Dr Gonsalves may take on any media entity that publishes libellous statements against him

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves says that he may have to start taking on any media entity, including other non-traditional forms – including blog sites – that publishes any libellous statements against him.{{more}}

The comment was made Monday, July 29, shortly after he told members of the press at a media briefing that he had instructed his lawyers to seek an apology from The Vincentian newspaper and columnist Kenneth John.

In the July 26 edition of John’s article, published in The Vincentian newspaper, he wrote “Vynnette’s case is only the most recent of several that the comrade planned or countenanced against political enemies.”

“Now to say that I as Prime Minister planned to charge Vynnette is an outrageous libel,” Gonsalves said.

According to the Prime Minister, John has defamed him many times before; however, he let them slide then.

“And I really don’t like to be asking [for an] apology from a feller who was once my teacher and he is in his declining years and not in good health.

“But this kind of rubbish – to impute this of me; to state that of me is undermining people’s confidence in the judicial system without any reason whatsoever, just falsehood and malice,” Gonsalves said.

Similarly, he said that The News newspaper also published an article by Matthew Thomas.

In the July 26 edition, Thomas wrote “…the Ralph Gonsalves-led administration is the only one since Emancipation 01/08/1838, to arrest and charge any Vincentian with sedition, when on Tuesday 19th, September, 2006 Ordan Graham was arrested and charged for sedition.”

“Am I the DPP?” Gonsalves questioned.

“Fellers write these things and what people have to be careful with in this matter, sometimes when a man defames me in a personal sense – I did this, and I did that – sometimes people don’t understand I does just let it ride off my shoulder.

“But when you say that I interfere with the justice in the country, I prosecute somebody or arrest… and I am indicating this to everybody who publishes it, including some fellers who publish some things like these on one or two sites… I will have to start taking on those too,” Gonsalves said.

People tend to say a lot of things, but he could not be bothered with everything that was being said, he continued.

But in instances where comments are made and allegations brought against him relating to the governance of the country:

“That is to say that I interfere with prosecutions, that I order arrests and they know it not to be true – but they are using it, those dastardly lies, to see if they could mobilize people’s opinion,” the Prime Minister explained.

Gonsalves, since coming into office in 2001, has successfully sued at least one radio station and a number of talk show hosts, including former host of the ‘New Times’ programme Elwardo ‘E.G’ Lynch. (DD)