kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt
“Let them do what they have to do,” a defiant Weston “Cro Cro” Rawlins said, following news that Bamboo businessman Inshan Ishmael is threatening a defamation lawsuit against him.
Rawlins told Guardian Media that he did not receive a pre-action protocol letter from Ishmael or his attorney Richard Jaggasar, nor did he see any reports of it as he does not watch the news.
“I have not received any letter from any man.”
Rawlins also denied that the person he referred to in the calypso titled “Another Sat Around Again” was Ishmael.
In the letter on Monday, Jagassar said the calypso identifies Ishmael as the subject and links the Foreign-Used Vehicles dealer with stolen car parts in Bamboo. Jagessar said defamatory remarks in the calypso about Ishmael were untrue, lowering his client’s reputation and resulting in a loss of sales at his business. Ishmael, also a television presenter, wants Rawlins to pay general damages for defamation, aggravated damages, costs and any further reliefs a court considers appropriate. He also wants Rawlins to immediately issue a written apology and publish it in all three daily newspapers and an injunction preventing him from performing any song that defames him.
However, when told that Ishmael wants him to stop performing the calypso, Rawlins said they could not tell him not to perform his song. He plans to sing it at his upcoming gigs.
“That is downright, outright impertinent. They cannot ban me from singing anything. I am not worrying about them. My thing is, I am not singing about Inshan Ishmael. I do not know how he can depict my song as Inshan Ishmael. My song is in I-M-C-H-A-N I-M-C-H-E-L-L-E, so I do not know what problem he has, and we will take it down the line,” Rawlins said.
Should the former National Calypso Monarch fail to respond to the letter, he may face the High Court.
However, Rawlin said: “Let them do what they have to do. If they are big, I am sure I am big too, so I will do what I have to when the time comes.”
In response yesterday, Ishmael said he has no intention to pull out of the legal action and is coming for Rawlins’ Mercedes-Benz E350, although he does not like to drive vehicles over 20 years old.
Ishmael said he was excited about the impending legal action and went shopping for a new suit as he lost 2 lbs and was now looking sexy. He plans to buy new shoes and socks next.
While Rawlins claims Ishmael was not the subject of his calypso, the businessman said he could refer to Facebook, where users commenting on the song identifies him. Additionally, he said there is only one Imchan Imchelle in Bamboo.
“The court will decide because thousands of people heard Ishmael, and Cro Cro made it clear that he has court clothes and to tell Ishmael that he is too damn disrespectful. He admitted it, and now he is trying to backtrack,” Ishmael said.
He said this is a stand for people who calypsonians and chutney singers unfairly target. Ishmael said artistes must know that anytime they go down a particular road, they will pay from their pockets.
Having got involved in 15 court cases and won 14, Ishmael is confident of victory.
“My father was a great man who raised 14 children. No child was a drunk, a crook, a thief, or committed any crime, so I have to protect the Ishmael name.”