Kate and DiSmith heading for the rocks? Minister caught in whale of a porkie as PM gets involved

One day, there will be public relations lectures on the worst response humanly possible to an embarrassing media report.

It will go like this: blame your second-in-command, defend yourself with lies that can easily be cross-checked, call critics haters and insist that it wasn’t really a mistake anyway, based on the most brazen assault on logic since Faris Al-Rawi claimed he couldn’t identify his children in a photograph and Anil Roberts forgot what his own face looked like.

Photo: Dancehall star Shaggy distances himself from ex-Sport Minister Anil Roberts.
Photo: Dancehall star Shaggy distances himself from ex-Sport Minister Anil Roberts.

Public relations experts will call it “The Darryl Smith defence.” And, in this case, the word ‘defence’ is meant to be ironic.

It is hard to know where to start with Smith’s absurd response to criticism of the Sport Ministry’s $91,910.43 bill for a dozen officials to visit Tobago to present a solitary trophy at the THA Sports Awards.

But his attempt to hide behind Permanent Secretary Natasha Barrow by claiming that he had nothing to do with the guest list was particularly comical—for more reasons than one.

Save the women and children? Steups! At this point, even Barry could give lessons to ‘Princess’ Darryl on manly responsibility.

Veteran journalist and blogger Sharmain Baboolal, who broke the story in the first place, was quick to point out that Smith was telling ‘porkies’. The request to include three uninvited ladies on the trip—Melissa Assam (the executive assistant to the PS), Cindy Cupid (the Minister’s personal assistant) and Kate Balthazar (part-time communications officer, part-time hand-rest for the Sport Minister)—had indeed come from Smith’s personal secretary, Maria-Elena Phillips.

Photo: The hand of god? Sport Minister Darryl Smith (right) takes a hands-on approach to communication at the ministry with employee Kate Balthazar.
Photo: The hand of god?
Sport Minister Darryl Smith (right) takes a hands-on approach to communication at the ministry with employee Kate Balthazar.

Remarkably, Baboolal didn’t need to introduce a new document to prove Smith’s whale of a lie. She merely showed an extra paragraph on the same damn document that Smith already knew was in her possession.

It was as if Smith, a former St Mary’s College student, was trying to single-handedly dismantle the gloss of a “prestige school” education.

The fact that Kate’s plane ticket was booked before the formal request was made to Barrow was further evidence of who is pulling the strings—and anything else he can get his hands on—in the Sport Ministry.

Prime Minister Keith Rowley appears to have taken note and acted swiftly. And sources suggest it could lead to a titanic parting of ways for Smith, a married father of four—albeit now in the midst of divorce proceedings—and Kate.

Does the heart go on? Not if Rowley—or, as DiSmith might now refer to him, the ‘Cockblocker-in-Chief’—has anything to do with it.

Mr Live Wire can only hope that the Prime Minister will quickly find a way to keep the Treasury as far out of harm’s way as Kate’s derrière.

Photo: Sport Minister Darryl Smith and communications officer Kate Balthazar could soon be separated at the Ministry of Sport. And that is just the tip of the iceberg... (Courtesy Scotty Ranking/Wired868)
Photo: Sport Minister Darryl Smith and communications officer Kate Balthazar could soon be separated at the Ministry of Sport.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg…
(Courtesy Scotty Ranking/Wired868)

So, if she is taken away from Sport, which Ministry would provide refuge for a vibrant young woman who allegedly is not put off by married Diego Martin MPs with large families?

Mr Live Wire cannot confirm that Sharon Rowley is sharpening her three-canal.

Of course, the Prime Minister could just move Smith and save the Public Service from having to find safe houses for female Sport Ministry employees. Tick tock…

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175 comments

  1. What a scandal! Rowley to blame though for putting square pegs in round holes. This man had no business being in Gov’t , epecially the Sports Ministry!

  2. He’s indeed a ‘hand’some bloke who can handle his affairs by putting a handle on things.

  3. He must have gone to CIC during recess and to Fatima on public holidays.

  4. Now getting a chance to read this……..uuuuummmm for fear of sounding shallow by not commenting on the more substantive issue of hands on the public purse, this part stood out for me, Darryl in the midst of divorce proceedings??!! Yuh lie!!!

  5. I dont think pnm could win the next general Election they dont treat their activist good imagine no black African get contracts only set are indian running the country Ramdeen calling for the chief justice to resign a crook like him i wont vote next election Rowley seems to me taking care of all the other Races not his race,plenty africans will not be voting next election i know my family members will not be going out to vote He saying he is prime minister for all nearly 19 months African man can get notthing he wont last long in office.

  6. Well no one is spared on am just ignore n get yuh starter pack

  7. This young girl look do sweet pretty

  8. Alyuh must realize the pnm and their creole “Neva do nut-in” , they could never do nothing wrong only kamla and East Indian who likes rum wrong!!! You don’t see how they carry on in the pnm strongholds when the police come to lock them up for guns and killings?? They say the police wicked and Society cause them to do that!! An oh them being “oppressed” and none of them can even spell that f***ing word or even the meaning!!! Lmao the police always wicked!!
    An if you ask them why they support the pnm they’d say ” Indian like rum and come from Lagoon an kamla thief” !!!
    The pnm supporters are all blind dunce motherc***s!!!

    And I can prove that as soon as they reply to this comment by simply using THIER own statement cause they never make a valid comment or reply !!!

  9. Somr people only speak negative things the sports Minister is not responsible for that huge bill so just get off his back think positive

  10. After one week all is forgotten and forgiven hmm

  11. Oh lord trini could make a bad situation sound horrible. They call out all the ppl name in the article, how embarrassing.

  12. Don’t forget the hotel room and the smoking of the weed but it wasn’t me just thinking out loud

  13. Why sit and watch people in positions do shit and as soon as you are given the opportunity the same thing is done by you ? What is that called ? It’s like people are asked to accept a job and do everything possible to get fired .

    • It’s called hypocracy.
      And maybe they feel comfortable because they know nothing is going to come of it.
      Now, this minister indicated he was not aware of the cost prior to the trip.
      The PM had indicated he was not aware of the cost of his trip to Nigeria.
      However, on this trip to Chile he made some changes to the travel arrangements resulting in saving$.
      So, if travel arrangements are normally made and you do not normally get involved, is it the reasonable expectation for ministers to find out about costs so that they can make cuts if they see fit?

    • if you are telling us you didn’t know the cost of the trip, That says a whole lot about you.Mr Smith. Who travels without knowing cost, or is it because it was taxpayers money and not coming out of your pocket that you had no consideration. People are people

  14. This government is d best
    Show them we no business

  15. Everyday you turn up early for work and nobody notices, the furst day you turn up late, everybody notices and want to discipline you…….just saying.

  16. wrong is wrong, why ease up he need to account to the people who elected him not a pat on aback.wrong is wrong, he should have remembred his family first and forements

  17. Those who do not learn from history…….

  18. The woman ent do nothing wrong left she…her only duty must be to get pay for seeing what the man cyar see ent

  19. Darryl’s Heart will go Onnnnnnnnn
    ( Rowley) Wuuuuuuuoooooowuuu

  20. Find the source of the leak!
    That is so Trumpian!

  21. What was the minister’s hand doing on the woman’s asssets in the first place…pics tell a thousand words…i stand to be corrected of course.

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