Manning wants to know where Kamla is getting money for her private residence

Patrick Manning finally spoke in Parliament Friday but the former Prime Minister was more preoccupied with a house under construction in south Trinidad than the matter of the wiretapping bill, which was the subject of debate.

Manning produced a picture of the house, which he said is owned by the Prime Minister and asked where Persad-Bissessar is getting the money to build the house.

Manning described the structure as "Kamla's palace" and asked Persad-Bissessar to open the house to the scrutiny of the media and lay in Parliament the relevant approvals for its construction.

"This picture, Mr Speaker, is a photograph of a house under construction on the San Fernando, Siparia Erin Road just past Bryan's Gate, Phillipine, and on the road to Debe on the right hand side. 

"It is a house owned by the Member for Siparia and the Prime Minister, the honourable Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar, and in San Fernando we call is "Kamla's palace"," Manning said.

He said "investigations" have revealed that the property is large than the Diplomatic Centre,

"This facility, Mr Speaker, has more space than the Prime Minister's residence and, Mr Speaker, the best estimate that we have, the all-inclusive cost of building this facility is $150 million," he claimed.

The Prime Minister rose to point out that manning was misleading the House.

Speaking on the matter before the House, Manning said the Strategic Intelligence Agency (SIA) and the Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (SAUTT) played an important part in the fight against crime and the drug trade.

He spoke of measures that his administration took to deal with the drug trade including a radar system that extended to countries in the region. 

He was critical of the People's Partnership's decision to scrap the deal for three offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), calling it interference with "a carefully laid strategy to protect the Eastern Caribbean and Trinidad and Tobago from the influence of the drug dealers''.

Commenting on the bill, Manning said it would undermine the security of the State and see a rise in crime, including kidnappings.

Manning shifted his focus to an explanation of why he lost the last general election, pointing to what he said was an anti-Manning campaign in the media. 

He also queried the amount of money used in the People's Partnership election campaign.

"I have been involved in many election campaigns in my life, I have never seen any election campaign like that last one, in which money was clearly not a problem," he said.

The former Prime Minister repeated allegations made last week in public that there was a criminal connection to the money used in the campaign.

Read related story: PM Kamla threatens to sue Manning for libel; gives former PM chance to apologise

Speaker Wade Had had to caution Manning several times. Manning withdrew some of his controversial statements but warned that the House will hear more from him. "I serve notice that substantial motion is coming," he said.

He also touched on what was one of the most controversial issues in the May 24 election campaign - the Lighthouse of the Lord Jesus Christ Church, which was under construction in Guanapo, which has now been abandoned.

Manning blamed Persad-Bissessar, Jack Warner and Attorney General Anand Ramlogan for the state of the church. 

"I want to tell them one thing, that is God's church, not mine, and therefore the battle with that church is not mine, it is God's battle. Let us see how the battle will go on from here on in," Manning said.