TikTok creators thrilled by swearing-in invite

Seeing that he is a security guard by profession, it would not have been unusual to see Karlando Bailey working at the recent swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness.

But instead, Bailey, who goes by the moniker 'Bad Sekki' on TikTok, was a special guest, which shocked many, including his 'online rival', Reuben Hussey

"People were so shocked because they expected him to be opening the gate," said Hussey. Bailey, 26, of Point Hill, St Catherine, has worked in the security field for six years. But as Bad Sekki, he launched a mock political campaign that turned into a viral movement, bringing in thousands of followers.

"I just got an email that I was invited [to the swearing-in] and mi question it. Mi thought it was fake because mi a wonder what me do fi get invited to a ceremony like that," Bailey told THE STAR. "When I checked they contacted me through their other social media platforms and a so mi know it real."

Bailey said that Holness has seen his content, and told him that he loves it.

"Him love what we are doing because there is too much tension on the Internet now and we are making it a little lighter. Him know exactly who I am, not that his team just told him who I was, but he knew and I respect that," he said.

"A one a the greatest day a mi life, knowing that I have made an impact somehow. I can't fully explain it but I was proud," he added.

Bailey's comedy sketches often highlight everyday struggles to which people can relate but his big breakthrough came when he decided to stage an election campaign online.

"I made a video saying employers should start paying employees from dem get up to go work til dem get back home and somebody commented and say, 'Why not just start your own party?' I didn't expect it to blow up this much but mi simply pick up mi phone and say I'm going to run for party and these are the things that I will do. So these are some very good ideas that people have actually agreed that it's something they want," Bailey recalled. Kingstonian Hussey, 27, led the fictitious Jamaica National Party as the opposing entity. Debates were even held online, followed by voting, that kept TikTok busy.

"What I see from this whole experience is that if a new party is to come and is really serious, then dem can actually win," Bailey said. "When mi think bout it, if this was a serious thing mi feel mi could be real competition and give dem a run fi dem money."

Hussey said he had to double-check the invitation before believing it too.

"When Sekki sent me the initial invitation, I couldn't believe what we were seeing. I was truly shocked and he wasn't sure if it was real or not. When I confirmed, I told Sekki, he asked me immediately if I would be interested to go, and I told him immediately, of course," he said.

While admitting that some persons in the audience didn't know them, Hussey was pleased by the warm reception they received generally.

"To see that we would be recognised on that level, and then to know that the prime minister is watching and paying attention to not just social media, but the videos we make, is really humbling. Every MP they introduced us to, and if they didn't know us, they seemed to know about what was going on. The graciousness and the courtesy that was given to us by everybody involved in the entire process was just a really humbling experience."

Hussey opined that the moment proved that young people are not only interested in politics, but want to be involved in it.

"What the prime minister did by recognising me and Sekki in the way that he did legitimises content creation and content creators, and it legitimises social media and TikTok to corporate Jamaica and a lot of older people who see social media as time-wasting. Hopefully, we can see more corporate involvement and more organisational support as a result of this."