Manning on election

PRIME MINISTER Patrick Manning yesterday said the Opposition UNC’s strategy of publicly advertising for general and local government election candidates is unlikely to bring the calibre of persons that can properly serve the population.

Addressing a consultation session with PNM constituency executives at Balisier House yesterday, the Prime Minister said the party had established processes in place for the determination of candidates and the whole exercise of publicly advertising for candidates was a flawed one.

On Sunday, some UNC MPs said the UNC’s current election drive was an attempt by the party’s executive to strengthen their hold on the UNC and remove Winston Dookeran as UNC political leader.

Manning further stated that only in the PNM, there are democratic processes in place which prevent the political leader or any other executive from displaying any bias towards any candidate.

He told the gathering that recommendations for aldermen would be made by the constituency executives who would then be interviewed by the screening committee and the final decision rested with the central executive.

Manning said one of the main reasons why the PNM had lasted 50 years compared to other political parties was because of its longstanding commitment to democracy. Constituency executives for Port-of-Spain, Diego Martin Regional, San Juan/Laventille, Arima Borough and Sangre Grande Regional Corpora-tion were consulted yesterday.

Today, consultations will be held with the executives for San Fernando, Point Fortin Borough and Siparia Regional Corporations at the PNM’s San Fernando East constituency office on Coffee Street, San Fernando.

Last week the House of Representatives and the Senate passed the Municipal Corporations Amendment Bill 2006 to extend the life of the country’s 14 local government bodies by one year.

Manning has rejected UNC claims that Government would use the legislation to gain control of local government bodies.