PNM member says Rowley not fit to lead party

You have no idea how happy I and the silent majority of PNM members feel that Mr Manning has come out and put out a written statement distancing himself from the stance Dr Rowley has taken and from the direction he is trying to take our party. 

I said before, Dr Rowley is wrong. I'm repeating again, Dr Rowley is not fit to lead this party back to the warm embrace of the population like The Prodigal Son was in The Bible.

We have this habit in Trinidad of waiting till we become gravely ill to put our house in order, such as by preparing a will and making peace with The Lord by doing a deathbed confession to set the record straight. 

Mind you, I am not hoping or saying Mr Manning is any closer than you or I to his meeting with Basil, because none of us know if we would make it to the end of this day, we could only hope and pray, not put pot on fire. 

What I'm saying is that as far as I'm concerned Mr Manning's sickbed declaration carries plenty more weight than anything a physically strong and physically healthy Dr Rowley could say with his rahrah mouth. 

If you ask me what else Mr Manning's statement also means, I would have to concede it vindicates the Prime Minister's decision to listen to the Attorney general and repeal the bill because everyone in Parliament who voted for the bill is responsible for the consequences of the bill. 

And believe me when I tell you there are many party members and supporters who hold that view.

So I am calling upon the Dr Rowley to cool himself and explain his actions not to the General Council of the PNM but to a Special General Convention, since he's making us look silly and unfit to run this country presently. 

There's nothing he ever done or can ever do to convince me he is fit to be seriously considered in any effort to take us back to our glory days.

Thank you Mr Manning. I hope you have a complete recovery soon. We need you back in Parliament.

Octavia Crichlow | Upper Ojoe Road, Sangre Grande