Freddie Kissoon
I am a senior citizen chalking up more than 50 years of fighting for rights over wrongs and 32 years of being a media operative engaged in public commentary/analysis of exposing wrongs that must be righted. Anyone who followed my activism will definitely not miss out on one of the friends I had – Lincoln Lewis.
Around 2017, I saw my friendship with Lewis heading for tsunamic waters. I was sitting on the back porch of my friend’s house in the compound where I live when I called Lewis to complain that the TUC’s representative, on the UG Council, Ivor English, was acting against the interests of UG unions and their members in preference to the administration.
It was clear to me from his attitude that night on the phone that my friendship with Lewis was heading for dissolution. That was in 2017. In, April 2019, while the industrial dispute at UG was deteriorating with the TUC taking the side of UG Vice Chancellor, Ivelaw Griffith, Lewis wrote a venomous, xenophobic condemnation of foreigners coming to live and work in Guyana. From British Guiana right through to April 2019, no one ever wrote anything like that.
This was the kind of things you see coming from the mouths of white, European fascists against non-white people coming to settle in Europe. This was the end of my friendship with Lewis. I was trained in philosophy and there was no way I could betray the feelings and empathy inside my heart, soul and mind for disadvantaged people around the world but mostly disadvantaged Guyanese whom the other countries of the world rescued and have been rescuing.
I replied to that column with an emotional title. Please see my piece of Tuesday, April 9, 2019: “Is Lincoln Lewis the Black version of White fascism?” By this time, Lewis had crossed over the bridge of betrayal so far that in June of 2019, the two UG unions wrote a letter in the newspapers with the caption: “Unless there is a change in GTUC’s stance on university matters, UG unions will withdraw from it”.
The industrial situation at UG had descended to terrible levels with open contempt by employer for employee. The TUC’s representative on the UG Council was on the side of the employer in shameless ways. I had no intention of pursuing telephonic discussions with Lewis and English as I did in 2017. I used my columns and the letter pages of the newspapers to expose English and Lewis.
Come 2020, the worst rigged elections were taking place in Guyana, and Lewis showed the nature of his character. The Kaieteur News informed him that the contents of his columns in support of election rigging was against the essential guiding lights of the newspaper and that brought an end to his columns.
On Monday, someone forwarded a video to me with Lewis involved in a dispute with others over a piece of land in Kingelly in Region 5, western Berbice. On seeing that video, I had to pen this column. Here is a man who sits as the General-Secretary of the TUC and was filmed bullying a woman half his size. He is filmed kicking down the woman’s post that she used to demarcate her plot. He knocked down her post and told her: “Do what you want”. It was an unadulterated act of intimidation. I will forward the video to readers. My email address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Lewis has publicly said that at Kingelly, 125 acres of land belonged to him because his great, great grandfather, Cudjoe McPherson, owned the land. In the video, the lady tells him, she owns that part of the land her fence is on. He requested to see her paper of ownership. She said she has it and she would like to see his.
Yesterday, I made reference to David Hinds’ attitude to the rule of law with reference to a statement he uttered during the election impasse. He asserted that if the CCJ ruled against APNU+AFC, it would be a coup against the Granger presidency. Here is a political activist not prepared to abide by the rule of law.
If Lewis’ great, great grandfather willed him 125 acres of land, the rule of law demands he produce a legal paper of ownership. If he does that the rule of law will recognize his right to his property. If he cannot produce that legal document, then, the rule of law should bring an end to Lewis’ bullyism. The rule of law should protect that woman he was filmed bullying. The rule of law did just that. He was charged by the police for assault.
