Former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Jomo Thomas, is threatening to sue Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves over the PM’s comments about China’s alleged involvement in Vincentian politics.
Thomas, a lawyer, journalist and social commentator, said that Gonsalves’s comments have identified him and Zita Barnwell, the other lawyer in his firm, as facilitating alleged payment to people in the media who Gonsalves claims are on China’s payroll.
“Over the last few weeks and months, the prime minister has engaged in certain defamatory statements that are bound to come back to haunt him,” Thomas said on his “Plain Talk” commentary on Boom FM on Wednesday.
“I’m talking about haunting him legally,” Thomas said.
Thomas contested the South Leeward seat on behalf of the Gonsalves’ Unity Labour Party in 2015.
He failed in his bid to retain the seat from the opposition New Democratic Party’s Nigel “Nature” Stephenson and was appointed speaker of the Parliament.
Before joining the ULP, Thomas had repeatedly said that he was a critical supporter of the party and continued to be critical of the ULP administration in his Plain Talk newspaper column, even as he held the speaker post.
The relations between him and the party and government deteriorated after the 2015 election and Thomas quit the ULP in October 2019.
He then resigned as House Speaker in February 2020 and called for voters to boot Gonsalves out of office in 2020.
The ULP was returned to office in November 2020 to an unprecedented fifth consecutive term in office and Thomas has continued to be critical of the ULP’s management of the nation’s affairs.
Over the last few years, Gonsalves has claimed, without providing any evidence, that China is bankrolling media houses and personalities against his government.
Thomas said that Gonsalves went on a rampage at a ULP event in West Kingstown recently, “about how certain people are collecting Chinese money, and that this money comes out of a law office, male and female partner. The male partner is a short man who has a Napoleon Complex”.
Thomas pointed out that in its column last week, the ULP gave its “evidence” in support of Gonsalves’ claim
“… if this is evidence, this couldn’t even meet muster; this would clearly be thrown out with any court of law,” he said.
Thomas was speaking of the ULP commentary that said that Gonsalves, in his UN General Assembly speech, had exposed nefarious agents who were trying to interfere in the upcoming election.
Thomas said the prime minister doubled down on his claims during an event in Kingstown on Tuesday to mark Taiwan’s 114th National Day celebrations.
“… and he reinforced this position about a short man and his partner collecting Chinese money and distributing it to spread anti-ULP propaganda,” Thomas said.
“Now this is a dastardly lie, and the prime minister knows it’s a dastardly lie, and all of his allusions clearly point to me and my law firm,” Thomas said.
“And how do I know this? In the clip … [from the West Kingstown event], I think he said that the ‘short man’ paid Ras John, I think he said $3,700 to come on, or paid for a programme where Ras John appeared to do his anti-ULP presentations, and then the same ‘short man’ wrote a column praising Ras John for what he said on that radio station.”
Thomas was referring to landscaper Aster “Ras John” John’s appearance on Boom FM, on which his commentary is also broadcast, on Aug. 26, during which John, who is a former strong supporter of Gonsalves, criticised the ULP administration.
Thomas noted that he has been a columnist for over two decades.
“I did a piece, a column, in which I did praise Ras John for what he had to say. So, the issue of identification is settled,” Thomas said.
“And I have instructed my attorneys to send Prime Minister Gonsalves a pre-action letter …” Thomas said, noting that Gonsalves has threatened to sue him twice in recent years.
“… but in both instances, I got my lawyers to respond to him and he cooled his beans because he knew he had no case upon which he can properly carry a case against me.
“And as I reminded him then, he ought to remember that cost follows the cause, so when he sued and he lost, he would have to pay me money. But no one can deny that what he’s doing is defamatory, is slanderous.”
Thomas said that apart from talking to the Taiwan diplomats in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, he has not spoken to “anyone of Chinese extraction in decades.
“I have not spoken to any agent of the People’s Republic of China. I have not received any money from the People’s Republic of China; I have not paid any radio station; I have never paid any radio station to appear.
“I have not paid any individual, including Ras John, to appear. I have not paid any online publication to do anti-ULP propaganda, or to render information adverse to the ULP. It is a lie. Prime Minister Gonsalves knows it’s a lie, and he has repeatedly doubled down on the lie,” Thomas said.
After Thomas’ commentary, Dwight “Bing” Joseph, manager of Boom FM and host of the programme on which both Thomas and John each appeared, said that Thomas did not pay the radio station for John to appear on the show.
Sue him Jomo! Don’t back down!
Fight against White supremacy always.
Failed politician Jomo Thomas needs to grow up and take his licks like a big man.