Rumour has it that Prime Minister Patrick Manning has eliminated from his Cabinet all members who had once supported Dr. Keith Rowley for leadership of the PNM.
Rumour has it that Manning was in favor of the corruption charges against Rowley sticking, thereby allowing a convincing reason to get rid of him, while ensuring that he is no leadership threat in the future. Although the charges did not stick, Manning would be looking for other ways to achieve his goal. Meanwhile, Manning is eliminating Rowley’s former and current supporters.
Incidentally, rumour has it that it was Manning who leaked the allegation of corruption against Rowley to COP member Ganga Singh for it to be made public. (See: The Manning factor in the mix)
Bringing in lots of new faces, especially women, was an attempt to make this house-cleaning popular with the masses and to stave off criticism. Who would be publicly against more women being appointed to ministerial posts?
Rumour has it that the Woodford Square ‘coronation’ of Prime Minister Patrick Manning was also to further garner PNM supporters’ loyalty while purging the party. Manning already made PNM’s election campaign about himself personally, with a popular Calypso championing his cause with the hookline, “Patrick, we stepping up with you”. This line was repeated by PNM supporters throughout the campaign and at Manning’s ‘coronation’.
(See: Political advertising reaches new heights)
Rumour has it that Manning is ensuring that the PNM members of the House of Representatives and his Cabinet owe their political life to him, thereby ensuring that he can rule without any internal party threat to his leadership.
I wonder who is the author of this piece of trash? I notice no name under the “banner headline”.
I see the UNC letter writing committee has already started on the offensive.
Give it up guys! it reminds me of the letter that showed up after the 2002 elections the so called “we are the most racist of all” bullshit.( suposedly written by a black person)
Typical fanatical response, let’s find the author and bun down his home or kill him instead of opening your eyes to the obvious.
Now they will remember Nello Mitchell, Morris Marshall, Marilyn Gorden, Rupert Griffith, FITGERALD Hinds, shiela dottin, pENELOPE beckles, rowley, murriel, ralph, ken valley, some names i will not mention for reasons you already know
I am all for change and giving new people a chance, but with this latest group of inexperienced politicians that were handpicked by Patrick Manning he should be held directly responsible for any errors they make.
Handpicking Christianized, subservient females (a speculation) and appointing them to positions of authority is NOT empowering women. The power remains in the hands of the male who picked them and rules over them.
However, with this new crew, I am expecting less arrogance … for a while.
In my view, Patrick Manning is not a smart Prime Minister, and Keith Rowley would be quite dangerous in a Prime Ministerial position, so he gets no support from me either.
I am happy to see the back of ‘I am not an African’ and ‘African clothes would make me look like a mook’ Ken Valley who was a disgrace to himself.
I am not sympathetic to any of the other PNM members Patrick Manning sidelined. They remained loyal to their party and not the country when all the evidence of incompetence was there. They had no problem when many other people got sidelined as long as they were safe on the gravy train (especially when Manning made his wife Education Minister in front of many others).
Panday and his team appear to be crudely dishonest so a win for them could have possibly seen the looting of the treasury on an unimaginable scale.
Winston Dookeran is uninspiring and lame. He and a few disgruntled former members of the UNC were more about attempting to get back at Basdeo Panday than bringing about improvement to this country. They believed their own propaganda about Sadiq Baksh being a political wizard, when all he was known for was organizing events (renting the tents, sound, tables, chairs etc. and coordinating political rallies).
Summed up, the losers have their own egos to blame as all the parties involved seemed to be competing to show who could make the most blunders before and during this election. If Prime Minister Manning feels his troubles are over he is in for a rude awakening.
Ever since I got a computer, and “discovered it”, I have had tremendous respect for the broad range of coverage that http://www.trinicenter.com gives to issues about Trinidad and Tobago, and the world of the African diaspora, as well as intrnational politics. I have recommended it to ex-pats coming to work in TnT,US history professors, and many Trinis abroad who did not know it.
In the light of this piece, I have to wonder at the lowering of standards. Unsourced rumous do not make for credible writing.This is mindless gossip at its worst at a time when every thinking individual and community group should be submitting proposals to the new government that could help shape priorities.
This article is unworthy of a brand name that had carved out a serious niche for itself.
The readers, blogers and writers are owed an explanation of what the hell happened here.Did you catch Pandayitis?
