WHEN the cold, non-discriminating hand of death reached out for Kenley ‘Bebe’ Stephens last Sunday evening, his untimely passing had all of the elements of a hit. But it may not have been as untimely as some of us would like to think it was.
The People’s National Party (PNP) activist and sub-cultural bon vivant of sorts was shot and wounded in November 2009 and, of course, he lived to tell the tale of his lucky escape. In his final date with life on Sunday evening he was at his gate with two men when a lone gunman approached and shot him then made his exit on foot. Unlike in 2009, when his car and other items were taken, the two men were untouched and nothing was taken, hence my reason for using the word ‘hit’.
The question is why would someone want to harm someone who was lauded by PNP MP DK Duncan as having made a “significant contribution to the PNP, through the youth organisation and the West Central St James constituency”.
On second thought, that may not be so much lauding Bebe as it is stating a fact.
Another fact, but one more generic and reminiscent of something that would emanate from the National Security Ministry, was stated in a release from the PNP in relation to Bebe’s death. “The latest killing confirms that, while strides are being made in the fight against violent crimes and all criminality, we still have a long way in the journey to victory against criminals.”
Michael Troupe, PNP councillor for the Granville Division, the stomping ground of Bebe, said: “It is a very sombre mood in Granville, everybody is mourning. Bebe was a very popular man in Granville and the entire St James.”
For a man who was quietly installed in the executive of the PNP in the west, why has no one in the PNP executive attempted to canonise him, as we expect someone who made it there would have passed the rigorous integrity test that the PNP assured us would have been the norm in allowing entrance to its hallowed offices? The PNP told us this right before the 2011 election win. Or was the test only for those who were seeking to be elected? Certainly, if the recently deceased Bebe had met all of those tests of good standing and integrity we ought to have expected a much more strident condemnation of his death. Why is the PNP holding back?
In 2012, when Bebe was arrested, Superintendent of Police Leon Clunie said: “Bebe is one of the founders of the illegal lottery scam. He has been living a luxurious lifestyle, yet he has never, from our understanding, been employed in any of the services in Jamaica.”
When the senior policeman uttered those words, to the best of my memory, no one in the PNP executive came out in Bebe’s defence to say to Sup Clunie that he was making empty talk. So the question must be: how did Bebe move from PNP enthusiast to PNP activist to being PNP vice-president of the West Central St James constituency organisation?
Quite a step up, I would think. The PNP has to answer on the basis that, when Clunie made that statement in 2012, there was no response from the PNP categorically disputing it. No one from the PNP said that it was rumour- mongering.
Outside of the words of the senior policeman on the Lottery Task Force and the general talk on the streets of Montego Bay, nothing, to my knowledge, has ever surfaced to corroborate Clunie’s statement. But Clunie is a senior investigator, not given to wild rantings.
As the party in power, and moreso as the party of Norman Manley, a man who was said to be of impeccable character and whose integrity was never questioned, one would not expect that the PNP would want to wait on clearance from the courts, to distance itself from someone whom the head of the taskforce investigating the illegal and oftentimes violent lottery scam described as “one of the founders”.
Were the PNP serious about that promissory note to the nation, it would have immediately raised a red flag to its organisational machinery in St James about inviting such a person to sit on its executive.
I can well understand someone new coming along, all fired up in PNP tradition, wanting to be part of its leadership and executive. But, for someone The Star described on November 4, 2009 as “… well-known in the second city for parading around in his car with other flamboyant men while blaring raunchy music”, plus having a senior policeman heading the lottery task force saying that the man was a founder of an illegal scam, surely now the PNP was more than warned.
The PNP has a history of being two-mouthed. A few years ago when Heather Robinson left representational politics after loudly stating that she was not prepared to “hug up gunman”, that is, utilise as a part of her constituency organisation street ‘toughs’, there was not a single voice among all the PNP MPs to lend her any support.
Which PNP MP is now prepared to address the words stated by Leon Clunie, even as many are preparing in a few weeks’ time to attend the funeral of their fallen hero who must have left behind loved ones to mourn him. They have genuine reasons to shed tears for him.
Which PNP MP is prepared to tell us that there is a time to embrace and there is also another time to cut that embrace with absolute finality?
Cheers. It would be a GRAND day in Jamaica if Bebe was a cell phone, obsessed person like our demon boy. It would certainly do away with a vast majority of these corrupt politicians- male and female.
I laugh reading the condolences on observer because is the SAME PEOPLE who are anti-gay sending out condolences and a call fi justice…lolol Wool ova people eye is beyond dis yah fraud.
Gwan Mark :beer:
Let have big dutty Sketel laugh, Heh haaayyyyy! fool, fool, people wake up and have sence, I was blinded by the hype of politics once, but not again, the people them only in this for the money, it’s only a few of them in it for the love of the ppl, wake up.
Bam yuh notice seh a 1 of the very few occupations weh nuh have a limit on age of retirement, and when dem old and gray and a walk wid stick, dem nah gi up dem seat, dem affi dead lef eh??!!
