‘UNC spilling blood’

Addressing the large crowd at the Chaguaramas Convention Centre, Manning was in his element poking fun and nicknaming prominent UNC figures, much to the delight of his audience. Jack Warner, a prime target of the ridicule, was tagged "Jack the Ripper... of two faces and two knives." Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj was labelled "the spectre...waiting in the wings to take over everything" who was "scaring the living daylights out of the completely emasculated political leader ... duck and run" Winston (Dookeran). "The man in white... stalking the back bench" was Gerald Yetming.

Manning caused an uproar when he described in graphic terms the "free-for-all... drunken brawl... the entertaining feast of foolishness" which was going on within the UNC. Relating the events almost like a narrator in a Best Village play, Manning said "Kelvin (Ramnath) slap Sadiq (Baksh) saying he decreased the membership;" "Nanan cuff Dookeran "saying he can’t come Tabaquite without ‘Paradighim’ permission;" "Panday tap up Roodal, saying he still wet behind the ears;" Fuad "beating his own chest full of sound and fury;" Manohar "just vex with everybody;" "nobody taking on Robin;" Wade, "that brown noser, up to now, can’t get off the Mark;" and Gillian "not Lucky with the UNC at all."

And while the Opposition party was "spilling its own blood," the PNM remained the epitomy of political maturity, the PM boasted. "Thank God for the PNM!" he proclaimed, as he encouraged his listeners to ponder briefly on the return of a UNC Government. "It is horrifying to think of our beloved nation in the hands of that bloody bunch. What kind of Cabinet would they conduct, all with knives under the table, and everybody spitting fire at everybody else? And who will be the Prime Minister?" Manning asked. "The chairman of the party; Jumping Jack or the poor, powerless Political Leader? Don’t be surprised if we end up with Adesh at the helm. No absurdity is beyond those political bacchanalians," Manning stated.

With his own Chairman facing six charges of misconduct in public office, Manning was nevertheless able to level plenty of criticism against the Opposition for its misconduct in public office. "Remember the Airport, InnCogen, Desalination Plant, road paving, rice that never reach... Do you want the return of the Short Pants Man to fill his very long pockets... sipping scotch at the Prime Minister’s residence years ago? A very special drink awaits him and others in that special place you go when the law takes its course. I warn them fellas before and I will do so again. Jail not nice," Manning thundered.

PNM former Chairman Franklin Khan did not attend the convention. Sources said the Ortoire/Mayaro MP did not want his presence, which would have generated media attention, to detract from the party’s business and its successful convention.

As he gave a full account of the PNM’s performance in all areas — crime, education, housing, the economy, infrastructure, tourism, manufacturing, energy, sports, health, social programmes, community development, and economy in general — Manning continued to hammer his basic political point.

"PNM expertise at work for the nation, while others can’t even conduct a little party election," he lamented. "They padded in Government and then they padded their own ballot boxes in Rienzi Complex. It seems like an addiction with them. And they did it to keep out the man in white (Yetming) who thought he belonged, when it was the Rice Man they wanted. That same former Chairman of National Flour Mills who order a whole shipload of rice from India, mix up with bicycle, sweet drinks and who knows what else," Manning said, causing laughter in the crowd.

Manning said he was excited by the developments in the energy sector, which had seen US$7 billion in investment within a short period of time. In agriculture he said an agro-industrial park will be established to facilitate investment in value-added products from cassava, paw paw, sweet potatoes, rabbits and hot peppers. "Agriculture shall be hot, hot, hot, in this country and shall burn the belly of those neemakharams," he promised.