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Jan 14, 2015 Letters
Dear Editor,
Now that the confusion or misunderstanding or debate on the issue of Dr. Prem Misir’s professorship is over, I take this opportunity to ask Dr. Misir if he can respond to my inquiry below.
This, for me as a national commentator, is important because it will guide me to avoid factual pitfalls and even tread on the outer frills of wrongful characterization, in future commentary, if the need arises, on Dr. Misir.
Dr. Misir is a national political figure and as such will come into the frame of those who analyze Guyana’s politics and society.
I do not exclude myself from such a microscope. Assessments of me and who I am are not as frequent in Kaieteur News but they do appear incessantly in the Guyana Times and the Chronicle. As far as my knowledge goes, Dr. Misir is a member of the Chronicle Board. I stand corrected.
Before I do so, I need to point out that my take on the professorship on Dr. Misir was shaped by my knowledge that since 1999, he had full-time employment with the Office of the President. It was based on my understanding that you had to be a full-time academic at an academic institution to be awarded the title of professorship.
Research done by this columnist reveals that there is also the category of “honorary professorship”.
Given the clarification that Dr. Misir received an honorary professorship from University of Central Lancashire, I do agree that he was entitled to use the appellation in front of his name. The clarification from Dr. Misir included the expiration of the title in August last year.
My understanding is that Dr. Misr still possesses the title from the bestowing of another honorary professorship by another university. Against this background, I seek the guideline from Dr. Misir.
As Dr. Misr will see from this letter, there is no normative judgement on him, his politics and his work in this missive here. All I am seeking is information so I can avoid factual confusion. My enquiry is listed below.
Does Dr. Misir agree there is a fine distinction between the mainstream definition of professorship and honorary professorship? If no, can he explain?
Is Dr. Misir in possession of other professorships or honorary professorship as we write and if yes where and what dates?
From the time of his fulltime employment with the Office of the President in 1999, has he been attached in an integrated way with a university or universities outside of Guyana and by integrated meaning that the institutional attachment was his essential fulltime occupancy away from Guyana. If he has, can he supply the dates?
I can assure Dr. Misir that no analysis or comments will follow the submission of his answers since there is no longer any need to debate the possession of the title of professorship. I do state, however, that if in definitions of terms as put forward by Dr. Misir, I have a different interpretation, then, it would be useful for public debate, for me to offer my take.
Frederick Kissoon
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