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Offline zuluwarrior

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Manning passes on the baton
« on: February 13, 2011, 07:43:44 AM »
Manning passes on the baton
By Selwyn Ryan

Story Created: Feb 13, 2011 at 12:40 AM ECT

(Story Updated: Feb 13, 2011 at 12:40 AM ECT )

Patrick Manning surprised all and sundry on February 3 when he indicated that he was formally passing the baton of leadership to Keith Rowley. Manning told Rowley that "as political leader of the PNM [you] have my support and respect and that of the people of San Fernando East, and I will support you to the best of my ability".

Manning also explained that he had remained silent because he wanted to ensure that nothing he said or did would "destabilise you as the new political leader of the party. It is not going to happen. Today is the day of our new political leader and I willingly pass on the baton". Manning further indicated that he had had 22 years of being political leader, an achievement of which he was proud, and that he had no regrets about passing on the baton. Was that embrace a kiss of political death or of life?

Rowley welcomed Manning's gracious embrace and seemed to think that with Manning aboard, the SS PNM was seaworthy and could set sail again. "We are preparing ourselves to give the country an alternative whenever the country requires one.

"The PNM is back on track". One could not help but wonder whether there was a 'back story' to what we were witnessing. One also wonders who brokered the entente and on what terms.

The reactions of PNM people have been mixed. Pro PNM stalwarts generally welcomed the reconciliation. Some. However, expressed scepticism and in some cases outright hostility to the notion that the party should "move on" without a comprehensive explanation from Manning as to why he disgraced and destabilised the party and brought political and economic ruin to so many people and the country in general, and to party members in particular. Manning, they say, should not be made welcome without a due period of penance. He must be made to pay for his costly error.

There were also those who do not trust Manning and assumed that he was up to some trick. Did he assume that if circumstances did in fact lead to a PNM restoration, that he would be made President as Robinson was when Panday wanted to get him out of the way? Would it not be ironic if instead of becoming executive president, Manning ended up being a ceremonial president? I laughed at the suggestion, but in this blessed land of ours, anything can happen. Anything!

Manning may well have calculated that many still regard him as having been nutty, and would want a more plausible explanation as to why he chose to call early elections. He now tells us that the explanation was quite simple. The election was a referendum on his tenure as Prime Minister! As he explained, "my leadership became the main issue...I wanted to give the people the opportunity to decide whether I should stay longer in office." How nobly democratic!!

Mr Manning further explained that the consequent dismissal from office had not left him with any sense of loss or bother. As he told the party gathering, "the PNM lost the elections, but I have had twelve years as Prime Minister, and [have been] the longest serving parliamentarian. I demitted office gracefully and now I am at peace with myself and closer to God... Criticisms are [thus] like water on a duck's back". It was however all about the Prime Minister and his relationship to history and to God. There were no apologies to the party and its standard bearers whom he left stranded.

By way of further explanation, Manning indicated that while he had taken the decision to call elections as early as October 2009, as the date came closer, he considered changing the date, but chose not to do so. "Since my leadership was the issue, I decided to let the people decide."


Mr Manning had in fact voiced the explanation before, but I am not fully convinced that he is telling us the full truth, and my guess is that he is trying to put an end to speculation that the decision was informed by extra secular factors. Even if it were true, many questions arise. If one suspects that one is unpopular and can possibly lose a critical election or sustain a substantial reduction in the number of seats won, why call that election at the height of that unpopularity, unless one believed that the situation was likely to get much worse or that God had a plan for him and that God's thoughts were higher than his? He was merely doing his part.

Manning seemed to have believed that the PNM was ready and that the opposition was in disarray. He believed that it was impossible for the COP and the UNC to work out their coalitional arrangements and that they would remain stranded for a while yet. Manning also seemed to fear that information about the Church on Gunapo Hill and his relation to it would leak out sooner rather than later, and that that could cost him the elections.

In sum, Manning was gambling with the future of the party and made the decision without consulting those who really mattered , believing that there was no one whom he could trust, and that the decision would be leaked. Those old enough might recall that in 1955, Manning called elections 17 months before they were due with results that were equally disastrous. The 1995 elections ended in a 17-17 tie and a loss of power to a UNC-NAR coalition.

Manning made a number of subsidiary statements which we merely note here, and which we hope to return to in future columns. One was that he had made a lot of errors, but, like our current PM, pleaded that "we are only human". He also reminded us that "no government can govern without making errors". With respect to the current government, he laughingly told them that they were only now realising that "Trinidad requires strong leadership to govern the country." Instead of offering good government, the PPG was "lying". They "did not deserve to spend one [more] day in office".

Mr Manning also repeated his allegations that the Partnership collected over $400m, but only spent about half of that on the elections. The remainder was said to have been collected "by a female accompanied by another person and was carted away in pillow cases on trucks". These are very, very serious allegations and Manning would have us believe that he is privy to information as to whom the offending individuals are. Manning assured constituents that the PNM collected $23m during the last elections and that all monies were accounted for.

But perhaps the most astonishing bit of mauvais langue that was forthcoming from the previous occupant of the Prime Minister's residence was that the security system which was in place there was removed because there is "licentious behaviour at the residence", and that "morality has taken a big hit".

How did Mr Manning come by this information, if indeed any such behaviour was in evidence? Who was the voyeur? Was it the ghost of the SIA? What was Mr Manning signalling when he suggested that before that building was occupied by Rowley when he one day becomes PM as Mr Manning said he would, it would need to be "sanitised". Sanitised because of what? We recall that Mr Manning had declared he would have had to get the old Prime Minister's residence sanitsed after Mr Panday left because some jhandis had been planted there? Some of Mr Manning's allegations sail close to the wind, and we leave them to those who have "court clothes".

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Offline Conquering Lion

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Re: Manning passes on the baton
« Reply #1 on: February 13, 2011, 01:46:23 PM »
Steups......he need some baton
We fire de old set ah managers we had wukkin..and iz ah new group we went and we bring in. And if the goods we require de new managers not supplying, when election time come back round iz new ones we bringin. For iz one ting about my people I can guarantee..They will never ever vote party b4 country

Offline AB.Trini

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Re: Manning passes on the baton
« Reply #2 on: February 13, 2011, 03:49:04 PM »
a. Rowley drops the baton
b. Looking to pass the baton
C. trotting to the finish line
D. biting too hard on the baton
F.eh sure what to do with the baton

Offline rotatopoti3

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Re: Manning passes on the baton
« Reply #3 on: February 14, 2011, 01:26:11 AM »
G. It look like you want tuh take d baton from them.
Ah say it, how ah see it

Offline Babalawo

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Re: Manning passes on the baton
« Reply #4 on: February 15, 2011, 04:11:35 AM »

Offline Deeks

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Re: Manning passes on the baton
« Reply #5 on: February 15, 2011, 07:49:29 AM »
Is bootoo, not baton!!!!!

 

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