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| PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar chats with carol Valley, widow of Ken Valley at Thursday funeral for the former cabinet minister |
I rise for yet another sad occasion in the life of our Parliament, as we mark the passing of a political colleague and genuine son of our Nation’s soil, Mr. Kenneth Cyril Valley.
Mr. Speaker, the biographies, the testimonials, and the many accolades about Ken Valley have all given us the detailed picture that we have of this man.
A man who was in every sense of the word, a ‘big man’.
What behoves me today therefore Mr. Speaker, in my position as Prime Minister of our country—a position I strive to hold with honour and humility, reasonableness and responsibility—is that I consider it my duty to hold up a light to the life of Ken Valley, to show to the Nation he so loved, what it is about Ken Valley that the Nation can not only love in return, but choose to learn from in reflection.
Mr. Speaker, I will make it as simple, as direct and as authentic as the man himself: to paraphrase the words with which he once disturbed the very rafters of this Parliament—Kenneth Valley, “you can pass on but you cannot hide!”
The life of Ken Valley been too large and too straightforward; too searing with sincerity and too uncontaminated by any gamesmanship; too piercing of our own shyness, and too emboldening of our confidence as a developing Nation; too memorable, for the sweating and panting and jerky movements of the head and hands, that all came from the heavy-lifting which a truly patriotic politician has to undertake if he is to serve his Principles and his Party well.
So luminescent Mr. Speaker, has been this contribution that today Ken Valley’s light is neither out, nor can it be hidden under a bushel.
We in this Parliament will continue to hear the echo of his strong and anxious voice as he made his statements, or exchanged picong with those of us on the opposite side, or tried to banter with the Chair, or met with us privately to resolve some matter of Parliamentary procedure.
What Ken Valley showed us was the warm personification of the sometimes cold principles of the Westminster tradition: that you battled with all your might here in the Chamber, on behalf of your Party and Constituency, but in the rooms of retreat and the corridors of collaboration, you fought with all your mind on behalf of our Nation and our better selves.
Many were such times that Ken Valley showed us his might and his mind.
We ask the people of Trinidad and Tobago to know this.
Those who do not, believe it.
Those who do, reinforce it.
Ken Valley’s life of 63 years teaches us how to live for the next 63 years and beyond in these august Chambers.
We meet, we debate, at times we debate about how we should meet and debate again; we agree, we disagree, we agree to disagree; we take, we give, and we take in order to give— these are the ways by which he lived, and the reason why he was always fearless with those next to him, and of fairness with those across from him.
My Government is in no way hesitant to say: we shall miss Ken Valley, Mr. Speaker.
But we will not forget him.
We will find ways to honour him appropriately, but let us start by thanking him on behalf of the entire nation, recording our deepest gratitude and highest esteem here in the country’s most official ‘book of records’, the Hansard.
To his widow, children, grandchildren, his other relatives, his friends in and out of politics, his Party and business colleagues…we say we share with you in the heartfelt sadness that this is.
There is a headstone in Ireland Mr. Speaker, which reads:
Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, but love leaves a memory no one can steal.
For all of us on this side of this Parliament, we salute the “Citizen Ken” that the Honourable Kenneth Cyril Valley was, and we ask most respectfully for the kindest intercession of the Creator who guided Ken’s life, to have mercy on his soul, and grant him the rest and reward that he seems to us to so earnestly deserve.
I thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Patrick Manning: "I did what as political leader I had to do. Mr Speaker, it was my duty and I did it without fear and favour, affection or ill-will. So be it!...
"When I thought the time had come for Mr Valley to give way to somebody else in the constituency of Diego Martin Central, the matter was raised with him and of course he did not agree.
"He will go down ... as a great warrior and a hard-working minister of government and one on whom any prime minister could have relied."
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