Vice-president of the Media Association of T&T (Matt) Judy Raymond has said that Prime Minister Patrick Manning's connection between the launch of drug interdiction coast guard boats and media attacks against him were "too silly to deserve a response." Raymond said Matt was not planning to issue a response to Manning's statement and that the Government appeared to be "out of touch" with the population's feelings. "My own personal opinion is that it really is too silly to deserve a response," she said, during a telephone interview yesterday. "I think the Government is kind of out of touch with how people are feeling," she said.
"They do not understand why there is so much hostility and resentment right now and they are just passing it around to a scapegoat and the media happened to be there." Raymond was responding to remarks Manning made at a People's National Movement cottage meeting in St Margaret's Village, Claxton Bay, on Monday night. Manning held the belief that there was a correlation between last month's launch of drug interdiction coast guard boats and increased media attacks against him for the same period.
"The minute those boats were properly deployed, this is our fast patrol crafts and our interceptors, we began to notice attacks on the Prime Minister in the media. (Are) You getting the message?" Manning asked. According to Raymond, the Government appeared to be unable to understand that the population was frustrated from its unfulfilled promises to them and the Government seemed to be using the media as a scapegoat. "This is a government well into its second term, so people expect that by now it should have delivered on many of its promises," she said.
