Tuesday February 9th, 2010
- Last update:3 min 16 sec ago
Manning puts PNM in election mode
Published: 1 Nov 2009
The ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) formally swung into election campaign mode yesterday under the benign gaze of the party’s political leader, Prime Minister Patrick Manning. He summoned the key PNM troops who would be leading the party into electoral battle to what was termed a “political strategy” meeting by participants at the Cascadia Hotel, St Ann’s. It was attended by most of the 26 MPs and senators, as well as the executives from all 41 constituencies. The conference room was overflowing with party faithful. The media was banned from covering the event, but PNM chairman, Senator Conrad Enill, left the meeting to grant the Sunday Guardian an exclusive interview on the purpose of the conference. Enill confirmed that the PNM was organising to send its foot soldiers back into the communities to conduct what was indeed an election campaign, one he vowed would “leave no stone unturned” as it related to party preparations.
However, while Enill said local government elections would be held as planned next year, he carefully sidled around the question of whether Manning was going to call a snap general election early next year. Enill did not rule that out, but stressed it was Manning’s decision alone to make. But the Cascadia meeting was to launch a street-to-street and house-to-house campaign in all 41 constituencies, with special attention being paid to the 15 held by the Opposition United National Congress (UNC), said Enill. “Basically, we are going back into the communities; we are making sure that the entire party understands we would have made promises at election time. “We have had two years in office and we are going back to find out...” said Enill. Was it the first time the party was going back to the communities since the November 5, 2007 general election?
“It is the first time we are doing so from the centre, the first time we are doing it in a coordinated way, with the central executive directing operations. “Normally what happens is every week parliamentarians are expected to meet with their constituents. But this one is very specific. We want to be certain that the communities understand what we are doing and if not, explain it to them,” Enill declared. He added: “We are going to find our what are their concerns and whether they are being addressed.” He was asked point-blank whether, despite the protestations to the contrary by Manning during a tour last week of his San Fernando East constitutency, the perception was correct that the PNM was formally launching a general election campaign. “Let me put it differently… We have in fact postponed local government elections a number of times and our commitment is to have it next year,” said Enill.
Pressed on what were the chances of a general election taking place in T&T before it is constitutionally due, Enill responded: “Let me put it this way. Under the Westminster system a general election must be held at the latest by 2012. But the system allows that the political leader can call elections at any time. So really, it is his issue to call elections whenever he chooses. “But the party is doing what it should do, preparing itself and making sure that we leave no stone unturned as it relates to party preparations.” Enill said the party had not yet set a goal of how many seats it wanted to win in the next general election, but special attention was being paid to each of the 15 Opposition-held constituencies.
Manning was the first to address the gathering and, according to Enill, he spoke at length about the party’s organisations and the need for them to function efficiently at this time. The rest of the meeting, which started at 10 am and finished around 2 pm, was chaired by deputy political leader responsible for party matters, Ambassador Joan Yuille-Williams, who spoke on the nitty gritty of community campaigning, in particular staging cottage meetings. For example, Yuille-Williams advised that instead of using public address systems mounted on vehicles to invited constituents to cottage meetings it would be more polite to send them invitations signed by their MP, or the constituency chairman.
No need to worry Manning!!
No need to worry Manning!! Panday would make sure you get the majority for a Dictatorship!! Besides that,you have already built National Housing in all Marginal seats-it's free sailing come General Elections!!!
Oh oh, where will the 15
Oh oh, where will the 15 constituencies and some PNM ones get all those chickens?
Desmond Smith - You have
Desmond Smith - You have been poking and prodding them to "call and election" and it seems they have fallen for your dare. So you had better lace up your walkers and get ready to hit the pavements, gravel roads or mud tracks, and yes the stairs of all those highrise buildings, as you are now being called to duty. Well brother, the 'chickens have come home to roost'.
Enjoy your day, Sir.
Gardenia
Rum and roti, I thought Des'
Rum and roti, I thought Des' chickens were for, Triniflowerlady. For the non-alcoholics, well, they can settle for a lil' boy or a chubby. And the 'roost' to which you mentioned may very well be 'roast chicken'. Sorry, Gardenia, I'm going to get my two drumsticks and centre breast soon as the election 'bell tolls'!! Pleasant day.
