Anatomy of a political suicide: Mr Live Wire, Tim Kee… and the Easter Bunny

It’s been a tumultuous weekend for Trinidad and Tobago, as two of the country’s larger than life characters appear to be on a collision course, after a startling public statement, subsequent inflation of egos and gathering of defiant supporters as well as the potential for a legal challenge.

But enough about soca star Machel Montano’s clash with former 2006 World Cup captain Dwight Yorke over the latter’s use of the former’s name to promote his fete in Tobago.

Photo: Soca star Machel Montano performs at the 2015 International Soca Monarch. (Copyright Socanews.com)
Photo: Soca star Machel Montano performs at the 2015 International Soca Monarch.
(Copyright Socanews.com)

Things don’t look too rosy either between PNM political leader Dr Keith Rowley and his treasurer Raymond Tim Kee, who just happen to be prime minister and Port of Spain mayor respectively.

But looks are often deceiving.

The Trinidad Guardian newspaper revealed today that Tim Kee, who acknowledged a show of support by demonstrators outside City Hall this morning, did not tender his resignation at an emergency City Corporation council meeting. The Port of Spain councillors, according to the newspaper, are deliberating his future.

If it goes to a referendum, the Tooth Fairy will have the casting vote.

In fact, none of those three things are true.

Mr Live Wire can confirm—from anonymous but well-placed sources—that the Port of Spain City Corporation did not have an emergency meeting today, there is no deliberation of Tim Kee’s tenure under way. And, yes, the Tooth Fairy has no jurisdiction at City Hall.

Photo: Wha...?! So I don't get to take out the Mayor?!
Photo: Wha…?! So I don’t get to take out the Mayor?!

As it turns out, Tim Kee’s eloquently worded offer to resign was never sent to his councillors—presumably apart from his BFF Farai Hove Masaisai—who have read the Mayor’s twists and turns through the media rather than by official correspondence.

Why would Tim Kee tell everyone but his councillors about his intention to leave the Port of Spain City Corporation?

In short, Tim Kee has allegedly attempted the outwit the public. Minus, of course, the wit.

Or, to put it another way, the Mayor is still digging that hole he put himself into on Ash Wednesday—with his bizarre, irresponsible and insensitive comments about murdered Japanese pannist Asami Nagakiya—only now he thinks he is making progress.

Pause. Don’t react yet. Tilt your head slightly to the side and picture Tim Kee with a shovel and smirk, blissfully and enthusiastically widening that hole he is standing in.

Photo: Port of Spain mayor and PNM treasurer, Raymond Tim Kee. (Courtesy Wired868)
Photo: Port of Spain mayor and PNM treasurer, Raymond Tim Kee.
(Courtesy Wired868)

Bless him, he thinks things are getting better now, doesn’t he?

It is like watching a toddler try to walk. Only, this time, you know you will be laughing when he topples over in a few moments.

So, Tim Kee made a fool of himself and his taxpayer funded post last week by choosing Nagakiya’s death as an opportunity to give a lecture on female immorality at Carnival.

Point Fortin mayor Clyde Paul and Port of Spain councillor Masaisai both defended Tim Kee, while Rowley initially offered the tame suggestion that Port of Spain Mayor may have misspoke.

Cue pandemonium in cyberspace and a glimpse of writer Monique Roffey’s mystical bam bam on the steps of the London High Commission.

Photo: South Park star Eric Cartman recreates Monique Roffey's unforgettable political statement...
Photo: South Park star Eric Cartman recreates Monique Roffey’s unforgettable political statement…

Tim Kee responded by sending an unequivocal apology to the media and a promise to resign, which was never addressed to his own corporation and immediately undermined as he gave another statement—via his wife’s Facebook page—that insisted he would not be crucified.

Rowley told the Guardian that—“after reviewing the full statement”—he felt Tim Kee’s comments were unacceptable and suggested he did the right thing by resigning.

“I feel his comments were clearly unacceptable but he has stated his intention to resign,” said Rowley. “As far as we’re concerned, it’s been addressed.”

But Tim Kee did not resign and never genuinely made any move to do so.

Was Rowley misled like the rest of the nation? Or was he in on one of the clumsiest attempts of misdirection ever tried?

Is Tim Kee hoping to merely confuse protesters into walking away?

Photo: Statement from the Office of the Mayor of Port of Spain on Saturday 13 February 2016.
Photo: Statement from the Office of the Mayor of Port of Spain on Saturday 13 February 2016.

Ahhh, Live Wire just got the mental image of Tim Kee with a shovel again.

Mr Undertaker, make that man a political coffin.

And, for God’s sake, get Machel and Dwight a marriage counsellor!

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About Mr. Live Wire

Mr. Live Wire is an avid news reader who translates media reports for persons who can handle the truth. And satire. Unlike Jack Nicholson, he rarely yells.

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91 comments

  1. Why don’t Khan, and all the other significant people in the PNM just resort to two words, “NO COMMENT”, simply, because as far as I know, the PNM has no authority to fire the Mayor, they may have some influence, but not fire or hire….”Party done”…too many mixed message.

