"I am sorry", the former prime minister said in a prepared statement that he read at a news conference in San Fernando.
"I think it is time for me to apologise for those who feel or who would have felt disenfranchised by any action I would have taken over the years as prime minister or in any other capacity. I wish to humbly apologise to all of them and to say to the people of Trinidad and Tobago, I am sorry."
Manning won applause from those present, including some of his political allies, Gary Hunt, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, Ralph Maraj, and several local government councillors and constituents.
"There would have been some people who would have been hurt or otherwise disenfranchised by the action that he may have been taken or actions taken by the government which he headed. In my case, this is certainly so," Manning said.
However Manning did not go into details about his shortcomings and imperfections, saying: "I am not a psychologist."
He declared, "It is not for me to decide what those imperfections are. I am careful not to go into any details.
"If one person sees something as an imperfection, someone else might see it different. So we need not get in that argument this morning. Whatever imperfections people perceive I apologise for that. Let's move on."
He thanked the PNM for the opporrtunity to serve the party for 40 years.
"When I was elected prime minister, my dear friends, the people may very well have thought they would have found perfection," he said.
"If that were the case, I could have said from quite early that you had the wrong man. I am not perfect. No human being is perfect, ladies and gentlemen.
"And to expect perfection in the conduct of public affairs is perhaps expecting a little too much.
"I was not perfect in the governance and I am sure that along the way it is not possible for any leader to conduct the affairs of any country and for such a long time without by the decisions he makes, initiates, or for which he holds responsibility, to not adversely affect some people."
Manning spoke about his defeat on May 24 last year, noting that it took him "four months to recover". He was subsequently hounded out of office and had to resign. Keith Rowley later took charge of the party in an uncontested leadership election.
Manning said Rowley can count on his full support, explaining that he has been staying away from party events such as the General Council meetings and conventions to allow Dr Rowley "time and space to earn his place" in the new leadership role.
Manning also explained his silence in Parliament, stating that it is to give the Government time to settle in the new role of managing the country's affairs.
He commented that the new government has made a "disproportionate amount of mistakes" over the last year and five months in governance.
"If I told you it was a direction that I was in agreement I would be less than honest. I disagree, almost totally, with the direction that the government is taking Trinidad and Tobago...
"I thought that the time had now come for me to intervene in the affairs of the nation. I am a Member of Parliament and I have a responsibility to my constituents and the national community that I am determined to discharge," he said.
Manning said he plans to be more vocal in the Parliament. He also said he plans to hold more media conferences.
"I am not going to act like a mongrel, that is to say, a pothound. It is not my intention to run after every car that passes, not at all. What I propose to do is to intervene judiciously from time to time as I consider appropriate."
Manning was also critical of the State of Emergency and remarked that despite two major drug busts at Point Lisas no one has been arrested. He demanded that those responsible be brought to justice.
Click on image for video of Manning's statement:
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