Chancellor - University of the West Indies,
Mr. Robert Bermudez;
University of the West Indies,
Mona Campus,
Mona, Jamacia.
3/9/2018
Dear Sir Chancellor,
I write to you today, with mix feelings; feelings of tremendous pride, mingled with great disappointment. I speak of a pride I felt when I discovered, you have on the faculty at our most prestigious University, such men and women who are and have represented a symbol of strength, tenacity, strong will and courage. I speak of Dr. Kristina Hinds, a woman who has become the voice of the voiceless women across the region; a woman who I now up hold, as a hero and a symbol of West Indian strength.
It took all of the qualities I outlined above to do that which is unpopular and goes against societal norms. When Dr. Kristina Hinds, brave the state provided security, the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Government security and conduct a recent, peaceful but vocally disruptive protest of Dr. Ralph E. Gonsalves at the Cave Hill Campus. It took every bit of courage she had, to participate in such. For one thing, we must understand, no one can ever predict the manner in which state trained security detail is going to react, to intentional disruption of a foreign head of Government.
It was a good thing that those men and women the member of the Security detail, who were on duty at that function acted with common sense, good judgment and a keen sense of protocol impunity. Had Dr. Hinds been mishandled and or arrested she would have expected such. In taking such unpopular actions, one always expects the worst. I will let it be known here, if Dr. Hinds were arrested whilst protesting Ralph Gonsalves Lecture, I would not have cried for her, but I would have stood by her and give her the same level of support I am now offering. Because, I recognized there are some risk that is worth taking for justice and equal rights even death is a small price to pay for the liberation of a people.
However and unfortunately, I recently learn that there is a group of people who are petitioning the University of the West Indies, for the removal/dismissal of Dr. Hinds from her appointment of lecturer with this institution and from the faculty of the University of the West Indies, for the extremely unpopular actions she took by leading a protesting against Ralph E. Gonsalves visit and lecture at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies.
This is unfortunate for several reasons and I will address them below.
1. The recent petition, whether it is on social media or a petition directly to the faculty management, is the doing of Ralph E. Gonsalves. He has a history of vindictive action against people who opposes his disrespectful and oppressive behavior. There is evidence of this in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and one that immediately comes to mind is Leslie Jack the ex-manager of the multi-national telecommunication conglomerate: Cable and Wireless. Mr. Jack joined Cable and Wireless and work his way up to the senior managerial position of the company in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The first local to have held that post and possible may be the last. And because he took some professional correct steps that affected the perception of Ralph E. Gonsalves’ government he lost his position.
2. Such is unfortunate because the last time I check, the University of the West Indies is an adult institution, and the fact that Dr. Hinds is on the staff, the University did not asked her to automatically surrender her rights as a citizen of Barbados, her passion as a human, and her desire to make the world a better place especially the Caribbean.
3. Dr. Hinds did not surrender her rights to hold peaceful protest, against any cause, and causes she held dear, any cause in her opinion public protest action can bring attention to.
4. As a citizen of Barbados, Dr. Hinds had a right to attend that lecture, as it was an event that did not bar her from attending, and she had a right to show her disapproval of the lecturer or the content of the lecture if she so desire and by her actions we can now conclude that she so disapproved of the lecturer.
5. Dr. Hinds did not assault anyone, or commit any crime in her actions, neither did she physically resisted the lawful law enforcement authority that was at the facility on duty.
6. Dr. Hinds was very diplomatic in her verbal expression, her words did not slander, insult, represented a fabrication of information, and neither did she uttered anything that was libelous in her utterance.
7. The University cannot look back on Dr. Hinds’ actions and frowned its head in shame; because of her conduct. Dr. Hinds was at all-time respectful, and each time she had cause to address Prime Minister Gonsalves, she extended professional courtesy to him, she did so by addressing him as Sir. A title that should never be associated with Mr. Gonsalves. Dr. Hinds extended a level of professional courtesy, to Prime Minister Gonsalves that is far less than he has been consistently extending to his constituent in St, Vincent and the Grenadines and to his parliamentary colleagues as the record have shown.
8. Dr. Hinds could have chosen and used, but did not use some very distasteful but truthful adjective, to referred PM Gonsalves; adjective that I am restraining myself from using in this document, which may somewhat compromised the professional tone of this document.