  2. Go protest by the business man home who tortured his wife for 12yrs.that is what we should be focusing on. Everything is politics. I am fed up with trini politics

  3. Trini Don, I think that carnival costume you posted is tasteless and shouldn’t be allowed in public.
    But I think that has nothing to do with a murder.
    If you had a separate thread on whether certain costumes should be allowed, I’ll be all over that.
    But i think it is absolutely irresponsible to raise it in the context of a murder.
    That was Tim Kee’s folly and I’m not playing ball with him on that at all.

    • And I thought you weren’t getting why it [the costume in the pic] was brought up in the scheme of things
      lolol

    • I totally totally agree with you Lasana Liburd !!!!!! My condolences go out to Asami family and the Japanese people…. im happy that tim kee apologised, it was the right thing to do…..but unfortunately lewd and vulgar behavior by women for carnival we cant escape !!!!

    • Two topics that doesn’t deserve to be in the same space Trini Don. That’s my issue there.

    • Well Lasana that poor girl make the ’rounds’ so much to demonstrate the Mayor’s point eh. They even photoshopped male genitals on her pic and Red97 interviewed her to ask if she was male or female
      we just sick!

    • Trini Don…I agree that some masqueraders take costumes to the next level. So the Mayor could have issued an advisory before carnival so ppl know how to protect themselves; maybe a discussion could have been had with bandleaders keeping in mind the mas is televised. Timing is only part of the issue. Regardless how the topic came up, telling ppl to throw their mind, that is, speculate on the young woman’s character, is obscene. ALL lives matter. Seems symptomic of why murders are not solved when victims are often ‘known to the police’ if this is the attitude-don’t expect justice cause you look for it. I take offence because the young woman who was flying our flag high has no one here to stand up and defend her or cry out for justice for her. Further, why do we insist on bringing down ppl for standing up for a cause instead of trying to garner support to turn this into a positive? Should we have weekly vigils for ALL our lost ones-missing and murdered? Absolutely! Keep the momentum up. Ultimately, the mayor was irresponsible in his statement and non-apology, and added insult to injury with his non-resignation. I was in support of non-acceptance as his resignation letter seemed a bit contrite. But realise he was playing politics with the issue to drum up support. I hope all victims of rape feel confident to go and report the crime-u shall be taken seriously-NOT! Instead of our men in high office creating a safe space for our women, they now want to add to all the challenges women face.

  4. An unprecedented statement this morning from a T&T political party leader: “Because you know what, what, what, what we are realising is that there are what I call 21st Century issues that we no, can no longer take an antiquated approach to, to its management. You know, things, thing, things like abortion, things like, ahem, gay rights, things like, ahem, gender bias, things like, ahem, abuse to children, and so on. These things, these are very, very sensitive matters in the, in the international community now. And our approach to it has to be a 21st Century approach. We have to be extremely more sensitive, and some of these old dogmatic doctrines of, of, of rural Trinidad and, and the Trinidadian society of the 50s and the 60s are no longer relevant in a modern world.” — Franklin Khan, Chairman of the People’s National Movement on the phone on CNC3’s Morning Brew with Hema Ramkissoon

    There is hope for the dinosaurs yet!!!

  5. No no Rose-Marie …. men are mindless troglodytes at the mercies of instinct and hormones, self control is not our responsibility so it’s natural to expect that any woman who arouses us are subject to attack ….. but I digress.

    Not only is it not proven that women are responsible for their own victimization by men because our passions are ungovernable, but the motive for Asami’s murder is yet to be determined so I am at a loss as to what Tim Kee and his band of supporters are talking about.

    • I understand completely. I was just alerting you to the fact that trying to be a voice of reason to Trini Don is an exercise in futility. This issue is mind boggling because of the number of people who really don’t get it. It is seriously going over their heads. In some cases it is due to a lack of comprehension and analytical skills. In other cases it is due to deep rooted misogynistic views on women that are difficult to change. For people like that you really spinning top in mud trying to show logical arguments.

    • I realized that his views were religious based, so I wanted him to say so ….. he did/party done!

    • I also feel im spinning top in mud here….

    • How yuh know, yuh peep?
      Another Newsflash ….. you cannot have a rational conversation while introducing or citing religion unless that conversation is about religion …… and even then your rationality is on very thin ice!

    • Take it easy….take it easy. ..

    • Take it easy?
      A young woman has been murdered, she was someone’s daughter, someone cared about her, someone invested greatly in her life so that she could achieve her dreams.
      She was murdered in our home, we had responsibility to protect her and after her murder the mayor of the city where she was killed blamed her for her tragic demise without knowing anything more than she was a female masquerader.
      Now supposedly rational people are supporting the mayor based on Christian theology …. the same Christian theology that says “thou shalt not commit murder”, it does not say “thou shalt not commit murder unless she shaking she bamsy in front yuh face”.