The Panday anonymous posse, and psycophants who hold their outpourings as the gospel according to……., is legendary on every board that examines the politics of Trinidad and Tobago. And as Mike opined, it is deja vu 2002 all over again. That Cindy equated his response with a threat to “bun down homes and kill him” is demonstrably apparent of the viscious and viceral emotions that drive many in the posse, and many in the psycophancy. In fact it might be a manifestation of how unhinged they might have become over this loss at the polls. And that is why Manning’s security has to be ever vigilant.
Firstly I wish to remind all that we do live in a democratic society and should be open to one another’s opinions. In that vein, I take offense to the way that Mike responded. Yes Mike, you disagreed with the Bloggers opinions big time(as many many others undoubtedly would, but civility has to prevail. Some of the other commentators obviously disagreed too, but their responses were kept clean, cool and respectful! Let’s keep the bad language out.
As for my opinion…I trust no politician explicitly, since as we know, they do have their agendas. Being a career Politician, Patrick Manning is no exception. He may seem more honest than most, but the aim of the game is ultimately to stay on the job, i.e. survival. Given the recent history of relations within the PNM, I wouldn’t doubt that some sort of power play is occurring… and if so, so what?? It is his duty to form the most cohesive team that he could . The important issue is the leadership and Governance of Trinidad and Tobago. This being said, I only hope that the general inexperience of this current set of Ministers does not become a liability to him or us.
Time will tell, but in the meantime, let’s all keep our cool!!
ever since the leadership challenge in the pnm in 1995 patrick manning has bent on getting even with those who voted against him some may say great get rid of your threat it is politics to stay alive others may say they the one ones who were sideline deserved it, but people what about nation building or did you forget that africa was distroyed this way all the intellectuals was taken away from africa to build other nations unless you think it was labourers only, when we look at africa today the riches nations in the world yet the most under develop and is considered a third world,then look at the pnm with the people who can make meaningful contribution for the development of not only the pnm but trinidad and tobago………………….
let us not throw the baby out with the bathtub.
the signs of a dictatorship is to appoint people around you who cannot or would not challenge your leadership
why can’t the pnm have a female political leader
If the COP or the UNC wad won the elections where would they have gotten experienced ministers from? Come on Trinidad and Tobago, it’s time to grow up politically and stop seeing shadows behind every rock! Like it or not Mr. Patrick Manning is the duly elected PM and the duly elected leader of the PNM. Please let him lead. Thankfully, rumours do not a leader make.
Arima residents rally around former minister
A huge motorcade rolled through the Arima constituency yesterday in support of parliamentarian Pennelope Beckles who was not among the list of ministers announced by Prime Minister Patrick Manning on Thursday.
Arima’s litany of woes
The executive of the PNM’s Arima constituency has written to Prime Minister Patrick Manning, demanding that Member for Parliament Pennelope Beckles be given a ministerial portfolio…
The claim that Manning is trying to wipe out Keith Rowley’s base in the party is not coming from Panday or Jack Warner. I have not heard any UNC spokespeople make that claim. Ever since Patrick Manning announced that he was going to make changes in the composition of his cabinet, many grassroots PNM supporters have been saying it is about getting back at Keith Rowley and his support in the party. That has been often said on radio talk-shows and on the streets by diehard PNM activists and supporters. Some are even making this allegation with regards to how Penelope Beckles was not given a ministerial post.
Although it cannot be proven that Manning is about doing just what many PNM activists are saying, that is the sentiment on the streets. If any PNM supporter who posts on this Weblog claims he or she did not hear that view from among the PNM support base, then I would assume that he or she is either residing abroad or lying.
People are free to disagree with anything, but not because some people claim to like trinicenter.com means that the website must only carry their preferred views, their style of coverage or support their political parties. I am quite pleased that the website does not bow to the dictates of those who would like to exercise remote control. It is still good that people have the right to disagree and even to be obnoxious on the site at times.
Older head, wiser head, hopefully. Shoud the maker call Mr. Manning home to his rewards quite suddenly, if there is no succession plan, the country could end up with a lame duck Prime Minister like George Chambers, whose claim to fame was that he preferred blondes, in the scandal that exposed Conoco and their stock dealings in TnT.
While I wish Mr. MAnning as long a life as I wish for myself, good corporate mamnagement means designating a successor, and training him/her. Shucks, the PNMgovernment of the 1980’s had that written into their state enterprise programmes for hiring ex-pats- you had to train a successor.
No leader is a strong leader, if only he knows the game plan. It is said that that was the Williams model, after a bad experience, but that was a long time ago. If Kieth Rowley is the brightest cookie in the jar, he should be trained for future leadership. That is the mark of a person who has the country’s welfare at heart.
