St Joseph MP Terrence Deyalsingh has appealed to the Government to establish laws to guard against citizens who have their characters defamed by Facebook users and bloggers.Deyalsingh said one such group of people whose characters are repeatedly ridiculed on the social media was politicians.The issue was raised by Deyalsingh in the House of Representatives on Friday as the Libel and Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2013 was being debated.
Deyalsingh said very often supporters of party A would ridicule supporters of party B and vice versa on Facebook."I have seen caricatures of members opposite me on Facebook. I have seen caricatures of members of the Opposition with guns and Nazi salute, and I find all these things are utterly distasteful. This has no place in Trinidad."The guilty parties involved, Deyalsingh said, should be condemned."You know who you are. I take no joy in that. Why can't we look at Internet publishing."
Deyalsingh said what the Government should do was engage the House with laws to control internet defamation.He also proposed that fines be imposed on owners of media houses rather than journalists."And the fines have to be as such that it is an equivalent to jail time."Deyalsingh said the Government was only cherry picking Clause 9, which can open a pandora box that they might never be able to close.