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Only Manning Led Governments Have Collapsed | | Media Release | | Author: | | Date: 2010-04-27 09:04:03 |
| The only governments to collapse in the political history of Trinidad and Tobago have been two Manning Led Administrations. Mr. Manning should be reminded of his intolerable behavior in office in 1995, when he fired a Diplomat by fax in Hong Kong, dismissed his Cabinet Minister Ralph Maraj via television and declared himself the Father of the Nation on national broadcast. This led to distrust among his colleagues and the eventual collapse of the Manning Government forty months into office. A snap election was called and he lost power to the UNC who formed a coalition government which went full term.
In 2010 amidst growing discord with his dictatorial style, attempts to rail-road and rubber stamp some of the worst government corruption in the nation's independent history, his government collapsed on the eve of a no-confidence motion in the Prime Minister being debated in the Parliament. It was Manning, with almost three years left in office, who was forced to call an early general election. Manning's claim that the model being proposed for Trinidad and Tobago mirrors the Malaysian Model is spurious. He is trying to frighten the public to give his fledgling and dying regime a last chance.
Mr. Manning must remember his famous speech where he tried to justify the decision to make Calder Hart Chairman of the economy's commanding heights. He stated that Malaysia was the preferred model and he was merely borrowing from the success it has brought that country. Conveniently, he now says that Malaysia is a country in which freedoms are restricted simply because it has a coalition government.
For those with eyes to see, ears to hear and minds to think, Mr. Manning's challenge of the Guardian's editorial about the lack of success of coalition governments throughout the world rings hollow and is clearly about self preservation.
Making a distinction between Switzerland, Israel and Singapore as developed coalition governments and Trinidad and Tobago, which he implies is underdeveloped, is actually an indictment against Manning's own leadership and vision of development.
Because this election provides an opportunity for the education of the electorate and the elevation of the consciousness of the national community, it is important to carefully dissect the Prime Minister's coded messages and lay them bare for the population to make informed and intelligent choices.
First, the PNM's definition of development is clearly NOT people-centered or balanced. How else could this government justify expending billions of dollars on buildings when many people in Moruga have no roads, water or electricity? Contrast that with the example of Mr. Dookeran, who has sacrificed his personal ambitions in the interests of national unity as the basis for participatory, economic democracy and development; which he refers to as the "new politics".
How could Manning justify the distribution of state lands to his prophetess, when other more important organizations and institutions are waiting on the state for the grant of lands to build public facilities such as schools, health centres and playing fields which would meaningfully benefit the society?
Why is educational reform, the crown jewel of the Manning administration, limited to single sex schools, but silent on escalating violence among students and the relevance of the curriculum to the future demands of an evolving economy?
Mr. Manning's formula for the success of coalitions having strong leaders, sincerity of purpose, people at heart, political skills and acumen should be applied to him and his government. But where is his strength when all the bright and fearless PNM leaders in Manning's Cabinet are systematically demoted or dismissed?
How can he have the audacity to describe Mr. Dookeran's humility as weak, when Manning has systematically removed people from his Cabinet who dare to voice differences of opinion or perspective from him or to raise serious concerns regarding corruption? Is Manning strong because he can defy the outrage of residents of Square Deal Corner being displaced by an Alutrint Smelter which will contaminate the atmosphere, threaten our health and use more electricity than three quarters of Trinidad?
Winston Dookeran's acceptance of compromise in agreeing to the appointment of Kamla Persad Bissesar as leader of the Peoples' Partnership shows more sacrifice, strength of character and selfless patriotism for the good of the nation than Mr. Manning has ever exhibited in his history as Political Leader of the PNM. The balance of absolute power that is implied in the Unity Coalition and Partnership has already demonstrated its virtue by the integrity clauses in the Declaration of Unity the leaders signed in Fyzabad.
Manning's statement, echoed by his loyalist Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira's claim that the country cannot afford a Government of National Unity are the self-serving and frightened utterances of a desperate man as he realizes that the end is near.
Congress of the People
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