Eliminating all the Rowley supporters makes no sense. The man’s personal charm will cause him to win the affection of all the new members who get to know him. People like intelligent others. Rowley is smart, no doubt about it. So, Mr. PM. design a succession plan in case the old ticker ticks off into the sunset with all the excitement of the last three weeks. The Speaker of the House, and the Attorney General would be good joint custodians of the plan. If you were head of a family, with the holdings that TnT has, you would be a fool not to make a will. The people have entrusted you with the leadership of the country. Leaders have Plan B. Please get to it ASAP.
I was very surprised at some of the responses in this thread in relation to the “Manning Eliminating the Rowley Threat” article. Attempts to be critical proved futile as true introspection on the politics at hand gave way to blind unreasoning. The views or “rumours” as the article has purported are views/rumours that I have heard repeatedly during the election season and even now after the elections have past. In fact, in the Express Newspaper points this out in today’s article, “Arima residents rally around former minister”:
Is it possible to confirm this story? Would confirmation be Manning’s admission that this is what he in fact did? What is the possibility of him admitting this? And if Manning denies this allegation, does it mean that the views of that faction of PNM’s supporters have no merit or that Manning is speaking the truth?
When Valley’s supporters took to Balisier House to lobby for him to still represent them, they pleaded with Patrick Manning not to dismiss Valley because he supported Keith Rowley in 1995. Anyone watching the TV6 news at that time would have heard that.
Are the PNM supporters of Valley, Hinds, Hart and Beckles who make the claim of victimization because of support for Rowley in 1995 suddenly UNC members?
Penny tight-lipped on Manning’s offer
Where would the UNC and COP have gotten experienced ministers from had they joined?? i laugh at such statements because when one looks at the PNM’s slate one begins to wonder if those appointed are only new and inexperienced…or if they are even capable?
Also your statement is quite ridiculous… Manning had won the elections due to him setting it up to be so.. through house padding and by way of a split vote… the voice of the people on the streets clearly state that they do not want Manning.
By the way your very own now minister of Local Govt then Minister of Education was not only new to the political arena…she was inexperienced and had proven in her term as Minister of Education to be quite incapable at her job. She had alone destroyed the lives of many teachers and youths by showing she does not care… A few ECCE centers do not count! Thank god she is gone from her post…Manning finally realised how incapable she was.
Faithful, I am not too sure what you are trying to say here.
Personally, I have no problem with new ministers; people have to learn and can learn. But the way these new people were selected (if I am to go by what members of PNM are saying) the decision was made by Patrick Manning alone. He cannot try to hide behind the PNM institution if these new ministers are found wanting. With the previous composition of his cabinet it was understood that he more or less cooperated with the established customs of the party and, as such, the party would have had to be held responsible for shortcomings. But this time it’s all Patrick.
Also, the way several other ministers were left out, with a kind of callous dismissal, together with Manning announcing that these new ministers are untainted, reeks of a kind of snobbery and vindictiveness. Most of the ministers that Manning dismissed were as ‘tainted’ as himself. There were spurious allegations made against some of them but nothing strong or conclusive.
There is an element of gerrymandering to the victory, but I hasten to add that any other party in power would try to get the boundaries in their favour. There was certainly nothing illegal about how some of the boundaries were shifted.
Hazel Manning was not all that bad, but I am sure if she was not part of the equation, they could have found many other people to fill that position. Many in the party had problems with the idea of Manning employing his wife and the nepotism involved there. That set a bad example. How would Manning feel if these new ministers suddenly employed members of their family in senior positions in their ministries? In the future, any Prime Minister would feel justified to employ his entire family in ministerial positions. It was a bad move and set a bad example, and that is what I disliked about it.
Mike – I wonder who is the author of this piece of trash? I notice no name under the “banner headline”.
I see the UNC letter writing committee has already started on the offensive.
Give it up guys! it reminds me of the letter that showed up after the 2002 elections the so called “we are the most racist of all” bullshit.( suposedly written by a black person)
2 Cindy
Nov 11th, 2007 at 12:34 am
Typical fanatical response, let’s find the author and bun down his home or kill him instead of opening your eyes to the obvious
What kind of a skewed compass exist in the heads of some of you. Kerry Mulchansingh assesed mike’s comments as uncivil, but ignored a rejoiner from Cindy that leaps to distances unreachable to the context of Mike’s comments. And these are the people who feel that they are being balanced. Boyoboy, when you cannot even recognize your blatant double standard you are too far gone for redemption.
