We aint taking that. Manning tells PNM to reject the opposition

Patrick Manning went to Woodford Square Monday to appraise the People's National Movement's (PNM) faithful of the latest developments in the country and launched an attack of the two main opposition parties.

In a speech that sounded like an election was at hand, Manning called the opposition "politically uninitiated" and warned PNMites that they should never let them into the corridors of power.

"Ask them how much time they spend in Government, if at all...they come into government and make some of the biggest mistakes you could ever make...Don't let them experiment on you, Trinidad and Tobago has gone too far under the PNM to allow the uninitiated to come and experiment with you," Manning said.

Manning said his party would not lose another general election to a political coalition, a reference to the 1986 general election when the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) beat the PNM, sweeping it out of office for the first time in 30 years in a 33-3 landslide.

There is a strong move for the Congress of the People (COP) and the United National Congress (UNC) to form a united front to fight the PNM in the next election.

A united opposition fighting the PNM as a single party has a strong chance of beating the PNM if the results of the last general election are considered as the point of reference. In 2007 Manning's PNM won a majority but more people voted for the COP and UNC.

Manning is concerned that a united opposition would likely beat his party. But he is not saying that. He is insisting that the opposition doesn't care about the country.

"They have one vision and one vision only and that it is to get rid of the PNM...but it ain't happening again. It ain't happening it us again at all," Manning said.

Manning also took a turn on the news media.

Read the story: Manning slams media...

Manning's comments on the media has brought a strong reaction from the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT).

The association strongly disagrees with the prime minister that the media are not doing their jobs to "inform and educate" citizens.

Manning told supporters, "I long for the day, my dear friends, when I could truthfully say that the media in this country is living up to that responsibility."

MATT president Marlan Hopkinson told the Trinidad Express, "I feel that pretty soon that we are going to have to meet with the Prime Minister just to find out what he feels about how we are doing our job and reach some sort of common ground because over the past few months we have been seeing a number of things that have been causing us some concern."

Other respected journalists have commented on the matter. Columnist Clevon Raphael told the Trinidad Guardian:

“It’s classic of insecure leaders to accuse the news media of not doing its function... “I think we are performing, even over-performing. The government should really take a lesson or two. Any objective leader can’t accuse the media of not highlighting the problems and proposing solutions.”

Former Express David Renwick suggested that Manning should substantiate his statement.

“I think his comments were much too safe; a sweeping statement, and any such statement has glaring loopholes,” he told the Guardian but added that “some more complicated subjects need to be more closely monitored and sometimes the media is not willing to delve deeply into the subject.”

Veteran columnist Lennox Grant told the paper the media are informing and educating the public. Referring specifically to the Gail Merhair issue, which Manning used as the example to criticise the media, Grant said, “In the media, her remarks got the exposure and condemnation they justly deserved. As a result, the country is well-informed and better educated.”

He told the paper, “On the question of the Independent Senators’ role, as raised by Ms Merhair, the media have properly discharged their function.”

Read the column: We the media