Religious leaders support Tim Kee

Pentecostal Pastor Dr Winston Cuffie, in a strongly worded statement, condemned the behavior of women during Carnival, saying Carnival highlights that women are their own worst enemies.

Commu n i c at i ons manager of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies (PAWI), Rev Christian Andrews, said he agreed to a certain extent with Tim Kee. Sat Maharaj, Secretary General of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, stated unequivocally, that Tim Kee was right and did not need to apologize.

President general of the Anjuman Sunnat Jammat Association (ASJA) Yacoob Ali also supported Tim Kee.

Pastor Cuffie made it clear women hold the key to their own safety around Carnival time. He suggested that no responsible woman would participate in Carnival. “If there is one event which shows women are their own worst enemies, it’s Carnival.

Carnival is all about the sordid, callous denigrating and exploitation of women by the dragging of their dignity, worth and value into the gutter. And the saddest part of this, is that the most ardent accomplice to this crime is the woman herself. It’s situations like these which make the outcry over Chris Gayle’s “joke” with the Australian reporter, gross hypocrisy,” Pastor Cuffie said.

Andrews gave a more conservative response saying Time Kee was right, to a point. “Frankly speaking, because of my position, moreso as a minister of the Gospel and looking at the way women conduct themselves… I think (he is right) to an extent. But at the same time, I also believe it doesn’t give a man the right to violate a woman. So she disrespects herself, yes, but it doesn’t mean that I should or anybody, should further disrespect her in any. So I agree and disagree,” Andrews said.

Maharaj told Newsday he expects Carnival would be banned, given the advent of the mosquito borne disease Zika and additionally, Carnival contributed absolutely nothing positive to the nation and women use this time of year as an excuse to behave, loosely. “I believe they (women), some of them, use this as an opportunity to behave in the most vile manner.

“I am not surprised you had at least one murder of a woman. It’s unfortunate that it was of a foreign woman and it sends a terrible message to the rest of the world that Trinidad is not a safe place for people to visit. This is the time when you see women at their worst.

I agree with him (Tim Kee) that women’s vulgar and lewd behavior make them vulnerable to sexual crimes.

Why should he apologize? He doesn’t need to apologise,” Maharaj said.