Manning must accept AG Jeremie's offer to quit

Patrick Manning has often used distraction as a communication tool whenever faced with a major crisis. And if the opposition is correct, he is doing it again by telling the nation that his Attorney General has "offered" to resign, not "tendered" his resignation.

Manning told the media Friday that Jeremie has not resigned but only offered to do so, an important semantic difference, which means that the prime minister may or may not ask Jeremie to keep the job, despite mounting pressure from politicians, individuals and the legal fraternity for his attorney general to go.

The opposition theory is that this is another Manning distraction to try to wipe the egg off his face for having deprived the people of their right to vote in a local election for the fourth time in a row.

What appears more likely is that Manning has released a trial balloon to try to gauge public reaction to determine how much anger there really is over Jeremie by putting in the public domain the fact that Jeremie is "offering" to go.

If he gets an easy ride, Jeremie stays; if all hell breaks loose, the Attorney General goes, either into retirement or back to the cushy diplomatic job as Trinidad and Tobago's High Commissioner to London. And in the meantime while the debate rages the other issue will go away.

Whatever it is, Manning is playing a dangerous game.

There is no doubt that Jeremie carries a tremendous amount of baggage. When he took the job recently he expected fallout from his role in the prosecution of retired Chief Justice Satnarine Sharma and declared that he is not taking the job to win friends.

Read the story: CJ Sharma cleared

What he didn't expect was the broadside from the Trinidad Express and its investigate journalist Camini Marajh about his run-in with then Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Geoffrey Henderson.

So damning was the evidence that the Law Association used it to pass a vote of no confidence in Jeremie. The Attorney General appeared unperturbed, suggesting that the motion would have no effect and his boss declared it a political statement.

Read the story: Manning calls lawyers "politicians" for censuring AG

Now, according to Manning, Jeremie has "offered" to quit. That's all he is prepared to say at the moment. Jeremie is currently in London and Manning told the media he will deal with the matter when the AG returns.

Can this then just blow over?

If Manning is using it as a distraction his theory is that people will consider Jeremie a man of integrity, so if he decides to keep him the public would applaud the prime minister for keeping Jeremie on board despite the hoopla about his alleged transgressions and his censure for the nation's lawyers.

There is enough justification for Jeremie to quit and if Manning is genuinely concerned about governing on behalf of the people he must accept Jeremie's "offer".

But even if he does not Manning must understand is that he has an obligation to the citizens to explain what is happening. He cannot just let it ride.

Has he and has he not addressed the matter? Is Jeremie still the Attorney General and if not who is his successor?

Manning cannot play cat and mouse on this important national matter.

The country's constitution states that a cabinet comprises a prime minister and attorney general. Manning already breached the constitution once when he held his public inauguration in Woodford Square following the 2007 general election leaving the country without an attorney general for at least 24 hours.

The Prime Minister has a constitutional obligation to tell the Parliament and the people what is really going on. And having admitted that Jeremie is "offering" to resign he has a further obligation to state his reasons if he decides not to accept Jeremie's "offer".

The Law Association and the opposition must demand this and not give up on making Manning accountable.