I know that what I shall be saying will be a surprise and that it will even attract the odium of countless readers. Before proceeding further, I must say that I join all right-thinking citizens in condemning the murder of Japanese national Asami Nagakiya and do earnestly hope that this will be one of the crimes which the police will be successful in solving satisfactorily and this, in record time.
It is clear that the near-nakedness of the costume which Ms Nagakiya was wearing at the time of her murder is not in doubt, however that in itself, (or for any reason whatsoever) cannot on any account be acceptable as a reason for snuffing out her life.
Unfortunately, while a direct link between this and her murder will most likely not be established, in his haste to condemn the lewd behaviour as well as the scantiness of apparel which masqueraders have been wearing, Mayor Tim Kee unwittingly made reference to Ms Nagakiya's murder although the circumstances of her death were not yet at hand, the assumption being that these taken together, were the cause of attracting her murderer.
One lesson which this episode should teach high public officials, more especially ministers, is the need for them to weigh most carefully what they wish to say before opening their mouths.
Since assuming office as Mayor, Mr Tim Kee has been making a commendable effort to come to terms with the many seemingly intractable problems of long standing with which the Port-of-Spain Corporate Area has been faced.
While one does not have to agree with this assertion completely it nevertheless tells us something in respect of this subject case. In this regard, I pose two questions:
(1) by confining themselves only to the Mayor's faux pas, are the protesters casting a blind eye on the matter of lewdness which seems to be becoming more and more evident at Carnival time–a matter to which the Mayor is said to have referred on more than one occasion in the past?
(2) are they also casting a blind eye on the past contributions of the mayor to society?
All in all I am sensing even more than a political input here!
Errol O C Cupid,
Trincity, Tacarigua