Jack Warner told UNC supporters in Caroni East Monday night the People's national Movement (PNM) and its leader Patrick Manning "are the most bold faced people ever" to call the UNC corrupt.The United National Congress Chairman said the PNM is the last group that should be calling anyone corrupt, noting the findings in the Uff Report and the fact that the former PNM treasurer is now before the courts for $106 million lawsuit.
He added that the Prime Minister himself has talked about corruption in the Cleaver Heights Development and the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) and that along with "the major claims of corruption at the Brian Lara stadium, at the Legal Towers and all over the country I would have thought that all of this corruption would have acted as a deterrent from it being an issue on the PNM platform."
Warner said there can be no other explanation but insanity for Manning's branding of the UNC as the most corrupt government.
He also slammed Manning for saying coalition governments are doomed to fail and suggested that Manning has been a failure because of his track record.
"Not once but twice this so-called stable PNM government under Patrick Manning has failed to govern the country for the statutory five year period that it was offered.
"So according to his definition, this PNM is a coalition government. They are not stable and cannot be trusted to last any five-year period. If ever in Trinidad and Tobago a government has demonstrated instability and fracturing is the People’s National Movement under the leadership of Patrick Manning," he added.
"Patrick Manning must not confuse coalition government with the movement of the people to become one, to stay as one, to fight as one and to be one so as to ensure that dictators like Patrick Manning never sit in the corridors of power ever again," Warner declared.
The UNC chairman lectured Manning on the history of coalitions in the world's democracies including India, a country of over one billion people. He said the present coalition government in India comprises 13 separate parties.
"Except for dictators, as the little one we have here, it is generally agreed that a coalition government leads to more consensus-based politics in that a coalition government will need to concur in regard to government policy.
"Moreover, a coalition government would better reflect the popular opinion of the electorate within the country", Warner said.
"That's how it works today in Germany under Angela Merkel or in India under Manmohan Singh and that's how it will work under Kamla," he said.
Warner also branded Manning a liar and urged supporters to be wary of the man. "A lie is not only twisting the truth or the deliberate abandonment of it; but withholding truth is also a lie," Warner stated.
"When he spoke about the alleged failure of coalition governments what Patrick Manning failed to tell you was that 479 governments in 17 Western European countries over a 60-year period were coalition governments," he said.
Warner also lectured Manning on the the holy Bible, noting that some of the things that the Lord hates are "a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood. A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among the brethren.”
Warner said, "We need a leader whose words we can trust...It was Patrick's lack of trust in us that resulted in foreigners being given prestigious jobs, heading state run companies and prostituting the treasury."
He said Manning must go and so too must his "band of untrustworthy candidates" for his betrayal of the sacred trust.
"Everything Patrick Manning has done in this country is for him not for us. Ask him why he has built a palace himself and none for the President? A palace for him for $300 million dollars but no homes for the people.
"Nice grounds for his palace no recreational grounds for our athletes. Water for his lawn but none for the national community to drink.
"Palatial drapes for Patrick but no beds in the hospitals for people to lie on and as such they are forced to lie on the floor. That is the sacred trust he has betrayed.
"During his tenure in office he ignored the people, ignored the people's wishes and ignored the people's concerns. On May 24, your have to ignore him," he declared.
He pledged that under Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the sacred trust between a government and its people will not be broken.
"Patrick Manning lacks the moral capacity to speak to you and for you the people for the only thing local that he wants is your vote. On May 24, withhold it from him. Patrick Manning must go.
"Let us together create history in the land and vote for Kamla Persad-Biessessar as the first female Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. Vote for Kamla and let us vote to make a positive difference in our land," he said.
And he concluded with this jab at the PM, who wanted to know what job Kamla would give him: "I have a message for Mr Manning about what job I will have. On May 25, I will be Vice-President of FIFA, I will be President of CONCACAF, and Manning will be out of a job".
1 comment:
"Palatial drapes for Patrick but no beds in the hospitals..." great stuff Jack! I particularly like the head-on handling of coalition governments. Coalitions are CONSIDERABLY more democratic than alleged majority governments could be. The difficulty and the 'instability' that is sometimes associated with coalition governments happens when there is no basis of unity amongst coalition members. The PNM under Manning has provided the opportunity, indeed the IMPERATIVE for coalition politics in Trinidad and Tobago. I hope that when the UNCOP wins their landslide victory, they change the electoral system to adopt one of proportional representation. Because though they ought to be delivered a sweeping majority next month, it will remain their duty to represent all of Trinidad & Tobago, not just members of the coalition. Proportional Representation will ensure that too much power will not be concentrated into the hands of a single party and protect the constitution from inflated majority mandates.
Post a Comment