested, but nonetheless should not be dismissed. Some cultures refer to it as their “gut feelings”; others may call it their “sixth sense”, and some may even say that there isn’t a concordance between words and actions. Today, I will focus on the latter as I analyse Freddie Kissoon’s actions as it relates to President Granger and the APNU-AFC.

Freddie Kissoon has written, ad nauseam, that his writings on Guyana’s political environment are objective, with no leaning towards any given political party. In essence, Freddie Kissoon has proclaimed that he will call a spade a spade. Freddie Kissoon has also argued, again ad nauseam, that he would rather have a minority government coming out of the upcoming elections. Freddie Kissoon would also write, once again ad nauseam, that the upcoming elections will be very close. Having made those proclamations, a reasonable person would have anticipated Freddie Kissoon’s line of attack, for want of a better word, to be directed at both major parties and their presidential candidates that lead the respective tickets. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Freddie Kissoon has been focusing all his unpalatable attacks on the President and his government. I stand corrected, but I cannot recollect Freddie Kissoon ever writing any negative commentary on Irfaan Ali since he was selected as the PPP presidential candidate over a year ago. The fact is that Irfaan Ali is a treasure trove of negatives that Freddie can easily discern if he takes his jaundiced gaze off the President and his government. As a result, I am now forced to refocus Freddie’s line of vision and visual field on some of the negatives of the man he is averse to criticising.

Freddie Kissoon, why haven’t you written on Irfaan Ali’s selection process, which was fraught with controversy? Freddie Kissoon, what about his 19 criminal charges? What about his being persona non grata in Canada? What about allegations of academic fraud? What about the nonexistent West Demerara Business School where he claimed he acquired his so-called first degree? Freddie, what about his illogical and nonsensical route to getting his “qualifications”? Moving from masters then to first degree, then to postgraduate certificate then to Phd. You should have a view on that, since you were a university lecturer for 26 years. Freddie, what about the fact that he dropped out of UG where classroom assessments and examinations are undertaken, to then undertake Online courses, where the assessments are all Online, and could be done or assisted by someone other than the candidate? Did that raise any red flags for you? Freddie, what about the fact that he’s clearly Jagdeo’s puppet? Freddie, do you have a view on Jagdeo writing his speech on stage, and proceeding to lecture a potential president on what to say? A man who claims he did his own 80,000-word dissertation, which is the equivalent of a 400-page novel, has to be spoon-fed to write a simple speech! Does that augur well for a prospective President? Freddie, what about when anyone important is in Guyana to meet the major political parties, Irfaan Ali is conveniently in the “bush”? Freddie, what about Jagdeo instructing him when to speak and when to remain silent? Freddie, and there are many more, but I do believe that you got the point. To further reinforce my point, I will now provide you with headlines on what you chose to write or not write on as it pertains to the PPP, APNU-AFC or their presidential candidates. This covers a randomly selected three-month period from November 16, 2019 to February 16, 2020.

1: “No human can be so sick to vote for such Guyanese politicians” -APNU-AFC
2: “A litany and concatenation of David Granger’s mistakes” -APNU-AFC
3: “Global Witness report will assist voters in deciding their choices” -APNU-AFC
4: “Guerrilla warfare intensifies inside the AFC-AFC”
5: “President Granger behaves as if he owns Guyana” -APNU
6: “Khemraj Ramjattan is in big trouble if the APNU+AFC wins” -APNU-AFC
7: “The PNC continues to manifest disturbing ingratitude” -APNU
8: “David Granger epitomises the inherent flaws of Homo sapiens” -APNU
9: “The final humiliation of David Granger”-APNU-AFC
10: “Ugly Christmas gift APNU+AFC gave Guyana” -APNU-AFC
11: “There are white folks advising APNU+AFC” -APNU-AFC
12: “David Granger’s interpretations of things” -APNU-AFC
13: “Incident at Smiling Restaurant in Triumph tells of psychic death”
14: “The part about Charran that Ramjattan left out” -AFC
15: “A crucial point Donald Rodney missed on the PNC-WPA union”-APNU
16: “Did Finance Minister Jordan mislead the nation?”-APNU-AFC
17: “Khemraj Ramjattan versus Sam Hinds: The narrative of racism”-APNU-AFC
18: “A history of the PNC: Part 2”-APNU
19: “The AFC lied to its members and the Guyanese people”-AFC
20: “The words of Carl Greenidge”-APNU
20: “A history of the AFC: Part I” -AFC
21: “Today, Guyana’s most bizarre political rendezvous begins” -APNU-AFC
22: “Leonard Craig, Joel Edmond, Trevor Williams, Marlon Williams and…” -AFC

Freddie Kissoon, those are some of your headlines covering the past three months. The contents of those venomous columns were disparaging, a distortion of the truth, and attempts at damaging the government. You seem, for some inexplicable reason, to direct all of your rancour at President Granger. I will repeat, Irfaan Ali has been the PPP presidential candidate since January 19, 2019, yet I cannot recall reading a negative column on him. Clearly, as the evidence shows, there were no negative commentaries on him over the past three months, and I’m confident neither since he was selected as PPP presidential candidate over a year ago. With regards to the PPP, the one or two columns that you have written over the past year were centred your personal vendetta with Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar, but again, inexplicably, you would find a way to bring the APNU-AFC into the mix, even though they were not the subject of said column. Freddie, even with your bizarre reasoning, it would be difficult to sell this to the electorate as you being unbiased, objective and working towards a minority government. There is clearly no concordance between your words and your actions. As a result, I have to conclude that based on our innate lie detector test, you have failed miserably. You are trying to mislead the electorate. You are lying. You cannot be trusted.

So why has Freddie taken this despicable path. In my opinion, and likely the opinion of most Guyanese, the aetiology is multifactorial, but the main driving force is Freddie’s desperation to complete what his good mate Charrandass Persaud failed at, namely to get the APNU-AFC Government out of power. It is painfully obvious that his good friend’s immoral and deceitful action was a catastrophic failure for both Freddie and himself. Like political lovers, Freddie held his wicked and conniving secret close to his bosom for over a year, with great anticipation of having their party of choice, the PPP, back in power. That was not to be. Because of this allegiance and mutual pledge to carry on the battle regardless that has placed Freddie on this Rambo Mission guided by oil-thirsty ‘Generals”. A second defeat for Freddie and his good mate, ‘Charran’, as he fondly calls him, is on the horizon, and I trust he is prepared for it. Unfortunately, as the most “patriotic” Guyanese to ever grace the land of many waters, running into the arms of the Canadians is not an option for Freddie. Having said that, he can be rest assured that he can confidently walk the streets of Guyana without the need to have on his person, toilet paper and other toilet accessories to clean his face.
Regards,
Dr. Mark Devonish