BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Hon. Asot Michael, Parliamentary Representative of St. Peter’s Constituency in Antigua and Barbuda, has threatened to take legal action against former Minister of National Security Dwyer Astaphan and a number of media houses that published a recent article written by him (Astaphan).
In a letter to Astaphan, copied to four media houses including SKNVibes and dated April 17, 2012, Michael said he is seeking a public apology and a retraction of the viciously inaccurate, wantonly slanderous and deliberately harmful article that the former minister wrote.
According to Michael, the article, headlined “Busted in India?”, dabbles in character lynching, with no consideration of journalistic integrity or professional ethics.
He noted that should Astaphan fail to comply with his demands, his attorneys in St. John’s and Basseterre would commence legal action against him and the media houses in one week.
When contacted this morning (Apr. 18) for a comment, Astaphan said, “I put this matter in the hands of my attorneys…they will deal with it appropriately”.
Below is MP Michael’s unedited letter and an apology that he drafted:
Dear Mr. Astaphan,
I seek a retraction of that viciously inaccurate, wantonly slanderous, and deliberately harmful article which you wrote and published in the St. Kitts and Nevis online newspaper SKNVIBES.com in St. Kitts and Nevis on April 11, 2012, in the St. Kitts and Nevis Observer on April 13, 2012, and which was reprinted in the News Pages in Antigua and Barbuda on April 14, 2012, and further carried on Caribarena’s website on the World Wide Web on April 16, 2012.
I was absolutely horrified at this story. It is a demonstration of reputation slander and astonishing untruth, adorned with the defects of vanities and pretensions of good sense. At a glance, your story reflects a scramble for public attention, but on careful review, it reveals crude bashing masked as probing insight.
The article title: “Busted in India?” dabbles in character lynching, with no consideration of journalistic integrity or professional ethics. For example, it gives the bogus impression of an arrest, or of being caught breaking the law, or the uncovering of an illegal and/or clandestine act by the subjects of your article. In stark contrast to the ordinary meaning of the term, no-one was “busted” Clearly, your newspaper’s reputation rests squarely on its ability to provide factual information, and therefore, in tone and substance, it unleashed a host of defamatory havoc poisoned with volcanic deception, wild innuendoes, and ambitious imprudence.
The first line reads: What follows isn’t an attack on any person named in this article. Yet, the very fabrication of the content of your article contradicted your disclaimer that you have placed in the caption. Thereafter Sir, you proceeded to malign and defame me. A horrid illustration of your reckless disregard for the truth was when you wrote that the object of the travel was “to look for money to help pay off some election debts.” You then followed that menacing deceit about “election debts” with a derisive remark to the effect that Prime Minister Douglas “took xxxxxx and Mr. Asot Michael with him...” because we are “dear” friends. I have redacted the name of the third person whom you mentioned, replacing it with xxxxxx.
Perhaps you are unaware of the Prime Minister’s best practices strategy of attracting foreign direct investment that aligns with a region-wide CARICOM’s approach, which resonates with similar development initiatives undertaken by the OECS. With a laudable history of having chaired both regional bodies, PM Douglas has embodied eminently, the responsibility of a renowned regional spokesperson and leader. Casting aspersions on PM Douglas and me by implying that the purpose for my accompaniment is because we are “dear…friends,” both tarnishes the good image of the people of St. Kitts-Nevis and deflates the high office of the Primeministership. It also has the effect of undermining the likely outcome of sustainable investments, which are needed to fulfill the objectives of nation-building that Kittitians and Nevisians so rightly deserve. Prime Minister Douglas and I share similar interests for our countries. My visit to India was to experience investment prospects for Antigua and Barbuda, as an elected representative of the people of the St. Peter’s constituency.
You, Sir, were engaged in attacking the persons named in the article despite the disclaimer at the opening not to do so. The Courts of Antigua and Barbuda and St. Kitts and Nevis will see through that defamatory ploy.
