Patrick Augustus Mervyn Manning (born 17 August 1946) was the fourth and sixth Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the former Political Leader of the
People's National MovementThe People's National Movement is the present-day opposition political party in Trinidad and Tobago. Founded in 1955 by Eric Williams, it won the 1956 General Elections and went on to hold power for an unbroken 30 years. After the death of Williams in 1981 George Chambers led the party...
(PNM). He served as Prime Minister from 17 December 1991 to 9 November 1995 and held that office again from 24 December 2001 until 26 May 2010. He was also the
Leader of the OppositionParliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning the administration or the cabinet rather than the state...
from 1986 to 1990 and from 1995 to 2001. He was the Political Leader of the PNM from 1987 to 2010. A
geologistGeology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
by training, Manning has served as
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the
San FernandoThe City of San Fernando with a population of 55,419 according to the 2000 census, is the larger of Trinidad and Tobago's two cities and the second largest municipality after Chaguanas. It occupies 18 km² and is located in the southwestern part of the island of Trinidad...
East constituency since 1971 and is currently the longest-serving member of the
House of RepresentativesThe House of Representatives is the elected Lower House of the bicameral Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. The House of Representatives sits in the Red House in Port of Spain. It has 41 members, each elected to represent single-seat constituencies...
.
Manning was born in San Fernando and received his secondary education at
Presentation CollegePresentation College is a selective, government-assisted Roman Catholic secondary school located in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago. It claims to be the first Catholic secondary school in South Trinidad, having been established circa 1930 in the basement of San Fernando Presbytery. It relocated...
,
San FernandoThe City of San Fernando with a population of 55,419 according to the 2000 census, is the larger of Trinidad and Tobago's two cities and the second largest municipality after Chaguanas. It occupies 18 km² and is located in the southwestern part of the island of Trinidad...
, and his
Bachelor's DegreeA bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from the
University of the West IndiesThe University of the West Indies , is an autonomous regional institution supported by and serving 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica,...
at
MonaMona is a neighbourhood in southeastern Saint Andrew Parish, approximately five miles from Kingston, Jamaica. A former sugar plantation, it is the site of a reservoir serving the city of Kingston and of the main campus of the University of the West Indies...
, in 1969. After graduation he returned to Trinidad where he worked as a geologist for
TexacoTexaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
. He entered
ParliamentThe Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago is the legislative branch of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. The Parliament is bicameral. It consists of the elected House of Representatives, which has 43 members elected for a five year term in single-seat constituencies, and the Senate which has 31...
in 1971 representing the San Fernando East constituency.
Early career
After graduating from the University of the West Indies, Manning worked as a geologist with
TexacoTexaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
Trinidad Ltd., until he ran for Parliament in 1971. Between 1971 and 1978 he served as Parliamentary Secretary in various Ministries before being appointed junior Minister in the Ministry of Finance. In 1979 he was given the additional position of junior Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister. In 1981 he was given a full Cabinet position of Minister of Information and Minister of Industry and Commerce. Between 1981 and 1986 he served as Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.
The 1986 General Elections the ruling PNM suffered an almost total defeat. Only three candidates won their seats; the Prime Minister,
George ChambersGeorge Michael Chambers was the second Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. Born in Port of Spain, Chambers joined the People's National Movement in 1956, and was elected to Parliament representing the St. Anns East seat...
was among the losing candidates. As one of the three successful PNM candidates, Manning was appointed Leader of the Opposition. In 1987 he was elected Political Leader of the PNM. A split in the ruling
National Alliance for ReconstructionThe National Alliance for Reconstruction was the governing party in Trinidad and Tobago between 1986 and 1991.-History:The party was established in 1986, aiming to be a multi-racial party...
in 1988 left the PNM as the minority Opposition party, and in 1990
Basdeo PandayBasdeo Panday was the 5th Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 1995 to 2001 and has served as Leader of the Opposition from 1976–1977, 1978–1986, 1989–1995 and 2001–2010. He was first elected to Parliament in 1976 as the Member for Couva North. He is the former...
requested that he be appointed Leader of the Opposition.