ajfyzabadbutlertown
As I have said recently ,
As I have said recently , the conditions are perfect for the PNM to call an early general election because the opposition parties are divided and the PNM is becoming unpopular . To wait until 2012 will give the opposition parties time to get their act together and the UDECOTT scandal will bring down the PNM . The UNC will be having internal elections in January 2010 and most likely , Panday will continue to be the political leader , therefore the Manning can call the GE in January 2010 . The RamJackWin-ners must leave the UNC now and take their supporters with them and join the COP . Dr. Rowley may join them , too , because it is being speculated that Manning will be dropping Rowley from his team for the next GE . Winston Dookeran should contest the seat in Couva North because Jack's money will not be available to Panday and the UNC for the next GE . In addition , Panday is losing plenty support in Couva Noth , the constituents are saying that they don't see him . Jack Warner already have an office operating in Couva North and with Jack's support and his supporters from Chaguanas West , Panday can be defeated . Manning and the PNM have made their move so the COP and the RamJackWin-ners , along with Dr.Rowley must make theirs , too . Panday , the BANE of the UNC is doing to the party what the UDecott scandal is doing to the PNM - causing them to lose supporters .
ATW-Barbados .
So funny, do you really
So funny, do you really think the people of Couva North will vote for anyone other than Panday, you are sadly mistaken. Just look at the hardcore PNM and UNC seats, most of them have been neglected when both parties are/were in power and they still blindly follow them. The COP has proven itself to be a dead horse, 130000 votes, no seat, no voice with some members dogging back to the UNC. I wonder how smart Dookeran is, if he is he will make sure that Ramesh never sets foot into his party because he is a party destroyer and on his own stint as political leader of his now defunct Team Unity he failed miserably.
“You can fool some of the
“You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on.” (George W. Bush, American 43rd US President). Manning was a great admirer of Dubya and his "bushisms" and was starstruck when he met the world's greatest ever WMD.
They don't need to go out to the people to ask them what the problems are. Don't they at least read the newspapers, listen to the radio or watch the TV news and programs?
This is nothing but a "blitzkrieg" on the UNC strongholds to try to pull off a sufficient majority in Parliament to rip up the Constitution. Those neglected constitUNCs should demand and take all they can get while they can and come election day do the right thing. Meanwhile those gamecock leaders in the UNC and COP better have a Plan B in place in case Manning rings his bell and takes out the piece of paper in his back pocket.
PNM winning hands down.
PNM winning hands down. Anybody for a wager. I dreamt that Panday struck a deal with Manning to keep opposition in chaos, so that the PNM would always win, and Panday wont be prosecuted. And my dreams always come true. You think Panday doesnt know he cant win any general elections? So why doesnt he remove himself? Think people think. Panday keep telling people the UNC have seats, the COP has none. But wait what is the difference with the COP and UNC with seats? No difference, the UNC could talk in parliament, the COP cant. No other difference.
PNM_TILL_I_DIE
Even though the general
Even though the general population ia fed up with how thus country is run, they will ensure another PNM victory. You see, as much as we know about the national flag bobol, Calder Hart, the PM's renovations, the arrogant and high handed ministers, crime at its worst, craziness on the roads, we is PNM till we die. Thanks Mr Panday and others who fight among themselves and cannot unite.
It's called "dog in the
It's called "dog in the manger" opposition politics.
Both Panday and Dookeran have played their parts on the political stage and it's now time for them to move on for UNC and COP to unite once more. To get rid of any baggage, they could even start off with a new brand name and a new leader. It's time these people put country before political ambitions and egos. And the party members at all levels must make this message abundantly clear to those leaders and those aspiring leaders. Let the people bang these leaders' heads together because they too harden to listen and too blind to see.
If not, crapaud smoke yuh pipe and sweet T&T heading straight down the road to "failed state" status with increasing momentum.
Gardenia, Prince, Wiggins,
Gardenia, Prince, Wiggins, seems the big man listened to me. I called his bluff many times. Yes Gardenia we have go climbing high rise apts, mudtracks in Debe, in Tabaquite, in Sando. I agree with Prince, I saw the psychology here that I did not want to say first but Prince is right: PM is on the back foot here, he knows the public views of all the cxxp that the Govt is causing so he planning to attack. What you do when you have Jack in your hand? you pull then out, get the queen and king out before the jack comes out. PM knows his Jack will be hung, so he is pulling out UNC supporters, they are going to UNC areas to spread mischief, hence the chickens and eggs story here. Gardenia, I pray an election will come soon as if UNC and COP and Ramjack and Rowley can get their acts together, Wiggins we will hang that jack, Wiggins sometimes you need wish us well as you see the commess we are in.
Desmond , the UNC will
Desmond , the UNC will sustain major damage from an early general election and the PNM will win , with a reduced majority because Basdeo Panday is the BANE of the UNC and he is a PNM agent .
The UNC should be starting with 15 seats in the HoR but they will now be going into the GE with 12 or maybe less .
