‘Best ever minister’ fumbling in Ministry

THE EDITOR: The danger in Prime Minister Patrick Manning appointing his wife as a Cabinet Minister is that he ceases to be objective when reality tumbles the fa?ade of public relations and he comes face to face with criticism of her lack of performance. And that went to his head early Friday morning last week during the closing stages of the Police Reform Bills in Parliament which were poised for defeat by the UNC Opposition vote. That, together with Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s relentless probe into the management of the Ministry of Education through questions in Parliament over the past months forced Mr Manning’s outburst in defence of his wife, Senator Hazel Manning. Mr Manning lost his objectivity and declared that Miss Hazel was the best Minister of Education in his time, after attacking the character of Ms Persad-Bissessar.

With one fell swoop he discredited John Donaldson Sr, Donald Pierre, Marilyn Gordon, Cuthbert Joseph, Augustus Ramrekersingh, Clive Pantin, Gloria Henry, Dr Adesh Nanan and Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Our Education system is in deeper trouble than we can ever imagine with that declaration at two o’clock in the morning. Clearly, Miss Hazel has the endorsement of her Prime Minister husband to continue presiding over a collapsing education system with indiscipline way out of control; teachers marching and demonstrating for better working conditions including salaries, and a curriculum heading for mediocrity. School Boards have not been established, bringing to a halt the much touted school-based management system. The tail is wagging the dog at the Ministry while the Minister depends on the spin doctors to make it appear that something is happening at Alexandra Street. Political spite and lack of foresight stalled the school-building programme started by the UNC administration and have been the main reasons for the refusal of the Manning administration to open the state-of-the-art Biche High School.

Mr Manning’s best ever Education Minister has only been fumbling and stumbling at the Ministry with nothing to show for the two and a half years in office. Ms Manning should be thankful to Ms Persad-Bissessar and her predecessor, Dr Nanan for leaving unfinished plans and programmes which she could have continued to save face. Some of these programmes included, the standardisation of text books; the placement of all students of secondary school age and the abolition of the dreaded Common Entrance Examination; book grants for primary and secondary school students; increases in the number of students benefitting from the School Feeding Programme including breakfasts; opening up of the concordat to allow all denominational religious groups to build schools; increase in the financial grants to denominational groups for the tuning of their schools and of course, an expanded school-building programme.

By the time the UNC demitted office at the end of six years, over 100 new pre-schools, primary and secondary schools were in use. All this and more had been done under the watch of both Dr Nannan and Ms Persad-Bissessar. However, from the accomplishments of both Dr Nanan and Ms Persad-Bissessar in the Ministry of Education in the short period of four years in the case of the former and two years, in the case of the latter, they will no doubt qualify as the best Education Ministers to serve this country.

HARRY PARTAP
MP-Nariva