I sincerely thought that Cindy was being sarcastic. I didn’t think that she could be so criminally insane to actually mean it. If she does mean it Ruel, I stand corrected…she should be foundand locked up!
Whatever the case, your comment re my “blatant double standard” are way off base and should be reserved for those who show so much support for any cause, that they rebuke or ridicule other points of view or takes on any situation other their own.
I was simply saying that we should all be open-minded since it’s our country that we are concerned about and we really just want to see that it’s governed in the best possible way!
So why was she being sarcastic and not Mike. Why would you provide such cover for more acerbic comments while censoring Mike’s. That does not explain anything.
Riiight, like I said, I stand corrected if I may have mis-evaluated anyone’s psyche or maniacal tendencies…in fact only Mike and Cindy can shed any meaningful light on what they really intended to say, Daniel. So can we move on?
Whatever the case, it doesn’t change my point. You are welcome to disagree…that’s the nature of a democracy. Like many of the others, I have recorded my opinion on the blog for all to see, so, instead of splitting any more hairs on how who said what, maybe you’d like to share your opinion(s) with the rest of us?
Ruel I was being sarcastic and under different conditions you too would have understood. If my comment offended anyone, I apologize.
Thanks for clearing the air, Cindy. I really like to exchange opinions and thoughts, and though I hope that I am not offensive to others, I also know that sometimes it just don’t work so.
Living in a democracy ,means that we have to agree to disagree where T&T’s politics and national issues are concerned. But in the end, I think that we concur that all really want is what’s best for the country and it’s citizens.
it is very difficult to ascertain the truth in this matter since there appeared to be evidence of dictatorship by p.manning in that anyone who opposes him will feel the axeman’s wrath.it is unfortunate that the population has to deal with this nonsense while there are real issues to be dealt with which continues to be sidelined.
What a pointless topic and simplistic responses by a bunch of uncaring bloggers to an important issue that most definitely affects a large segment of our country. In typical fashion Rowley , like Robbie the Castaria Kid ,sold his soul , by denouncing the people of his birth to enter wider national politics and make the interest of the nation a priority without ensuring that similar returns acrue to the twin island .
What he got in return? Public humiliation by an entire political party and leadership prepared to ensure that Tobago remains undeveloped because of their stupidity. Some would think that by now it would get into the psyche of most Trinidadians that if Tobago thrives economically and politically, our entire country would benefit as it would become less of an economic and social burden. Our country can begin to elevate as employment rises and millions obtained returns outside of the narrow depleating oil and gas revenues that we are so dependent on.
If all Mr Rowley is prepared to do is fight some childish brinkmanship game with the lame UWI geologist com political statesman in similar fashion to oldscooled politicians such as Panday ,Sudama,Ramnath , Sudama , and Ramesh have done over the past few years ,then its his rights to play that foolish game as he waddle in self pity in Diego Martin with a tarnished national legacy.
Tobago can ill afford another Robbie clone only prepared to be a useful tool for the interest of another Williams wannabe tin pan uncaring dictator unconcerned with the fact that the last hospital that was built on the island his grand father was still a baby , sucking his fingers, and wetting diapers since pampers were not yet invented.
While the island lags behind through neglect and stupid ‘national racial diversionary political shenanigans’ perpetuated by a conniving ,crafty few in the PNM /COP/UNC hirachy.
Our country instead of holding its rightful place as a leading emerging economic giant in the Caribbean region , continually tries to play catch up with jokers such as Barbados , and Jamaica and similar countries with quarter of our natural resources and people of intellect .
“If your right hand offend you …..”It is time to step up to be counted cousin Rowley ,or get out of the way , as it is virtually impossible to be ‘half pregnant.’ This charade that recently took place can do absolutly little to further development of the island , if it replace empty suits with the clueless .
For all of our resources and potential ,Tobago to reiterate is the most neglected island in the entire Caribbean , baring Haiti, and guess what ,nobody cares especially the Trinidadian with the means to sneak away from an unsuspecting spouse and frolic in many of the reserved beaches with the foreigners for an occasional titillating escapade ,while claiming that ‘this country is nice,’over Barcadi, passionfruit ,Angustura bitters and crush ice concotions , simply because a resilient people refuses to riot , make demands, and give back where applicable.
stop ethnic cleansing and crime in t&t.love our country or GOD will PREVAIL
What ethnic cleansing? Who are the perpetrators and who are the victims?
I may not agree with Mannings over all policies and actions, but I do admire his schemes and plots. He is not unintelligent by far. In fact he is the exact opposite. I just believe that his mind is warped.