Re: RETRACTION OF ARTICLE “BUSTED IN INDIA” APRIL13, 2012

Tuesday, 17 April 2012

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April 17, 2012

Mr. G.A. Dwyer Astaphan
Columnist/Writer
The St. Kitts/Nevis Observer
Basseterre, St. Kitts

Re:  RETRACTION OF ARTICLE “BUSTED IN INDIA” APRIL13, 2012

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. Kittsand 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 wasreprinted in the News Pages in Antiguaand Barbuda on April 14, 2012, and further carried onCaribarena’s website on the World Wide Web on April 16, 2012.

I was absolutely horrified at this story. It is a demonstration ofreputation slander and astonishing untruth, adorned with the defects ofvanities and pretensions of good sense. At a glance, your story reflects ascramble for public attention, but on careful review, it reveals crude bashingmasked as probing insight.

The article title: “Busted in India?” dabblesin character lynching, with no consideration of journalistic integrity orprofessional ethics. For example, it gives the bogus impression of anarrest, or of being caught breaking the law, or the uncovering of an illegaland/or clandestine act by the subjects of your article. In stark contrast tothe ordinary meaning of the term, no-one was “busted” Clearly, your newspaper’sreputation rests squarely on its ability to provide factual information, andtherefore, in tone and substance, it unleashed a host of defamatory havocpoisoned with volcanic deception, wild innuendoes, and ambitious imprudence.

The first line reads: What follows isn’t anattack on any person named in this article.Yet, the very fabrication of the content of your article contradicted yourdisclaimer that you have placed in the caption. Thereafter Sir, you proceededto malign and defame me. A horrid illustration of your reckless disregard forthe truth was when you wrote that the object of the travel was “to look formoney to help pay off some election debts.” You then followed thatmenacing deceit about “election debts” with a derisive remark to the effectthat Prime Minister Douglas “took xxxxxx and Mr. Asot Michael with him...”because we are “dear” friends. I have redacted the name of the thirdperson whom you mentioned, replacing it with xxxxxx.

Perhaps you are unaware of the Prime Minister’s bestpractices strategy of attracting foreign direct investment that aligns with aregion-wide CARICOM’s approach, which resonates with similar developmentinitiatives undertaken by the OECS. With a laudable history of having chairedboth regional bodies, PM Douglas has embodied eminently, the responsibility ofa renowned regional spokesperson and leader. Casting aspersions on PM Douglasand 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-Nevisand deflates the high office of the Primeministership. It also has the effectof undermining the likely outcome of sustainable investments, which are neededto fulfill the objectives of nation-building that Kittitians and Nevisians sorightly deserve. Prime Minister Douglas and I share similar interests for ourcountries. My visit to India was to experience investment prospects for Antiguaand Barbuda, as an elected representative of the people of the St. Peter’sconstituency.

You, Sir, were engaged in attacking the persons named in thearticle despite the disclaimer at the opening not to do so. The Courts ofAntigua and Barbuda and St. Kitts and Nevis will see through that defamatoryploy.

I object strongly to your deliberate attempt to trivialize mycharacter. In fact, all discreet persons would be alarmed at the followingstatement: “…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 suggestionmasquerading as a question has maligned my professional standing as anaccomplished entrepreneur and highly regarded public servant. It conveyed thatI would cause the taxpayers to meet my airfare and hotel expenses. I am inreceipt of all the credit cards’ and airlines’ receipts showing that I paid formy own travel and hotel expenses. Although, I am certain that my politicaldetractors will use these distortions to erode support for my re-election toparliament in Antigua, I am hardly at leisure to renounce the variouspersecutions your article makes toward me or the many frivolous claims posed asquestions of intrigue. These are self-evidently fallacious.

As a journalist, your responsibility is to ascertain thetruth 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 youpublished the lie about payment of my airfare by taxpayers. You recklessly andwantonly disregarded the truth, in your article, harming me irreparably.

Worst amongst your hurricane of personal attacks, is theerror which falsely misidentified my role in the Government of Antigua andBarbuda. This was not only published in the Indian newspaper, but I havereceived correspondence from Mr. Varinder Singh, Principal Correspondent of TheTribune in Jalandhar that the newspaper will subsequently rescind it. In fact,Mr. Amit Sethi has confirmed this with the following: “This has reference tothe 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 publishedon 6th April 2012 in the Tribune. Inadvertently, we mentioned the designationof *Mr. Asot Michael* as “Foreign Minister of Antigua”. His actual designationis “Member of Parliament” We regret this mistake. You are requested to kindlycorrect your records.” I believe that you disregarded expectations of officialprotocols, which the PM Baldwin Spencer of Antigua and Barbuda would haveexpected me to safeguard appropriately. Perhaps this omissionwas intended to make your article even more salacious. I am aware that you havefallen out with PM Douglas. I suspect that your article was not to focus on the facts, but to find waysof using half truths to pursue an agenda of discrediting the Honorable PrimeMinister and anyone who appears an associate or prominent supporter. That beingthe case, I intend to seek damages from you, Sir, if you fail to retract theentire article in a manner satisfactory to me.

In lieu of the fraudulent claims, malicious insinuations and extremedamage to my reputation, I expect and demand a public apology and fullretraction of the articles that were published by the various media houses,immediately. Please find attached a retraction and apology statement to beincluded 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 legalaction against you and the media houses in one week. Going forward, I trulyhope that you will take the time to confirm the truth before publishing news tothe contrary. Kindly oblige to this request, in order to avoid me having totake 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 Publisherof Caribarena in St. John’s Antigua
Cc: Editor and Publisher ofNews Pages in Antigua and Barbuda
Cc: Editor and Publisherof 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 newspaperSKNVIBES.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 thatdefamed and maligned Mr. Asot Michael, Member of Parliament for the St. Peter’sConstituency in Antigua. I apologize profusely to Mr. Asot Michael and repeatthat I did not intend to cause him the grief and injury that resulted from theseveral errors of fact which the article contained. I have also directed thatthe article be retracted and that it be removed from the World Wide Web andfrom the website of the St. Kitts and Nevis Observer, the SKNVIBES.com websitein St.Kitts, Antigua Caribarena.com, and News Pages in Antigua and Barbuda,immediately. Mr. Asot Michael accepts my apology in exchange for thisretraction and a promise not to repeat any of the claims which I wrongly madeagainst him.