Jomo defiant amidst PM’s lawsuit threat — again

Former Speaker of the House of Assembly Jomo Thomas is again defiant amidst another defamation lawsuit threat by Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves. 

He, however, responded to some of the claims that Gonsalves’ lawyer, Grahame Bollers, made in the Feb. 11 letter, including that the PM had demanded that Thomas step down as Speaker of the House of Assembly.

“The first thing that needs to be said is that this is not the first time that the prime minister has threatened to sue me,” Thomas, a lawyer and journalist, said on Monday in his “Plain Talk” commentary on Boom FM.

“It happened before, and I did say then that I am quite prepared to offer a vigorous defense for whatever perceived slander he’s accusing me of. And I reiterate that position, that I intend to offer a vigorous defence,” Thomas said. 

The letter was copied to Dwight “Bing” Joseph, of Boom FM, and Ernesto Cooke, of St. Vincent Times.

Bollers said Cooke had republished the alleged defamatory statement on his online publication and Gonsalves was demanding each from the radio station and website singly a full apology in terms to be approved by his lawyers.

Thomas, who was a candidate for Gonsalves’ Unity Labour Party (ULP) in the 2015 general election, said he had sent the letter to his lawyers and they were reviewing it.

“They have asked for the transcript of the programme…  So we’re trying to get that transcribed so that we could make a response, a contextual response, for one in light of everything that was said,” Thomas said.

He said that Gonsalves’ solicitors had quoted two excerpts from what might have been a 10 or 15-minute commentary. 

“So they are asking for the transcripts so that they can make a response,” he said of his lawyers.

Thomas said that as related to the Jan. 27 commentary, there are a number of defences to slander.

“I can tell you categorically that I didn’t slander him and that there are defences… I offered an opinion, an informed opinion, on a series of events that started in 2008 and I came to a conclusion,” Thomas said.

“I made no criminal conclusion at all. I talked about morals and I talked about ethics. Everything else in that letter is smoke. So for those persons who are excited about, here the Prime Minister got him this time. Well, let’s watch that one, run to the boundary…” Thomas said.

He pointed out that his first university degree was in journalism, which he obtained from Brooklyn College. 

“I did a double major in journalism and political science, and I think I was trained in an exceptional journalism department,” he said, adding that his mentor was department chair ??? who had an outstanding career at the New York Times. 

“So  I’m a trained journalist. I know what the boundaries are. In addition to that, I know what the law says on a number of issues, including the issue of libel and slander,” Thomas said.

He noted that he has written a newspaper column for over two decades, and Gonsalves is the only person who has threatened to sue him because of his writings.

“But one thing I know, I harbour no malice towards the Prime Minister? None, absolutely none; none whatsoever,” Thomas said.

“I may oppose him politically because of his policies. But I have no malice towards him. The fact that I say I don’t want him to get a sixth term is not evidence of malice,” said Thomas, who has been critical of Gonsalves even as he served as a senator under his administration. 

“He may say that, his supporters may say that, his minions may say that. But political opposition is not malice,” he said.

He also responded to Bollers’ question in the letter about why Thomas had elected to serve as a senator, candidate and speaker under Gonsalves’ leadership if he believed certain things.

“I’ve known the prime minister for a long time. I knew him ever since I was a little boy, 15, 16, 17, when I was in Youlimo and he was a university lecturer. 

“And there was a time when he sent me a book with the ABC of political knowledge, in which he described me as the most insightful young comrade, politically insightful young comrade he knows. 

“Clearly, he does not think that anymore. He thinks that I have neither insight nor foresight, but that’s OK,” Thomas said. 

He said it was “patently untrue” that Gonsalves had asked him to resign as speaker of the House of Assembly, as Bollers said in the letter.

Thomas noted that he resigned from the ULP in October 2019 and said he would quit as speaker in early 2020.

“I resigned because it troubled me when the motion of no confidence was brought that the Prime Minister fought tooth and nail, so hard to oppose or deny the opportunity to the opposition party to bring a motion of no confidence.”

In January 2018, Thomas allowed ULP MPs to amend the opposition New Democratic Party’s motion of no confidence in their government. 

Thomas, as he had repeatedly said publicly, said on Monday that he erred when he allowed the government to amend the motion of no confidence and allow Parliament to debate a motion of confidence in the government instead.

“And the very next day, I realised I erred and I said publicly that I erred. So the disdain started then, and I realised that I had to get out of this,” Thomas said.

“And in 2019, I said I am going to resign from the party, and I left in February. Prime Minister never asked me [to resign]. In fact, he couldn’t move me. He couldn’t get me out there based on the position.”