Senior Political Reporter
“The people have spoken!”
That was People’s National Movement (PNM) San Fernando East MP Brian Manning’s view after councillor Nigel Couttier defeated Hazel Manning on Monday for chairmanship of PNM’s San Fernando East constituency executive.
Hazel Manning, the widow of late former San Fernando East MP and prime minister Patrick Manning and mother of Brian Manning, contested the internal poll on a Team Integrity slate.
PNM elections officer Indar Parasram confirmed the results yesterday, saying Couttier won with 51 votes to Manning’s 29.
Couttier is a councillor for Mon Repos/Navet within the San Fernando City Corporation. He entered politics in 2019.
Guardian Media sent questions to Couttier on his plans for San Fernando East, how he plans to address the issues there and whether he had spoken to MP Manning or intends to.
He was also asked to respond to the Government’s accusations about him. He did not respond up to press time.
Couttier and former San Fernando East chairman Patricia Alexis, who had clashed with MP Manning recently, have been the subject of questions and allegations from the United National Congress (UNC) concerning the alleged award of contracts under the previous PNM government.
The Government had terminated contractors in the Community-based Environmental, Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP), where it was alleged that contracts were awarded to people in the PNM.
Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath, under whose ministry CEPEP falls, had detailed the issues. An audit has also been done on CEPEP.
Land and Legal Affairs Minister Saddam Hosein has also raised questions about a cleaning and maintenance company that received a CEPEP contract for six years, from 2023 to 2029.
Hosein named the person who benefited from the contract and questioned whether the recipient was a PNM councillor who had secured the contract through his company.
He asked whether the person named was Couttier.
