Letter: Hazel Manning for leader of the PNM?

File: Hazel Manning

Some of you might be too young to remember On Top Of Spaghetti; if so, let me tell you in a nutshell what it says, because this letter really concerns the latest call by Dr Rowley where he more or less tried to bully the Acting President, Mr Timothy Hamel-Smith, into resigning because he, Rowley, got put in his place by Hamel-Smith.

On Top Of Spaghetti is a children's song (plenty people say it's a nursery rhyme) about this little boy who sat down at the table to enjoy a meal of spaghetti and meatball, but, before he could start to eat, sneezed right onto his plate of food and the meatball rolled off the plate, onto the floor, out the door and into the garden where it disappeared and was lost. 

The song closes off by issuing a warning- "So if you eat spaghetti, all covered with cheese, hold on to your meatball whenever you sneeze!"

Dr Rowley needs to hold on to his meatball. 

He's sneezing too much. In fact, he needs to run quick to intercept his meatball before it disappears in the garden, since it already rolled out the door. The best way for him to to that is by sneezing on his own performance as Opposition Leader on the Parliament floor and outside the Parliament floor. 

And the performances of those he has in Parliament with him too. I call on Hazel Manning to convince my darling, Patrick, to resign his seat and let her fight the bye-election and takeover as Opposition Leader.

I can bet you all the spaghetti and meatballs in Italy that with a woman like Hazel in Parliament and in charge of the Opposition, we would see the true meaning of Loyal Opposition, since us women know how to put our heads together for the good of the neighbourhood. 

Mrs Manning would hit it off right away with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, because Mrs Manning understands what time it is and knows how to humble when the Prime Minister has spoken.

I make the prediction because my party, the PNM (which I recently baptized as a rahrah one), I will now have to rechristen as an "Ahtishoo! Opposition", following this open attack on President Hamel-Smith. 

You see, under Dr Rowley, my party, the PNM, has become allergic to everything that has to do with rhyme and reason. Or, if you prefer, my party, the PNM, seems to be making such a meal of the sacred duties the constitution says the opposition must perform, it is time we do like what the UNC did - put a woman to hold on to our party's meatball.

Octavia Crichlow |Upper Ojoe Road, Sangre Grande