      Every freaking day I am reminded that my fellow Christians are among the least Christian people on the planet!

    • U get easily riled up…..keep it coming Vernal !!!! Ah love it…..

  6. I don’t know why allyuh beating up so. This is the same person who found Lendl Simmons blameless on the messy affair with Therese Ho. His reasoning on this matter is no surprise.

  7. I mean really, that argument suggests that women are responsible for the actions of men. If this is the case women then are superior to men and we should be living in societies where women are in charge of and responsible for us.

  8. You know that feeling you get seeing kobo eating a rotted corpse, deep in your stomach: disgust and revulsion. A complete failure of human dignity.

  9. Cite the study where that has been proven Trini.
    I wanna read it.

  10. Vernal but the world aint recognising that lewdness and vulgarity by women is not good for the fabric of our society

  11. You just haven’t gotten it Trini, maybe you will one day, maybe you won’t. The fact is the world is coming to recognize inequality in all of it’s ugly forms of which this is but another.
    Your individual understanding would be welcome, but it certainly isn’t necessary.

  12. Im saddened by the death of Asami, im saddened by Tim Kee comments, but suffice to say it does not warrant a resignation….im saddened by the BS im reading by some persons here…protest and petition unscrupulous businessmen, lack of medicine, beds in hospital, crime, currupt policemen, currupt poliyicians, there arr so much bread and butter issues to deal with….

  13. What disgrace, international embarassment, contempt….

  14. Seems unfortunate children of Zika will have a great future in Trinidad politics. Especially PNM.

  15. Very well written, even humourous account of the pappyshow 🙂 Political suicide indeed.. only in Trinidad . Another lesson Mr. Tim Kee needs to learn… a man’s word is his honour… or NOT as it seems

  16. Exactly Lasana Liburd.
    A foreign woman was found murdered in the centerpiece of the nation’s capital wearing an outfit symbolic of the nation’s most famous festival and the mayor of that city surmised without a shred of evidence or even information on the matter that it was caused by her revealing outfit and supposed “lewd” behavior.

  17. Our lives is a block of ice that is melting away every moment. .Before it spends itself,devote it to the service of others. ..Education. .in..Human. .Values is designed to prepare everyone for of dedicated service. ..

  18. The force is strong with you yes Trini Don. My head has to be real hard because I can’t for the life of me see what a woman with her bottom showing has to do with an unrelated murder.

  19. I have come to realise some ppl jus hard head….and decency is out the door

  20. Might get the same number of members as Peter Taylor got when he thought he could form his own party

  21. Tim Kee should form his own party and take his loyalists with him yes. That would be fun.

  22. Lasana I’ve come to realize some people will either get it or they won’t sad to say

  23. And Trini Don, please tell me what that girl with her bottom showing has to do with Asami’s murder.

  24. Vulgarity they like !!!!! Shoot the messenger

  25. Well when Rowley come back he should give him 2 tap! Make a statement. ..fire him as PNM treasurer. Doh let Tim Kee arseness damage yuh PNM goodwill. Hope he take lessons from Kamla tenure. Goodwill in an electorate evaporates very quickly when we make yuh out!

  26. A man’s word is his honor. Whether he wanted to or not he gave his word…to go back on it now will show us all that integrity is just a word in the dictionary when it comes to politicians…

  27. We are the ultimate banana republic…

  28. Given his support from the “righteous” among” us I’m not sure if his move is much of a political suicide. Those same supporters will have buckets of sand in hand to fill any hole he might be digging. In fact there may not be any hole. His supporters will elevate him to prophet status……I tell alyuh about dis lewdness before an’ look what happen…the prophet has spoken….

  29. A new baccanal in the making. We just cannot stop. Sad place.

  30. Do we know if the minutes of the corporation are posted? They do it for some.

  31. There is no reason to resign !!!!

  32. I am forced to quote K D Knight’s succinct message (originally delivered to Bruce Golding during the Manat /Dudus enquiry of 2011 in JA ) to the POS mayor, who thinks he’s a preacher:

    “You are pathologically mendacious (Mr Mayor)…….you should resign, pack your bags and go!”

  33. So wait meh uncle Tim Kee mamaguy everyone into thinking that he was going an resign eh…hahaha

  34. I called that shot when I saw that media release on Saturday.

  35. Somehow, in this time, in this place…this non-resignation makes perfect sense.

  36. I’d like to think so. So we have a runaway mayor then. Smh. Surely Rowley only has to say the word to get the councillors to stand up against a mayor who has been unpopular long before Asami’s death.

  37. I don’t think the PM would go public like that if he knew differently. He’s a little more politically astute than that.

  38. From how I see it, either Tim Kee is making a fool out of the Prime Minister. Or the Prime Minister is in on the deception.
    So I’m curious to see what happens next.

  39. Even Jack resigned from political office when he said he would. Who knew somebody could have a more forked tongue than Jack!

  40. The hole he’s digging is a cesspit and soon he’ll be up to his neck in shit, his own.

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