Manning was asked if his Government was giving consideration to ruling the country by executive fiat.

He responded sharply: “We were not the ones to break the agreement that was entered into of their own free will between the leader of the UNC and the leader of the PNM.”

The agreement to which he referred was the one which provided for a Speaker, among other things, which would allow Parliament to convene in the wake of the 18-18 tie between the UNC and PNM after the December 10 election.

He said the agreement was an attempt “to ensure that the Parliament can operate properly, and if the UNC now breaks that initiative, how could it be our liability? They are quite irresponsible in that regard and must not be allowed to put it over in any way other than that. They are irresponsible in the extreme.”