Kenneth Valley, 63, lost his battle with colon cancer on Friday at his Glencoe home. In the wake of his passing, commendations have come from all of his colleagues in Parliament and most compellingly, from those who might have been considered his political nemeses. If a man is measured by both the quality of his friends and the respect of his opponents, then Valley, who came to politics in 1987 after the 33-3 defeat of the PNM in 1986 as an opposition senator, was a politician of significant scale. "Kenneth Valley was a notably worthy man," Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said on his passing, describing him as "frank and fearless." "He always kept his word and was extremely honest," said Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr Fuad Khan. "He was very articulate in Parliament and very forceful," said former UNC Leader Basdeo Panday who sat on the opposite side of the benches from Valley throughout his political career. "Whatever he did, he always did it well. He will be missed."
Even Occah Seapaul, with whom he had a famous parliamentary clash in 1995, one that led to the declaration of a state of emergency to resolve the crisis in the house, declared herself a good friend of the late politician after that shocking episode in political history. Ken Valley's political career effectively came to an end in 2007, when he was not selected to contest the general elections that year. The difference of opinion between the sitting Member of Parliament for Diego Martin Central and former Prime Minister Patrick Manning only dribbled into the public domain during that contentious time, but Manning spared no praise for the man who once served as Minister in several ministries under his leadership, including the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Manning credited Valley as the "author of the economic policies that the PNM adopted in 1987 and which we sustained fundamentally until 2010." The former Prime Minister also saluted Valley as a focal point for the return of urban middle-class professionals and business people to the PNM.
Dr Amery Browne, among many other Members of Parliament, recalled Kenneth Valley as a man who shared advice, particularly compelling for Browne, who was put in the uncomfortable position of contesting the veteran politician's seat in 2007. Valley generously presented Browne to the constituency, announcing to the crowd that the PNM torch had been passed to the young politician. Ken Valley was a robust and generous politician to his peers in Parliament, but he was also a valuable resource to the business community as a champion of economic diversification from the oil and gas sectors and in pursuing trade and investment opportunities between Trinidad and Tobago and emerging markets within the Caribbean region and beyond. The TTMA recognised Valley as an Honorary Member in tribute to his support of the annual Trade and Investment Convention, where the association noted that "he played an instrumental role in orchestrating key developments regarding international participation."
After leaving active politics, Valley founded KCV Consulting Services, which was his platform to continuously champion and engage initiatives to bridge the information and trade divide between the Caribbean and Latin and Central America, which he viewed as the next frontier for this country's business plans for expansion and engagement.
The late Kenneth Valley leaves large shoes and a remarkable reputation for his colleagues in public service to meet as a benchmark for performance in the national interest. Valley's considerable savvy and a sound knowledge of parliamentary procedure were evident over the ten years he served as Leader of Government Business and another six years spent as Chief Opposition Whip in the service of the PNM.
In a statement on Valley's passing, Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley described the late politician as "a trusted friend and reliable colleague." That's the prevailing sense of Kenneth Valley's legacy as a politician; sensible and deliberate leadership with a constant eye on improving the national interest.
Trinidad and Tobago is a better nation for the efforts of Kenneth Valley as a politician, businessman, business advocate and citizen and his family's loss is shared by us and all who appreciate such notable personal sacrifice in the service of the national good.