Opposition Leader issues Pre-Action Letter against PM Rowley

Today, attorneys-at-law acting on my instructions, issued a pre-action protocol letter to Keith Rowley for his defamatory statements against me made at last Sunday’s PNM family and sports day. Rowley’s act of willfully ascribing statements to me which I never made, are not only demonstrably false, but they are also incendiary and clearly meant to incite ethnic divisions in our society. This is completely unacceptable and abhorrent.

On Monday 1st May 2023, I asked Rowley to retract and apologise for his defamatory statements, or I would be taking the necessary legal action.

To date, Dr Rowley neglected to issue an apology or even acknowledge what he did was reckless, wrong, and irresponsible. As such, I instructed my attorneys-at-law to issue a Pre-Action Protocol Letter to Rowley, which was delivered today, Thursday, 4th May 2023.

Rowley’s statements, which were reported, published, and broadcast on various media, including social media, ascribed to me offensive and racially divisive remarks, which are entirely false, and have caused irreparable damage to my reputation.

Having led a failed government for the past 8 years, littered with a trail of destruction, Rowley is now attempting to promote hatred and distrust among our citizens to compensate for his utter lack of achievement.

The tsunami of crime that has hit the nation under Rowley’s leadership is frightening, and this PNM Government is no longer able to guarantee the basic constitutional right to life, liberty, and freedom to enjoy one’s property.

Keith Rowley has reduced this once proud and prosperous nation to a failed State, and instead of confronting this issue, he continues to employ his worn-out political tactic of diversion and distraction.

This is evident in Rowley’s speech where he insinuated that the UNC was somehow responsible for the recent bomb threats that led to the immediate closure of several primary schools. It is untenable that a sitting Prime Minister would resort to making baseless and disparaging claims against his political opponents in a pathetic attempt at distracting from his own failures and shortcomings.

Using the rule of law, I will hold Rowley accountable for his disgusting actions. As this pre-action protocol letter states, Rowley now has seven (7) days to issue an unqualified public retraction of his defamatory statements and make a public apology. If he fails to do so, legal proceedings in the High Court would be commenced.

I call on all decent and right-thinking citizens irrespective of political allegiance to reject Rowley’s reprehensible attempts to invoke racial discord.

Kamla Persad-Bissessar, SC, MP
Leader of the Opposition