If Dr. Hinds protested the illegal behavior of one of Barbados wealthy, un-convicted drug Lords will she be hailed as a hero or will you consider firing her because the drug lord she protested has lots of money. Well Dr. Hinds’ protest of Ralph E. Gonsalves should not be viewed in any lesser light than that of a protest of a wealthy drug lord. Because of the fact, Ralph E. Gonsalves have acted with unlawful impunity to avoid prosecution for several serious allegations that were brought against him. After the female police officer: PC Michelle Andrews, accused him of sexually assaulting and raping her; We must not forget that in an effort to defend himself, Mr. Ralph E. Gonsalves voluntarily held a press conference, and admitted without being placed under duress that he was at the scene, of the alleged crime, and that he was present on the said scene of the crime on the date and time the crime was reported to have been committed.
He also publicly stated that he had sexual interaction with the victim on the said date, time and place, to wit. “I gave her a reassuring kiss”. According to the laws of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, anyone who kisses another, without their permission and or consent has committed an act that is covered under the criminal code of St. Vincent and the Grenadines he had committed the serious crime of “Sexual Assault”. This is a serious sexual crime that may be tried indictable or as a none-indictable crime. This very serious carries a maximum prison sentence of 12 years imprisonment upon conviction.
I have been present, and I have heard when a young lady by the name of Tammy “Pinky” Kirby, publicly confessed in the presence of her mother, to be carrying on a sexual relationship with Ralph Gonsalves. Tammy was at the tender age of 13 years old when she confessed to this sexual relationship with Prime Minister Ralph E. Gonsalves. Of course her parents were dirt poor and Ralph E. Gonsalves is a practicing lawyer.
According to the laws of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the place where the alleged sexual acts took place; the laws plainly states that “a girl under the age of sixteen (16) years cannot give consent to sexual intercourse”. Anyone who so have sexual intercourse with a minor under the age of 16 years old have commit the offence of Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.
We also have the case of Margaret Parson the Canadian Human Rights Lawyer and Ms. Miranda Woods who was fifteen years old when she had a vicious encounter with Ralph E. Gonsalves. Miranda had excelled in the feel of Netball to the point where she made the St. Vincent and the Grenadines National Netball team. Like Margaret Parson Miranda went to Ralph E. Gonsalves’ office on official business. In Miranda’s case to solicit funds on behalf of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines National Netball Association for their upcoming net ball tour to represent St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the windward Island Netball competition, the OECS Netball Competition and Caribbean Net Ball competition, when she narrowly escaped being raped by Ralph Gonsalves. No young person should ever have to deal with such a traumatic and traumatizing experience; surely not a national ambassador.
The records of the University of the West Indies has Ralph E. Gonsalves as a lecturer at the Cave Hill Campus, who was taken off the faculty suddenly in December of 1979. I do not need to tell you, why the Government of Barbados saw it fit to revoke Mr. Gonsalves work permit and residence from. This brought an untimely end the employment of Ralph E. Gonsalves with your institution.
Dr. Hinds have proven to have been not just a person who instruct the student, but a professional who leads by example. She is not just a critical thinker that teaches critical thinking that is so scares in our institutions, even our institution of higher learning; Dr. Hinds have lived what she has been teaching. As a result, her actions make her a true ambassador to the staff of the University of the West Indies: one who practices what she teaches.
I have an estranged daughter, a young person, who was a recent student at your facility in the Cave Hill, Campus, at the facility of law: Ms. Alana Cumberbatch only if my daughter can capture the independent spirit that Dr. Hinds’ embodies and represents then I will be proud.
I trust that this document would have been instrumental in putting into prospective the very sensitive topic which you were reluctantly force to address. I also hope that they University management will see the value of Dr. Hinds contribution to that institution, her integrity, her professional conduct even in the protest and weigh such against the quality of human being Dr. Ralph E. Gonsalves is and have continue to be. You must also remember that your institution is not a primary education facility that teaches student discipline, how to behave in a communal setting outside of the home and how to confirm with authority. To remove Dr. Hinds from the faculty will therefore constitute a denial of an adult of her rights to share different views and to peacefully protest the views in support of the views she holds and share.
Such action against Dr. Hinds will be evidence that the institution of higher learning have unfortunately been reverted to an institution of primary or primitive learning.
In defense of a strong black West Indian woman.
Sig.____________________________
Allan H. F. Palmer
cc. Dr. Katrina Hinds
The Press
No comments:
Post a Comment