Second term as Prime Minister
In 1995, Manning called a General Election one full year before it was constitutionally due. In this election both the PNM and the UNC won 17 seats each and the NAR won 2 seats. The UNC and the NAR united in a coalition and formed the government; Basdeo Panday replaced Manning as Prime Minister. Manning served as Leader of the Opposition once again, also losing the 2000 elections. The 2001 elections ended in a tie, with both the Opposition PNM and the governing
United National CongressThe United National Congress is one of the two major political parties in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and one of the parties in the current ruling coalition. It was founded by Basdeo Panday, a lawyer and former trade unionist. The UNC was formed as the result of a split in the ruling...
winning 18 seats. President
A. N. R. RobinsonArthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson, OCC, TC was the third President of Trinidad and Tobago, serving from 19 March 1997 to 17 March 2003. He was also Trinidad and Tobago's third Prime Minister, serving in that capacity from 18 December 1986 to 17 December 1991...
appointed Manning as Prime Minister. Unable to elect a Speaker of the
House of RepresentativesThe House of Representatives is the elected Lower House of the bicameral Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. The House of Representatives sits in the Red House in Port of Spain. It has 41 members, each elected to represent single-seat constituencies...
, Manning proceeded to rule without Parliament until the need to pass a Budget forced him to call elections in October 2002. His party won this election with 20 seats to 16 for the UNC and formed the new government.
Under the current PNM administration,
income taxAn income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
es have been substantially reduced and the Corporation Tax has been reduced from 35% to 25% of profits for most companies. The Government has also re-instituted free
universityA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
education. The economy is currently booming, primarily due to high natural gas and oil prices and to significant increases in natural gas production.
In September 2007, Manning received an honorary doctorate from
Medgar Evers CollegeMedgar Evers College is a senior college of The City University of New York.Medgar Evers College was officially established in 1970 through cooperation from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn...
, CUNY.
Third term as Prime Minister
In 2007, Manning called for a
general electionGeneral elections were held in Trinidad and Tobago on 5 November 2007. Nomination day was 15 October.The parties contesting the election were the incumbent People's National Movement, the official opposition United National Congress–Alliance , the Congress of the People , the Tobago United...
to be held on 4 November. The PNM won this election with 26 of the 41 seats and Manning began his third term as Prime Minister.
Since then the country has experienced a slow down in the economy. Despite this the economic ratings of the country has come in for high praises mainly from the Standards and Poor report on August 15, 2008 which raised Trinidad and Tobago from an "A-" to an "A".
The Government of Trinidad and Tobago also hosted their Majesties King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain on November 30 to December 2, 2008. The purpose of the visit was to strengthen the economic ties between Spain, Latin America and the Caribbean and also to open new markets and possibility for increase trading and the opening of new markets.
The country was also hosted two world summits. The 5th Summit of the Americas on 17 to 19 April 2009 as well as The Commonwealth Heads of Government on 27 to 29 November 2009.
The Chilean President Michelle Bachelet paid Prime Minister Manning and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago a visit in 2010. The purpose being to strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries and as a result a formal agreement was signed in an effort to unite the two countries.
Although Trinidad and Tobago is doing well economically, the country under the leadership on Manning is plagued with problems. Crime is an example. The number of murders increased sharply from 93 in 1999 to 509 in 2009. Additionally, 2008 saw the country's highest number of murders with 550.
The Prime Minister's explanation is that the crime problem in country is a result of the illegal drug and arms trade. His speech at the 5th summit of the America points to the fact that the Caribbean is situated between the narcotic producing South American continent and the narcotic consuming North American continent.
Some of his crime detection and prevention methods includes the introduction of Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (SAUTT), two surveillance airships (commonly referred to as blimps). The most recent being the inclusion of six high speed off-shore patrol vessels for better control of the country's maritime borders and coastlines on February 15, 2010. Manning has been quoted as saying that the country can expect to see a 50% decrease in crime because of this most recent effort. At present the trinidad government is now reaping the reward of this initiative as crime as since began to fall.
2010 Elections
On April 9, 2010 Prime Minister Manning advised President George Maxwell Richards to dissolve Parliament resulting in a General Election to be held 2 years sooner than was constitutionally mandated. Manning later announced May 24, 2010 as the date for general elections. On May 24, 2010 Manning, along with the PNM lost the National election to The People's Partnership (UNC, COP, TOP, NJAC, MSJ). Following the defeat, Manning officially resigned as Political Leader of the Party on May 27, 2010 but remains as the Parliamentary Representative for San Fernando East.
Manning was sent to the Privileges Committee following statements he made in Parliament on November 19, 2010, during a debate on the Interception of Communications Bill. Manning had made certain allegations about the private residence of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on the San Fernando/Siparia/Erin Road. On November 24, 2010 last year Speaker of the House Wade Mark, ruled that a prima facie case of contempt or breach of privilege had been made out against Manning and referred the matter to the Committee for consideration. Manning was accordingly suspended from the service of the House of Representatives with immediate effect on May 16th, 2011, as declared by House Speaker Wade Mark. During this period, Manning wouldn't be able to represent his San Fernando East constituency in Parliament. Manning is the second Prime Minister to be suspended from the House of Representatives in Trinidad and Tobago.