Desmond , Kamla and the COP are working together so she may move to COP .
Manning is still groggy from the political licks Dr. Rowley and Maharaj put in him on October 19 , plus , Manning cannot afford to have the Uff Commission of Enquiry report made public before the GE - therefore , his only option is call early . The MV/UNC is sinking and the captain is going down with it , so the RamJackWin-ners must abandon ship, NOW .
ATW-Barbados .
Manning may appear to be
Manning may appear to be cleaver, with his new building sneakily being built with taxspayers money,(no transparency/accountability) & cremation of UDeCOTT fiasco, imagine giving them a new contract in Tobago with everything that is ongoing at present and the people falling for it. He is trying to get everything in place, in the event of calling an election now and hoping to win. He may win with a less majority than the last election as PNM will lose a greater majority of their voters, plus UNC and COP supporters. Contrary to public belief, the people would have no recourse to ask for transparency or accountability. It will be a lost cause, which would favour Manning but not the people. But don't despair, we like it so and Manning knows how to pull on the population heart strings. Forget fixing the roads, schools, hospitals, paying decent wages etc. When the nation complains with their '3 stories', Manning goes on a few walkabouts, ask the PNM supporters to bring their children to their gates to be kissed to distract the 3 storey building UDeCOTT has been commissioned to build at my intended Executive Presedential home. I pray T&T is not heading for another COUP.
Maybe a new party with a new
Maybe a new party with a new name should be formed. Rowley as leader of the opposition, combining UNC & COP without Panday & Dookeran. That would put the cat amoung the pigeons. First the Mud Slinging, then the dirty linens being washed in public, but despite it all, I will vote for Rowley any day. I know people change when in power, but at his age and experience, there will be a great element of honesty and integrity. It's harder to teach an old dog to suck eggs.
THIS IS REALLY A JOKIE
THIS IS REALLY A JOKIE COUNTRY.......
Manning knows he will be back in power, the fools there will put him back, while the oppositions are all fighting amongst themselves.
You damn right Manning, go for it now, its a very good time for you. The il-literate fools will vote you back in so you can kick them around worst.....You go boy!
Trinidad & Tobago will become worst than Africa as soon as the elections is over and Manning goes back in power.
Good for the people of the island, they all like it so!
I think this is his mistake.
I think this is his mistake. The PNM is at its weakest with the latest rounds with rowley and the udecott scandal. This is the prefect opportunity for the opposition to unite - and it will happen (its already happening) because they smell victory and they will get it - ALL the opposition will be united with ONE objective which they ALL understand GET THE PNM AND ITS CORRUPT GOVERNMENT out of office. Put Its Mugabe wannabe and his close allies on investigation on the biggest corruption investigation in the history of TT. Half of the PNM supporters and those who never voted will support such a coalition. Rowley (provided he wins his seat) will lead the opposition in the Next parliament. History will repeat its self again - with the new govt declaring "the treasury empty". THey will declare devaluation and blame the previous govt squander.
Manning had better be thinking really hard about this step - he wont win an election against a combined opposition with all these corruption allegations over his head, just imagine the kind of advertising campaign a few million dollars could yield using the kind of material the manning administration has provided over the past year.
BTW one of the first things i would like to see is for a new administration to turn the PM's residence into the National Museum so the public could see it in its entirety.
I hope there is an early
I hope there is an early election. I hope that the opposition is not fragmented. I hope that there is constitutional changes so that opposition is based on ideas and not automatically gravitated towards race difference, or religion difference (making them bigger and deeper). I hope for a consitution that's like Israel's where all ideas are represented to form a majority, and that the opposition, to can be a coalition of ideas, that members that oppose those in power, and that minorities can change and vote with the opposition when (they find it) necessary, and vote with the existing when they find it necessary. I know that it will involve lots of and continuing negotiations, but I feel that those negotiations will result in "representation" and not 'dictation'.
Trinidad (not Tobago) has been in a self-distruct mode for too long. It is time that it is fixed.
Will it happen? I doubt it, for I feel that the politicans hold "party" to be more important than "nation".
NYC-Trini
Game theory will suggest
Game theory will suggest that Manning is weighing at least four factors: RamJack factor, UNC split, Rowley's eventual expulsion and most of all a union of COP, RamJack, and Rowley with his growing entourage.
Rik Hansel
Panday will have his way.
Panday will have his way. He has been pretending to be splitting UNC into factions. When the right time comes, he will play his card to unite all factions into one, even if it will mean that he gives up his political ego. Manning's calling of the next general election will be like digging his own political grave yard for himself and his followers.
