Linton accuses Gonsalves of spreading ‘malicious falsehoods’ 

Sen. Linton Lewis, the main opposition New Democratic Party’s candidate for West St. George in the upcoming general elections has accused the ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP) and its leader, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of spreading “malicious” falsehoods about NDP policy.

Lewis said that the ULP constantly says that the NDP will cut jobs, even as the party and its leader, Arnhim Eustace has never said that he is going to fire public sector workers.

“Don’t listen to the malicious falsehood from Ralph Gonsalves and the Unity Labour Party,” Lewis, an NDP senator told a party rally in Fair Hall on Thursday.

He said Gonsalves often accuses persons of spreading “malicious falsehoods”.

“For 15 years, he has been saying that. So why hasn’t he done anything about it?  Why hasn’t he tried to stop it? It can be stopped. Malicious falsehood is a false statement that someone makes against you for spite,” said Lewis, who, like Gonsalves, is a lawyer.

“They don’t care if they hurt you. They don’t care how you feel; they just want to tell lies on you. Someone says you have AIDS or something of that nature, something to make you feel ashamed of yourself, to make you feel shunned by people, malicious falsehood,” Lewis told party supporters.

“But I’ll tell you something, if you want to stop that, it is easy. Bring in a law that will let the people who make the statement prove that they are talking the truth. … And if you can’t prove that they are talking the truth, they must pay the penalty and pay the price.

“… But you know why he doesn’t bring it in? You know why Ralph Gonsalves does not introduce that law? Because he himself engages in malicious falsehoods. He said  Linton Lewis calls the gentleman running against Mr. Leacock insignificant. If you listen the tape, I never even called the fella name, I never even used the word insignificant in my entire speech,” Lewis said in reference to a speech he made at an NDP rally in Redemption Sharpes last month.

“He said I called his son a nothing. I don’t bother with his son, except when he interferes with the constituents of East St. George. So I don’t know why I would have to call him anything let alone nothing,” said Lewis, who is running against Gonsalves’ son, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sen. Camillo Gonsalves.

“So he himself is spreading malicious falsehood and that is the reason why he is not happy about it,” Lewis said of the Prime Minister.

“So we (the NDP) are not going to fire anybody, we are about job creation, we are about rewarding people on the basis of their skill and their ability and their effort and not by virtue of their association with any political party. We believe in the constitution that people ought not to be discriminated [against]. So don’t be afraid,” Lewis said.