Mannings follow Pandays’ tradition?

PRIME MINISTER Patrick Manning and his wife, Education Minister Hazel Manning, appeared to be continuing a tradition set by their respective predecessors, Basdeo and Oma Panday, yesterday when Mrs Manning joined the ranks of Poison’s Retromania masqueraders.

During the six years of the former UNC government, Mrs Panday was a regular player in Poison along with Helen Humphrey (wife of former government minister John Humphrey). Then prime minister Panday never participated in any Carnival band and opted to watch his wife’s revelry from the VIP section of the Grand Stand.

Yesterday, Manning was one of several dignitaries who took in yesterday’s Carnival 2004 celebrations at the Queen’s Park Savannah. Manning arrived at the Savannah at 2.15 pm and was seen amicably chatting with Community Development and Culture Minister Joan Yuille-Williams about the proceedings while Mrs Manning was busy chipping her way towards the Big Yard with President George Maxwell Richards and the other Poison masqueraders.