Following is the full text of Prime Minister Patrick Manning’s address to the nation on Thursday 20, 2008
My fellow citizens,
I consider it most important that I address you at this time.
Before however dealing with my main purpose this evening, let me give you the assurance that the government continues to do its utmost to alleviate the plight of all those who have been adversely affected by the recent flooding.
Continue reading PM: Tighten your belts
THE EDITOR: There is a saying that you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time. This was clearly demonstrated over the last few weeks by Finance Minister’s Karen Nunez-Tesheira, Mariano Browne and Energy Minister Conrad Enill.
Continue reading Cancel ego trips and save money
Sunday, November 16 2008
Newsday Editorial
Faced with the choice to apologise to his erstwhile colleague Diego Martin West MP Keith Rowley, or to brazen out his allegation that Dr Rowley is responsible for missing monies in the Cleaver Heights housing project, Prime Minister Patrick Manning has chosen the latter course.
Continue reading Extended Allegations
November 15 2008
T&T Newsday Editorial
If the Government is so intent on having citizens use Compressed Natural Gas, Ministers should start by converting their own vehicles to CNG. Speaking in the Senate last Thursday on the issue, Minister in the Finance Ministry Mariano Browne was very gung-ho about all the benefits that would accrue to consumers and the wider society through CNG conversion: fewer emissions, less wear and tear on engines, fewer oil changes, and reduction in engine noise. If this is so, then Mr Browne and his colleagues need to take the lead in installing conversion kits into their new vehicles purchased at low interest rates thanks to their standing as Members of Parliament.
Continue reading Convert PM1 to CNG
Thursday, November 6 2008
OPPOSITION Leader Basdeo Panday on Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Patrick Manning for visiting Radio 94.1 FM two Saturdays ago to protest their earlier broadcast, critical of Government policy.
In a statement, the UNC leader yesterday called Manning “absolutely out of line, and overboard” in his actions.
Continue reading Panday: Manning wrong to storm radio station
Ria Taitt Political Editor
Tuesday, October 21st 2008
Prime Minister Patrick Manning on Saturday told the PNM General Council meeting that Government never had any intention of purchasing 200 luxury vehicles to transport VIPs during the two major international conferences to be held in Port of Spain next year.
Manning told the meeting that he did not know where this notion came from. He noted that this country had hosted conferences before, and the Government never purchased vehicles for this.
Continue reading PM: We never planned to buy 200 luxury cars
By Raffique Shah
Sunday, October 12th 2008
I grew to dislike Budget presentations and the debates that followed them during my five short years as a parliamentarian. For most of that period, the then Prime Minister, Dr Eric Williams, was also Minister of Finance. Like most intellectuals who were also heads of governments in that era, Williams reveled in making lengthy presentations. Having a captive audience comprising 35 MPs, a number of senators and other high-ranking public officials who felt it was their duty to be present for the budget, Williams would drone on and on, sometimes for five, six hours.
Continue reading In Trinidad, the piper calls the tune
Newsday Editorial
Thursday, October 9 2008
It is the height of irony that Government Senator Hazel Manning should be calling for parliamentary privilege to be reviewed. After all, it was her husband, Prime Minister Patrick Manning, who committed a most flagrant abuse of parliamentary privilege last week.
Continue reading Parliamentary privilege unfettered right
Express Editorial
Saturday, October 4th 2008
DEBATES in Parliament are supposed to be about the interests of those who put Members of Parliament there, not to hurl scandalous allegations at individuals in and out of Parliament. In this regard, there is another aspect of Prime Minister Manning’s parliamentary behaviour that needs noting.
Continue reading PM Manning out of place
Budget debate turns into duel…
By Kyle Jeremiah
October 1, 2008 – guardian.co.tt
The 2008-2009 budget debate took a dramatic turn last night in Parliament, after a war of words erupted between Prime Minister Patrick Manning and Diego Martin-West MP Dr Keith Rowley whom Manning dismissed in April.
Continue reading Manning trains guns on Rowley