He had serious disagreements with some senior officials of his government —but the late former prime minister Patrick Manning never took them personally.
He also get despondent in difficult times and had dark moments in the 2010 defeat. He’d owned a little Volkswagen vehicle (and once supported Karl Hudson- Phillips in the PNM.) In 1987 he could go all night preparing for a Parliament presentation and look fresh next day.
Former Attorney General
John Jeremie:
“In the end he will not be remembered for the times that he stumbled but for those occasions on which he soared.
Much has been said and written in the past week of Patrick Manning. As one would expect on the passing of a loved son all of it has lauded aspects of his contribution to our national being.
Mr Manning governed this nation in times of plenty and in difficult times. He had a vision not merely for T&T but for a united Caribbean. One that was defined by freedom, economic growth and prosperity and an expression of a culture that was unique to us.
For him education was key to transforming the country and the region. After a ten hour flight across the Atlantic his first words to me on an upcoming budget were to the effect that he wished to introduce a programme which allowed every student in tertiary education to pursue doctoral studies at the expense of the State. I grew accustomed to these ideas over the years. Many of them I scoffed at in the confines of the Cabinet room.
We had other more serious disagreements. Over how to handle a crisis in the Judiciary, corruption in a particular State Enterprise, procurement of certain military assets, the treatment of a senior Cabinet colleague to name but a few. At times things degenerated badly. But at the end of the day he was quick to forget and to move on. And he never took disagreements personally.
In foreign affairs and as a Caribbean man his diplomacy at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and on an occasion in Latin America probably set a platform for the developments today in US/Cuba relations. In the economy his supreme knowledge of the oil and gas markets and his alliance with Professor Ken Julien saw this country enter an unparalleled period of economic growth and the establishment of a sovereign wealth fund.
He played a central role in the development of the CSME and, together with Basdeo Panday in having the Caribbean Court of Justice seated in Trinidad and Tobago. He saw off with courage a last minute but determined challenge to the Court by saying that today 'one from ten leaves nine'. The court was successfully seated.
Mr Manning was a family man. His family was much more than his wife Hazel and his two sons Brian and David. It extended to the ordinary people who comprised the Peoples’ National Movement and the ordinary people of T&T.
Like in every family there were quarrels and times of joy. He experienced euphoria during the joyful times but equally he was sometimes despondent in difficult times.
In 2010 he felt deep hurt at the way in which he felt he had let down his country and his party. Those were dark moments for him. Ultimately, he emerged from that experience. Of late he looked over the affairs of the Government - keeping an informed distance but quick to pick up the telephone to warn, to counsel and to advise.
In some cultures eulogies are frowned upon. In death one question is asked of the life of the dead. Did he have passion?
At the end of the day the reply in Mr Manning's case must without doubt, be ,yes. This was a man of deep passion. May he rest in peace.”
AMPLE Advertising Chief,
Alfred Aguiton
“I met Patrick Manning in 1990 when we handled his campaign for Political Leader of the PNM. I was struck by how genuinely decent he was, without being naive.
We worked with him again for the 1991 General Election which he won, and almost as punishment for that it seemed, he assigned me to the chairmanship of NCC as the first State Board he appointed given that Carnival of 1992 was just weeks away from the Election victory.
He continued handing me challenging responsibilities, (including an offer of a Cabinet post) until the need arose in 2001 for a Special Adviser to the Prime Minister in Communications, based at the OPM, Whitehall…and a whole new light dawned.
I saw Manning up close and professional. He would often say, “Politics is a noble profession”, and then wag his finger to warn, “and that is why I detest anybody besmirching it!” That was new for me, and refreshing. It was easy to believe him. I found him to be a complex man—perhaps, good material for a psychiatrist who would be interested in searching the mind of mass decision-makers. His evolution was fascinating to see, and hear, and discuss with him, whether in working or relaxing circumstances. It was a privilege to witness all the compelling evidence that his mind was more highly tuned than many leaders I had met as a practising journalist.
He would switch easily between sharing a joke with Obama-type spot-on delivery, to conducting deep mind-probes into multilayered subjects like the positives of a smelter plant, or the unsuitability of trickle-down economics to the T&T environment.
Perhaps most of all, he was an amazing mix of discipline yet cool, self-confidence without narcissism…which, (presumptuously) I worked out to be the secret of how he could put every type of person at ease—you see, he made himself at ease, even though he would admit privately to being watchful around people.
I couldn’t imagine him looking into his mirror every morning and asking, “Who’s the fairest of us all?” And when the mirror answered back, “Jack Warner”, he wouldn’t crack up laughing, and ask the mirror, “You joking, right?.” I never saw him lose this comfortable belief in himself. And (my amateur theory again) that’s perhaps what allowed him to take high-risk decisions fearlessly, though not recklessly.
I saw him with that kind of easiness when he attended a luncheon meeting at the White House hosted by President Clinton in 1995 to woo seven Caribbean Prime Ministers to support the US NAFTA initiative.
After the lunch, the international media were invited to a press conference in the East (or West) Wing and each Prime Minister was allowed to make a brief statement. Barbados and the Bahamas were pleasantly and wittily entertaining with their remarks (perhaps thanks to their tourists-entertaining background—and I don’t mean that disparagingly), but when Manning spoke, he was clearly not the leader of a tail-between-your-third-world-leg country. He spoke with gravitas and command. And the White House Correspondents paid attention.
Twenty-five years of knowing him—at work and at play—have taught me he was a T&T leader over-qualified, under-appreciated, but balanced down the middle as that socio-political conundrum of being the right man at the right time, who knew what it was like to be both rejected and accepted, yet never thinking of himself as defeated.”
Veteran PNM minister, MP/Adviser Overan Padmore:
“Everything that could be said about Patrick Manning has been said. But he was indeed a tireless worker, he projected the image of a leader exited with his integrity intact and bore his suffering with enormous fortitude. Neither he nor Eric (Williams) became bitter. He was clearly committed, a strong leader and strong personality. But in a country like this, you can’t be weak and rule.
“He was a visionary—no question about that. Floating the TT Dollar, energy policies which led to revitalising the energy sector, all contributing to T&T’s wealth, a lot of which he used to build T&T’s human capital through education policies - from nursery to tertiary; as well welfare through CDAP and other programmes plus housing initiatives. The evidence is there
“So the adulation is very well deserved. I’ve found the mood and outpouring following his death, very similar to what I saw when Dr Williams died. It goes to show how Manning’s presence impacted on the consciousness of the people - Manning came close to emulating Williams.”
“He entered politics in 1971, became leader actually in 1987 since the leadership convention confirming him was in ‘87
I’d been among a group of writers—John Donaldson, Ken Valley and other assisting in preparing his first budget speech as Opposition leader in 1987. We started work at before midday one morning and finished 7 am the next day. He left Port-of-Spain at 7 am , went to San Fernando and returned in time to deliver his reply at 10 am, seeming quite refreshed—he didn’t look like a man who’d worked all night. His delivery also showed he’d been energised.”
“I was very critical of him at times. Understandably having received the leadership as he did, he needed to consolidate a position of power within the PNM. distancing himself from the more senior members. He felt he had to stamp his authority on the party and be able to gain control of its organs and he did it quite well. The PNM was dispirited but he provided institutions and a commitment to rebuild it. The economic and political circumstances plus the rebuilding work allowed him to become PM in 1991”
“The members at Balisier House who attacked him on leaving ( May 2010) were clearly upset the election was called early and the PNM lost. It was more of an emotional outburst than deep seated dislike and it soon evaporated. I’m sure they recognised inside , his was a positive contribution. Now that he’s gone a lot are beginning to focus on that.”