* and should be all
Both JLP/PNP are a disgrace to Jamaica and the jamaican people as a whole. The man was arrested for Lottery scamming and they brush it aside and assign him to executive position, now they all quiet.
But look pan Bebe a ride horse inna long bobby socks
This quote cracks me up tho
“… well-known in the second city for parading around in his car with other flamboyant men while blaring raunchy music”,
nuh one long socks him did ina when dem kill him?
One long socks yes.
Met, yu know sey observer is a rock bottom paper wid dem fake ass conservative reporting?
YOU CLEARLY had a picture of him DEAD! Dem write sey him dead inna surgery! Dam liars.
Dem mus know what kinda surgery him dead ina
Ain’t the Observer a PNP paper?
Wid de owna it hard fi detect which way him swing cause him ever a go strong financially.
Actually, it is more aligned with the JLP. Up to a few months ago, Danville Walker, the ex-JLP MP designate for Manchester, was the Managing Director (probably still is). BTW, isn’t the “Owner” outed a big homosexual himself?
Met why u making me laugh ova Bebe tragedy ? Him dem muse always cold. :bingung
foot
:shutup: :angel
Bebe cost police officers dem likkle pension too! If dem mek case against him-politicians run and aid him and cost de people dem fi get transfer, pressured out of the force or fired. N**er dead and that’s that. portia can go bawl pon lisa shoulder…kmt
Him use di scamming money an spread it out between him and di adda PNP dem. They in return work on the police offices an di scamming case disappear. An di hole a dem ago a him funeral give speech an act like he was decent executive, when him is just a damn thief
Me sey…eye water is powerful! Portia and har possie of friends in government shall fell every drop- one day-one day.
We people need fi learn how fi detect bulls**t when it comes to these politicians. Stop laugh up wid dem…de next loser one all people pride she pon a har looks and NOT her end results.
kmt, feel.
bon vivant <—————This a beat me bad! These politician in Jamaica is a set a licky licky Big belly sour front people, They over looked all of this man bad character and turn him in a executive. Mark would a kill we wid big words Iyah! GO Mark…LOL
Weh JLAG deh now. Everybaddi ah road know seh a scammer tings mek him dead.
The real question is Bebe nah nuh job, neva have nuh job, but live inna BIG house uppa Ironshore and was a VERY GENEROUS contributor to the election coffers of the PNP. How comes nuhbaddi nah ask “is where are your monies coming from Bebe?” Di licky licky politician dem a sell political position inna dem Gay party. Now watch dem gwaan like dem nuh know nuttn bout di dutty money.
Di U.S clamp down pan scammers Bebe was not a good look for the pnp
Honeybee dem have sumting a country name chigga foot eno :angel
:ngakak
Di way jamaica hot and him ina di knee highs a mus sumting :angel
Him dress like him booty pirates comrades when dem a bleach
Den u nuh si him face pan di horse?
Bebe may have been to financial source that purchased portia declaration to ‘reexamining buggery law’ when she did a ponda fi votes. jinal ship aplenty!
What a mixxxxxxxxxxx
Phantom, you know SEY, di adda day when me read bout Bebe death on JMG, me SEY to me self SEY, Portia musse send har area man dem fi get ridd a Bebe becausein SEY , Bebe a pressure har fi amend di buggery law, an Portia SEY it is not on the agenda at dis moment, she have betta thing to attend to like the “POOR” :bola
Please PNP people do not come for me.
:ngacir2
lolol…a nu dem ago come fi yu a de other party cause de rass go fass wid ants nest…lol. Big and serious doe…what inna dark muss come to light. De Observer sure as hell disrobe de duppy wid dem remorse full headline, yestiday.
honeybee….di ongle ting Portia have to attend to is fi mek sure di plane gas up. She a gyangsta from Spalding days suh your theory is not far fetched.
:ngakak A wanda if she’s going to make it to his funeral because she all ova foreign country a accept honorary degree for her “work” . Am like……The fu*ck…….what work has she done? If only they knew! If one is embedded in politics then you will see the benefits, if not, u don’t see it.
Honeybee, me baffled as well as to how she a get honorary. Some suck up a look favor. If a did school a China me would a understand cause de amount a mileage and contracts she sign dem should put har name pon de great wall.
I always thought you were a comrade at heart. Did you switch on us? If so, I just cross you off my list of people I admire. :nohope
u a look ally :ngakak
:maho I aint looking
No Met, I’m not looking for no ally. I’m a Comrade, will always be a Comrade. I think Phantom is being led astray by Honeybee, a rock stone Labourite. Met, I think you should put Honeybee in timeout to prevent her from corrupting anymore Comrades. What do you think?
