By Peter Binose

There are at least thirty five Wikileak releases of cables from the US Ambassador in Barbados to the US that carry reference or contain PM Gonsalves name, some of which carry derogatory statements, some of which may refer to what some may interpret as alleged criminal activity on his part. Make no mistake, I am not saying that PM has ever been involved in criminal activity. Having said that some of them also carry complementary comments about Gonsalves. I recently read comments by Prime Minister Gonsalves when he said “the Wikileak exposure makes him look like a strong leader”.

Over the last few days I have read that comment in several media places that ran articles about Gonsalves claiming that the content of Wikileaks made him look stronger. No mention anywhere where he denies any part of the content of the Wikileaks cables, only his bragging that the cables made him look stronger. So it can be no wonder if some people thought he referred to the whole content.

If he was willing to accept that the parts that praised him and made him look stronger were true and acceptable to him, without denying or refuting other parts of the contents as being untrue. Would that not encourage the World at large to assume that everything contained in the Wikileaks cables were basically true. Surely if he didn’t deny them and they were all over the internet and repeated, broadcast and written about on social on line media, without to my knowledge him once denying the references and accusations that were repeated, broadcast and written about on social on line media. Therefore did he not contribute to giving people reason to believe or assume such comments and accusations to have some element of truth to them ?

I myself have published some sections of those Wikileaks US Cables never a murmur of complaint,   either to me or the publishers. Being selective in who he sues makes me personally believe that such legal actions are taken out of political spite and not for the reasons that they should be taken.

I am writing this after hearing that he is suing Margaret London and Nice Radio again, because Ms London made reference to one of the Wikileaks cables. This once again confirms in my mind the belief that Gonsalves is a cowardly man, afraid to publicly deny to the US that he ever said such things. It’s my opinion that he wants to silence Ms London and more than that he wants to permanently silence Nice Radio.

19 Sept 2011: Hansards

HONOURABLE DR. DOUGLAS SLATER

“we throw off our political allegations and be national patriots we know that what they saying is not true just like the Wikileaks thing that happen, some of us when it is convenient say it is true, some when it is convenient say it is not true”

This was said in parliament when Gonsalves was there, but the Prime Minister Gonsalves made no comments about Wikileaks being based on lies.

He has had several years and hundreds of online published letters, opinions, articles written about the Wikileaks cable contents regarding him, without once denying the content. Surely if what has previously been made public is untrue, he should have taken steps to protect himself against such statements a long time ago. I also believe that the first denial must come from him, and it hasn’t. And he still hasn’t declared that any part of the Wikileak contents are untrue.

Gonsalves should speak out about Wikileaks, deny line by line what the Honourable US Ambassador wrote about him. Tell the people how the US Ambassador is a liar, if that is what he claims. Take a page from his old dead friend Hugo Chavez and tell the people how the US are trying to destroy him and how they are the messengers of Satan, “smell the sulphur” and all that stuff. He recently spoke out against them in Cuba when he said in a recorded and published speech “the hypocrisy of the Empire”. So we know he is not shy to speak out when he consider the US wrong.

I have thought long and strong about Ralph Gonsalves, and came to the opinion that a man such as Dr. Ralph E. Gonsalves who is not just a public figure, he is an expert in law and should therefore try and restrict his response when dealing with what people say about him. For him to attack them in a way whereby he not only asks for an apology when someone speaks unproven words about him, but to demand at the same time financial compensation is a provocation that will stop most people from apologising to him. Why? because they do not have the money and I believe he full well knows that. Therefore is he not inviting litigation in the courts? Instead of clearing his good name, the money seems to be more important.

If a professional boxer, wrestler or martial arts expert fights with a member of the public, a person untrained in such arts and sports, the expert hurts them even in self defence, that expert will be punished by the law. Gonsalves is not unlike one of those experts in martial arts etc, he is throwing all his weight against untrained and helpless opponents, which in my opinion is unfair and unwarranted. An apology in newspapers of his choice should be sufficient recompense. Anything else is in my view over the top heavy weight punishment, designed not just to hurt but to destroy his opponent.

One of the problems that keeps repeating in my mind, but I doubt that SVG’s Magistrates or Judges will take it into consideration, is that Gonsalves is a self admitted and confessed liar. He actually told us himself that he sometime tells lies. How can anyone therefore believe anything he ever says?

I invite Gonsalves to read the following and adopt the humility our people expect of him:

“To speak as little as possible of one’s self.

To mind one’s own business.

Not to want to manage other people’s affairs.

To avoid curiosity.

To accept contradictions and correction cheerfully.

To pass over the mistakes of others.

To accept insults and injuries.

To accept being slighted, forgotten and disliked.

To be kind and gentle even under provocation.

Never to stand on one’s dignity.

To choose always the hardest.”

_ Mother Teresa, The Joy in Loving: A Guide to Daily Living

So Ralph E. Gonsalves, as you frequently declared yourself, and profess to be a good Catholic boy, perhaps you should follow the wonderful Christian ways and words of Mother Teresa.

Anyone who would like to read the Wikileak Cables, they are in the public domain for the last three or four years, you can find them yourselves if you wish, or I may be able to give you the locations of them.

To contact the writer go to: [email protected]

EDITOR: The views and opinions contained in the above article are the sole views of the writer and in no way reflect the views of iNews Cayman or any of its directors and staff

IMAGE: en.wikipedia.org