At this time, it feels this theory of mine is purely speculative. However, in the game of divide and conquer, Panday will surely prove to be the master of all by dividing his own party and in the end conquering all by union of all factions at the right time.
He had to survive through a series of political persecution from within and without. Playing a fool in the eyes of PNM was a necessary move on his part to meet the ends.
bigDD, I wish I could share
bigDD, I wish I could share your abiding optimism, but I try to be a realist, even if sometimes I might be mistaken.
I think people give Panday much more political credit than he deserves. There is no doubt that Bas is really politically flashy and a very charismatic and likeable person, except of course if you are perceived to be a threat to his supremacy.
I've found Panday quite politically naive. He doesn't see beyond his political nose. At the end of 1986, when NAR won the landslide with his invaluable help, he was disappointed, and quite rightly so, that the unexpected sweeping majority that Robinson got made Panday's seats expendable.
Robbie misread the result, believing that the victory was due to his leadership and he preferred to listen to only his "finest minds" like Farrell and Eugenio Moore and his blue-eyed boy Kid Carson who became so important that he did not have the time of day for the likes of ministers like John Humphrey.
Panday seemed ill at ease in a Ministry like External Affairs and missing the rhetoric of union and opposition politics. He handled Robbie just as badly as Robbie handled him, with the two of them carrying on in public about the stench in the state rooms of the Ship of State, "internecine warfare". Robbie lost patience and fired Humphrey first, then Panday and his ULF colleagues. Some like Dooks & Nizam stuck with Robbie.
In 1995 when UNC & PNM tied, Manning declined Robbie's offer for king-making talks. When he then offered Panday the two Tobago seats, Panday accepted them and became PM. For this he was to reward Robbie with the special post of minister extraordinaire and later president by way of gratitude.
As PM, Panday soon forgot the people who stood by him all the years and was preferring the "parasitic oligarchy" donning "jacket and tie" dining with the "knife and fork" society and indulging in the disdained "mess of potage". He dispensed with NAR's Nurse Pam and Job once he was able to tempt PNM dissidents Lasse and Griffith to cross the floor. He was short-sighted to think that these two could win their seats in PNM strongholds again.
His refusal to deal with his three "Judases" in a more conciliatory manner in a Government with a bare minimum majority showed poor judgment. He handled the allegation of corruption very poorly. He might have started off with integrity but succumbed to temptation, wittingly or unwittingly. That is why he is before the Courts today. His explanation that he did not know about a sizeable amount of money deposited in his London bank account staggers the imagination.
When he was forced to go back to the country to try to get a fresh mandate after the expulsion of the three musketeers, he again met a stalemate. After talks with Manning, and being advised by some political lightweights like Ganga Singh and Yetmin, both of whom were to desert him, he naively gave Robinson the decision to decide to choose between him and Manning to form a Government. He was so over-trusting in Robbie with whom he was having some difficulties, such as senatorial appointments, he confidently turned to Manning and told him: come on kid, let's get out of here and get some sleep.
After Robbie's shocking decision and explanation, I doubt Panday ever got much sleep. The best sleep he ever had must have been on July 27 1990 when it was reported he was awakened by someone whom he supposedly responded to wake him when it's all over.
Now after re-embracing Ramesh, and Dooks whom he had made Central Bank Governor, and gettin in bed with the likes of Jack, I'm not at all surprised that he is having a whale of a time, battling in the trenches with or without his red beret.
He could not accept the fact that he threw away the primeministership and is still yearning for another shot at it. Because of all the accusations of corruption and having related charges before the courts, Panday has no chance at all of leading the UNC back into Government. His best bet is to pass on the baton to a capable young, appealing individual, free of all baggage to unite all opposition parties and groups to defeat the evil dictatorial monster reigning over trinidad and Tobago.
You know
You know
There is a saying you get what you focus your energies on.
So, if we 'collectively' focus on not being able to do anything etc etc, we will indeed get more of that.
How about, we 'collectively' focus on bringing about the change(s) we want, and who knows? Perhaps someone who was never in contention may suddenly come forward and provide the much needed leadership and integrity we say we so desperately want?
Everything else hasn't worked so far - moaning, complaining, 'helplessness', 'bitching' etc. What do we have to lose, by changing our focus/energy channels and seeking positive solutions? Naive? Perhaps. But, remember it was the children who called the Emperor's new clothes for what they were, whilst all the adults were grinning and nodding their heads.
What do we have... to... gain, by changing our focus/energy channels and seeking positive solutions?
La Diva
The smarter the journalists are, the better off society is. For to a degree, people read the press to inform themselves-and the better the teacher, the better the student body. Warren Buffet