The former Prime Minister spoke at a news conference at his constituency office in Coffee Street, San Fernando.
Manning said he has already advised his constituents of his decision and told them to look for his successor.
Manning has served the area for all of his political life. He was first elected unopposed in the 1971 general election when the opposition parties mounted a no-vote campaign. Manning was the only candidate in San Fernando East and he was elected without a vote being cast.
Manning took charge of the PNM following the humiliating defeat of the Chambers PNM in the 1986 general election that caused the PNM to lose office for the first time since 1956.
Manning was one of three PNM MPs to survive the political tsunami and was later elected leader of the party.
He led the PNM to victory in the 1991 election but soon fell out with key players, including Speaker Occah Seepaul, whom he put under House arrest during a limited state of emergency. He also had his political fights with Seepaul's brother, Ralph Maraj, who walked away and joined the opposition UNC led by Basdeo Panday.
Manning called an early election in 1995 and ended up in a 17-17 tie with the UNC with A.N.R. Robinson's NAR winning the two Tobago seats. Manning declared that he would stand alone, even if it meant losing office.
That provided an opportunity for Panday and Robinson to work out their differences and the two former arch rivals formed a coalition government that put Panday in charge of government. Among the people in that government was Ralph Maraj, who held the post of Foreign Minister, the same portfolio he had in the Manning cabinet. Today Maraj has switched sides again and is a loyal Manning supporters.
When Panday's UNC won re-election in 2010 it was Maraj and two others - Ramesh Maharaj and Trevor Sudama - who fought Panday and tried to cut a deal for Manning to usurp the Prime Ministership from Panday.
Panday became aware of the plot and called an election, which ended up in an 18-18 tie. Panday invited Manning to form a national unity government, which Manning rejected. Both sides held several meetings and signed what has been recorded as the Crowne Plaza Accord in which they agreed that Robinson would decide who would lead the country.
On Christmas Eve 2001 Robinson appointed Manning as Prime Minister, not on constitutional grounds, but on the basis of wanting a leader with "Morality and spirituality".
Manning was unable to convene Parliament and governed for 9 months with the legislature prorogued. In 2002 he won a majority; five years later he won again, taking 26 of the 41 seats in the expanded House of Representatives.
As he entered the new term Manning adopted a dictatorial style of leadership and presided over what his former cabinet colleague Keith Rowley described as the most corrupt government ever.
Rowley had been kicked out of the Manning cabinet for questioning the lack of cabinet oversight in projects undertaken by UDeCOTT under the leadership of Canadian Calder Hart; Manning said Rowley behaved like a "wajang" and had no place in Parliament. He also described him as "a raging bull".
The open warfare and a rejuvenated opposition under the leadership of Kamla Persad-Bissessar caused Manning to buckle under presssure and call an election more than two years ahead of time.
The opposition formed an alliance with other parties opposed to the government, including the Congress of the People (COP). With Rowley openly campaigning against Manning and Kamlamania at its height, the PNM and Manning were swept out of office.
The People's Partnership won 29 of the 41 seats and Kamla became Prime Minister. Manning met his political Waterloo days later when he was chased out of Balisier House by members of his own party who wanted Rowley to take charge.
In the days that followed the party made sure no one opposed Rowley and the former "wajang" and "raging bull" became the leader of the PNM.
Manning spoke about his fall. He admitted that he left the general council prematurely on that fateful day to avoid being asked to leave, but when he went downstairs of Balisier House, he was confronted by a barrage of red shirt supporters who had turned their fury on him for the party’s loss.
“There were those who felt I should not have left in peace and I should have effectively been run out. I effectively left Balisier House in circumstances that were far less than honourable.” Manning said he wanted to cast no aspersions admitting: “such are the vicissitudes of political life.”
The People's Partnership won 29 of the 41 seats and Kamla became Prime Minister. Manning met his political Waterloo days later when he was chased out of Balisier House by members of his own party who wanted Rowley to take charge.
In the days that followed the party made sure no one opposed Rowley and the former "wajang" and "raging bull" became the leader of the PNM.
Manning spoke about his fall. He admitted that he left the general council prematurely on that fateful day to avoid being asked to leave, but when he went downstairs of Balisier House, he was confronted by a barrage of red shirt supporters who had turned their fury on him for the party’s loss.
“There were those who felt I should not have left in peace and I should have effectively been run out. I effectively left Balisier House in circumstances that were far less than honourable.” Manning said he wanted to cast no aspersions admitting: “such are the vicissitudes of political life.”
No comments:
Post a Comment