I object strongly to your deliberate attempt to trivialize my character. In fact, all discreet persons would be alarmed at the following statement: “…did we, the tax payers of this country, have to fork out $50,000.00, as I’m informed we did, for Mr. Michael’s air fare? If so, that would be outrageous! We shall find out.” This vile suggestion masquerading as a question has maligned my professional standing as an accomplished entrepreneur and highly regarded public servant. It conveyed that I would cause the taxpayers to meet my airfare and hotel expenses. I am in receipt of all the credit cards’ and airlines’ receipts showing that I paid for my own travel and hotel expenses. Although, I am certain that my political detractors will use these distortions to erode support for my re-election to parliament in Antigua, I am hardly at leisure to renounce the various persecutions your article makes toward me or the many frivolous claims posed as questions of intrigue. These are self-evidently fallacious.
As a journalist, your responsibility is to ascertain the truth of your barely-veiled suggestion of illegality. Again, the Courts of St. Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda will see through that defamatory ploy. Under existing law, Sir, as a journalist, you should have inquired before you published the lie about payment of my airfare by taxpayers. You recklessly and wantonly disregarded the truth, in your article, harming me irreparably.
Worst amongst your hurricane of personal attacks, is the error which falsely misidentified my role in the Government of Antigua and Barbuda. This was not only published in the Indian newspaper, but I have received correspondence from Mr. Varinder Singh, Principal Correspondent of The Tribune in Jalandhar that the newspaper will subsequently rescind it. In fact, Mr. Amit Sethi has confirmed this with the following: “This has reference to the news details sent by us regarding the visit of Dr Denzil L. Douglas, Honorable Prime minister of St. Kitts and Nevis to Punjab, which was published on 6th April 2012 in the Tribune. Inadvertently, we mentioned the designation of *Mr. Asot Michael* as “Foreign Minister of Antigua”. His actual designation is “Member of Parliament” We regret this mistake. You are requested to kindly correct your records.” I believe that you disregarded expectations of official protocols, which the PM Baldwin Spencer of Antigua and Barbuda would have expected me to safeguard appropriately. Perhaps focus on the facts, but to find ways of using half truths to pursue an agenda of discrediting the Honorable Prime Minister and anyone who appears an associate or prominent supporter. That being the case, I intend to seek damages from you, Sir, if you fail to retract the entire article in a manner satisfactory to me.
In lieu of the fraudulent claims, malicious insinuations and extreme damage to my reputation, I expect and demand a public apology and full retraction of the articles that were published by the various media houses, immediately. Please find attached a retraction and apology statement to be included in the next issue of all the media houses that your articles appeared. Failing which, my attorneys in St. John’s and Basseterre will commence legal action against you and the media houses in one week. Going forward, I truly hope that you will take the time to confirm the truth before publishing news to the contrary. Kindly oblige to this request, in order to avoid me having to take more serious action against you and various media houses.
Very truly yours,
Hon. Asot Michael M.P.
Cc: Editor and Publisher of the Observer Newspaper in Basseterre, St. Kitts
Cc: Editor and Publisher of Caribarena in St. John’s Antigua
Cc: Editor and Publisher of News Pages in Antigua and Barbuda
Cc: Editor and Publisher of SKNVIBES.com in St. Kitts
Draft Apology and Retraction
On April 11, 2012, I did write and caused to be published in the St. Kitts and Nevis online newspaper SKNVIBES.com, on April 13, 2012 in the St. Kitts and Nevis Observer, on Friday, April 14, 2012, in the News Pages in Antigua and Barbuda, and on April 16, 2012, on Caribarena’s website in Antigua and Barbuda an article that defamed and maligned Mr. Asot Michael, Member of Parliament for the St. Peter’s Constituency in Antigua. I apologize profusely to Mr. Asot Michael and repeat that I did not intend to cause him the grief and injury that resulted from the several errors of fact which the article contained. I have also directed that the article be retracted and that it be removed from the World Wide Web and from the website of the St. Kitts and Nevis Observer, the SKNVIBES.com website in St.Kitts, Antigua Caribarena.com, and News Pages in Antigua and Barbuda, immediately. Mr. Asot Michael accepts my apology in exchange for this retraction and a promise not to repeat any of the claims which I wrongly made against him.
