I am repeating what I wrote about Charles Ceres’ grandparents and parents

Dec 20, 2021 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

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Kaieteur News – I compose this column after discussions with several educated men and women, several lawyers and the publisher of this newspaper, Mr. Glenn Lall. The topic with these persons was over what I wrote about Charles Ceres’ grandparents and parents in an article of Thursday, December 16, 2021, titled Charles Ceres on entitlement: A response.”
Here are the exact words on the grandparents and parents: “Mr. Ceres’ grandfather knew my father, my mother and my eldest sister very well. Is it true that the Burnhamite state had enabled your parents and you?” Any child from primary school can see there are no condemnatory words on the grandparent and parents.
A question was merely asked if Ceres himself and his parents were enabled by the government under which Forbes Burnham was president. The word enable does not describe in what ways anyone was enabled. And it does not describe what is meant by “enabled.”
Mr. Ceres in his response to my article in a letter in this newspaper of Saturday, December 18, titled, Charles Ceres to Freddie: Provide the evidence or be sued,” wrote the following: “I am demanding that you retract all statements related to my grandfather, mother and father. Alternatively, you will either provide the evidence or face the consequences of your slanderous statements.”
Am I slandering Ceres’ grandfather for saying he knew my family? Can you slander someone who died in 1953 by saying he knew your family? Here are the words of Ceres in his response: “I was empowered by Forbes Burnham to believe in myself as an African person.” I merely wrote the word, “enable,” in reference to Burnham, Mr. Ceres utilised a stronger word, “empower.” Yet Ceres wants to sue for a question asked, not a definitive statement. I repeat the question; “Is it true that the Burnhamite state had enabled your parents and you?”
Ceres treats Burnham as a positive person by exclaiming that Burnham empowered him to think for himself. He admits that after graduating from UG he got a scholarship which had to be approved by the Burnhamite state in 1974. It obviously means Ceres sees Burnham in positive ways and is grateful to Burnham for shaping his thinking.
Why then am I defaming Ceres’ parents by asking if the state under Burnham’s leadership enabled his parents? What bad things I described by Burnham enabling Mr. Ceres’ parents? Can Ceres elaborate on those things that would make them scandalous? And why should Ceres ask the court to award him money from me and the newspaper because I wrote about his dead parents and not him.
But here is more. While I never said a bad word about Ceres’ father, Ceres himself told the world in his reply that his father deserted his mother. I didn’t write that uncaring thing about Ceres’ father. It was Ceres himself that did that. There is yet more to come from Ceres in that very response to me. He observed, “Maybe my father was empowered by Burnham to be a cabinet maker….”
I ask again, where are my scandalous remarks about Ceres’ grandparents and parents by simply stating his grandfather knew my family and simply asked if Mr. Burnham enabled his parents. He answered the question himself by saying Burnham may have empowered his father.
Can you ask the court to award you money for saying that a columnist wrongfully published that your grandfather knew his family? Can you ask the court to award you money for writing about people who are dead? Mr. Lall in his discussion with me on the subject told me that everyone who writes about Burnham will now be sued.
Let me assert and I will keep asserting it. My mother, father and eldest sister who is dead but if alive would be far, far, far older than Mr. Ceres, knew very well a man named Ceres. It may have been Ceres’ grandfather or his father or a close relative of Ceres himself. Even if it was the grandfather or father of Ceres, that does not make my statement libelous.
Charles Ceres can go ahead and sue. I spoke to the publisher of this newspaper so I am prepared for Mr. Ceres’ impending action. I will defend the writ vigorously. It is the height of absurdity to sue someone because you think they lied when they wrote that your grandparent knew their father. That is really bizarre, and surreal. This I will say to Ceres, he will be wasting money on legal fees. But more importantly, I hope Ceres’ lawyer invoke conscience and tell him to keep his money. He will never win such as case.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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