Kamla threatens to sue Health Minister over swine flu statements

OPPOSITION LEADER Kamla Persad-Bissessar has accused Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh of making defamatory allegations that she hid data on the number of people who died of the H1N1 influenza virus (swine flu) from 2013-2015, when she was prime minister.

A pre-action protocol letter sent by her attorneys Dinesh Rambally, Kiel Tacklalsingh and Stefan Ramkissoon also asked Deyalsingh to desist from making further statements similar to those he made on November 5, at a public meeting of the People’s National Movement (PNM.)

Deyalsingh was given until December 11 to respond.

The letter said Persad-Bissessar was ”seriously slandered and/or libeled and has suffered material loss and damage” by the speech.

At the PNM meeting, Deyalsingh alleged, “They suppressed the data on the number of people who died due to H1N1.” He then asked the Opposition Leader to say why she hid the data for those years.

The letter also told Deyalsingh the message his speech “falsely and/or maliciously” lowered the Opposition Leader in the estimation of the general public and exposed her to contempt and ridicule.

Ramkissoon said the allegations made by the minister were “wholly untrue and unfounded.”

He also told Deyalsingh the direct and implied meaning of his statements was that the Opposition Leader willfully suppressed data, abused her power and authority as prime minister, was dishonest and unfit to run for political office, lacked integrity and was committed to serious acts of misconduct in public office.

Ramkissoon said any reasonable and diligent public official would have written to Persad-Bissessar.

“Instead, there is a newly-founded desire on your part to talk about these matters. The timing of your statements (is) obviously calculated to bring down our client’s track record of delivering to the people, whether it be on issues of heath or otherwise, on the eve of a heavily campaigned local government election,” he added, saying the minister’s averments constituted nothing short of a malicious attack on the Opposition Leader.

Ramkissoon said the statements may cause people and voters to fail to vote for the United National Congress (UNC) and its candidates or vote against them.

He also said the statements may have broadbrushed hard-working public servants.

Persad-Bissessar will seek substantial compensation and an injunction restraining the minister from making further statements against her.

Persad-Bissessar’s legal team told the minister they will not institute legal proceedings if he agrees to issue an unqualified and published apology to her, undertake immediately to stop repeating the allegations and make proposals for compensation.

The letter was sent to the Health Minister on Wednesday.