:ngakak
Shhhh, nu tell me man sey me on here a party moonlight…lol
Big and serious…I am 50/50 and that is for the positive side of each party. My babes turned me into “a child of the rising sun”. Every now and then I have to stand firm pon an issue from the opposing side, at which time him ” send me” to the back of the ‘classroom’ because me a mek noise wid de bell….lol
Anon, rest a sure that I can be trusted fi side with right over wrong, regardless of party *wink*. Much love.
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the JLP nor PNP party.
Anon 8:12 You making me lol so hard I almost choke on my St. Mary’s banana chips :ngakak Phantom have a mind of her own she don’t need me to corrupt her at all. But, from what I’ve observe on Jmg, whenever there’s a political thread, the JLP’s outnumber the comrades. I don’t know why they’re afraid to speak their mind, maybe they’re not too please with their party performance so they just fall back.
Mek wi see which one a dem Minister bwoy ya aguh even walk gense di church. Feds all ova Bay a look fi scamma suh look fi long lens kyamra at this life celebration. Maybe Portia will sen Minister Shell Dung on the party’s behalf.
lolollllllllllllllll…Minister “Shell dung” want a rass trim.
Clovis Brown! Has anyone seen Clovis Brown! Come yah Clovis wi need your perfection to dis ting yah!
I don’t really like to talk about politics, but I will only speak this time only, both are evil, no better erring no better barrel, Jamaica need to eradicate both parties. Dudus get turn over to the US by Bruce Golding, his father was killed in prison under the sanction of Edward, Feather Map was killed at a bar by the sanction of Michael because him diss boss wife Beverly. I can tell uno things to make uno race and skip a beat and kin papa lick, but I am going to let all the skeletons stay in the closet. People of Jamaica need to stop support these 2 set of evil, if you weight them in a scale none of them is better, why do we the people of Jamaica continually recycle these same corrupted people and put them into office, what do we expect, is the same people them, nothing change, wake up, stop blame the JLP/PNP the real power lies in our hands, boycott the elections. Stop voting for the 2, stop the hating of our brothers and sisters, stop killing and hating each other over PNP/JLP, DO YOU WANT TO HEAR THE MOTTO, IT’S NOT OUT OF MANY, ONE PEOPLE, IT’S WE TWO HOLD THEM, 2 FINGERS AND A CLENCH FIST. We the people of Jamaica needs to free our selves from this strong hold.
99% of “we” Jamaicans are cowards. When Politicians sign laws/do things that do not benefits the poor we always say “a so it go”. Most of us aquired a vice when we migrate, because we see how politicians work for the people. There and then, all of a sudden we have something to say about the Jamaican Government. Jamaicans abroad kept saying “jamaicans at home need to rise up, protest the Government , rebel on the street/ in front of Parliament”. When in actuality they were as timid as the Jamaicans they left at home. Yes, its in the peoples hands, they don’t know they hold the handle and the Politicians hold the blade, they have the power, it’s not the other way around. Maybe one day our fellow jamaicans will know how to utilized their power when it comes the Government, because if it wasn’t for them they (politicians) wouldn’t have being in the position they’re in now. Ever so often I would see videos of the 1% protesting in Kingston, if only the 99% would join them. What a different that would made?
Honeybee, sad to say, but nuff a who migrate long before the 90s HELP to form the cesspool government. And many stay aborad and continue to assist and strengthen dem.
I hear u Phantom. The adda day di PNP dem release one politican from some sort of contract and den dem recycle anada one an put him in charge cant remember his name so u know is a dinosaur demn go dig up from the PNP dinosaur burial ground. There’s no chance fi di young people dem who want to have a carrer in Politics a jamaica.
PNP every time.ii’s not the party, it’s the people who are running the party. Right now, as far as I am concerned is the Great PNP that stood up for the Rastafarians them. and a Jah me seh. A Dutty SEAGA, corrupt weh little island wid him war mongering ways. and illiterate Busta neva nuh betta. however, as much as meh seh that. I would support which ever party that is working for the good of all the Jamaican people on a whole, because a Jamaica land I love.
But mi just hear seh dem stub up him best friend jaspa yesterday don’t know if him dead
wow, how slow that news travel :think: :nohope:
We keep hearing this name Jasper/Jaspa, yet I haven’t heard much about him. Who is he???
Bebe ‘bench’ ; could be de other way around…lol. “partners in crime”.
Phantom…. yu know seh yu turrble bad !!
Bebe’s “bench”?…..really?!!!…..DWRCLLLLLL.
Sorry dem seh is a behind man dem kill yesterday but it wasn’t jaspa
Bebe political connections go way beyond Portia. Checkout Portia Teacher, the one who gave the ppl from where him come from roast breadfruit and mackerel as a celebration feast, his friends ( the tour company owner and the outsourcing tycoon). It would be nice to hear what ppl from Granville have to say about Bebe as a person living in their community , minus the gay factor. He sure caused havoc and if it was Bcus he dressed like a flamboouyant gay guy it would be ok but the crimes he perpetuated were almost in line with Kartel. Bebe and Jasper had always been very dangerous ppl, big dutty criminals
good morning O.M.G