Will Manning strategy to remain in office succeed?

Apr 06, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,
The main opposition party in Trinidad and Tobago, the UNC has a new leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who has a better public relation than her predecessor, Basdeo Panday, veteran trade unionist and politician who founded the UNC, and to this end she is moving to unite her party with the Congress of the People (COP) which is a breakaway movement of the UNC.
However it seems as if Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister, Patrick Manning is making arrangements to call a snap election before the merger.
This might be a good move by the leader of the twin island republic, but political pundits feel that he might have second thoughts because on the previous occasion when he called a snap election, he lost, and he should have learned a lesson from it. However, it seems as if Manning is serious of holding elections very early. He has instructed that memoranda be dispatched to constituency secretaries from General Secretary Martin Joseph on March 29, in which they are advised that their nomination of candidates must be submitted by Tuesday April 6.
Recently, at a special convention of the governing People’s National Movement, Manning told party members that a pre-selection of candidates for the general election will be held on Wednesday April 7.
Moreover, UNC Chairman Jack Warner said that Manning plans to dissolve Parliament as early as Friday (09-04-10) and it is felt that this move is rather strategic to prevent revelation of the controversial UFF report, and to block the no confidence motion filed by Opposition leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Elections are constitutionally due in November 2012, but it seems as if the PNM wants to hold elections long before and as early as next month before the proposed merger between the UNC and the COP. The COP which is headed by University lecturer, Winston Dookeran, was formed following dissatisfaction by a group of former UNC supporters.
Dookeran who served as Governor of the Central Bank is highly respected and even served as leader of the UNC in October 2005, but Panday blocked him from being the leader of the Opposition.
The COP polled a large number of votes at the last general elections, but did not gain a seat because elections are held on a first past the post system, but if they were held under the Proportional Representation electoral system, it would have gained several seats.
It is felt that 64-year-old Manning, who ruled the calypso land for 13 of the past 17 years, is losing popularity. He was even booed at a function about two weeks ago.
Derek Ramsamooj, who head an independent political consultant company, Caribbean Development Strategies, said that “one of the most contentious issues is whether the people have been getting value for money given the vast amount of revenues that have passed through the country over the past seven years”
Although Manning is not as popular today as he was five years ago, the PNM will return to office unless there is a merger between the UNC and the COP, but the question is would Dookeran merge if he is not the leader? It seems to me that is an extremely serious issue which has to be worked out as soon as possible between the two opposition parties.
Moreover, it seems as if there is disunity in the UNC camp since it has been reported that two top members of the opposition force, Chairman Jack Warner, and Deputy Leader Lyndira Oudit were excluded from a closed door meeting on April 1 last.
This prompted former leader and founder of the UNC, Basdeo Panday to say that unless there is unity in the opposition forces the PNM will continue to govern. Panday added that “if they continue to be spiteful and agonised enough people, maybe they (the agonised) would form a new political party which will defeat the process of unity.
The political situation in the twin island republic is now in a very interesting state, and one wonders if Manning will make the right move to call snap elections 18 long months before they are constitutionally due.
Oscar Ramjeet

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Will Manning strategy to remain in office succeed?

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