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Ill health of all kinds

• PNM, UNC leaders hit by physical and political ailments.

Former Minister Keith Rowley joked heartily with PNM MP Neil Parsanlal.

The PNM’s Mariano Browne and Colm Imbert talked football with the UNC’s Jack Warner.

The UNC-A’s Chandresh Sharma traded picong with the PNM’s Peter Taylor.

The PNM’s Penny Beckles chatted with the UNC-A’s Hamza Rafeeq and Harry Partap.

The spirit of goodwill toward men pervaded the House of Representatives at yesterday’s closing session of the first parliamentary year.

But amid amiable exchanges which preceded proceedings stood certain empty chairs on each side of the House.

Prime Minister Patrick Manning’s San Fernando East seat at the head of his Government’s row.

And Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday’s Couva North seat on the row opposite.

Next Wednesday, the first anniversary of the PNM’s new term in Parliament, finds Manning physically laid low by a malignant kidney tumour and Panday figuratively heavily burdened by challenges to his leadership from certain of his first lieutenants.

Indeed, Manning, 62, will spend the first anniversary of his team’s parliamentary debut in Cuba’s Cimeq Hospital undergoing surgery next Thursday or Friday.

Two years after the bruising PNM leadership fight with Rowley, in 1996, Manning had gone to Cuba for surgical replacement of leaking heart valves. He said doctors promised he would live a very long time.

In 2004, Manning also had a pacemaker implanted and underwent laser eye surgery.

And in 2006, Manning, who once quipped that he didn’t eat chicken, spoke about his long hours of work, revealing he usually had only four hours of sleep.

Coupled with such history and the pressures of governing for five years previously, it has probably been an exhausting year for Manning.

He went from executing a protracted election campaign period last year to continuing to shoulder the brunt of the burden as he helmed a new young team.

Only three other MPs beside Manning therein had senior experience: Rowley, Beckles and Imbert.

When Manning dismissed Rowley in April—a situation creating further tensions for Manning—this reduced the number of seasoned MPs in the Government since Deputy Speaker Beckles is not a minister.

Amidst preparing for two mega summits next year, Manning’s administration has also suffered the pain of seeing its 2009 budget projections and its much touted Vision 2020 plan being derailed by the global financial crisis after incorrectly pegging the budget on a US$70 oil price.

And seeing the price drop further to US$40 last week—after resetting its budget projections around a $6 billion revenue shortfall and 16 per cent cut in recurrent expenditure.

It was Housing Minister Emily Dick-Forde (last week Friday) who confirmed that all ministries with Vision 2020 plans would “rephase” targets soon.

Yesterday, around Manning’s empty chair, several new faces showed up in the House to deliver statements and answer questions, but also presenting a bolstered PNM front in their leader’s absence.

Alongside Government House leader Imbert was Attorney General Brigid Annisette-George and senior Ministers Mariano Browne and Dick-Forde.

The Attorney General along with the Prime Minister traditionally forms the basis of the Government.

Since Rowley’s dismissal, Imbert is now the sole senior Government MP in the Cabinet.

Beckles, Imbert and Rowley are the only three whose House MP status allow them to meet the constitutional criteria to assume leadership if Manning’s situation leads to further incapacitation.

Yesterday a PNM source said that “as hard as it is,” PNM planners had to acknowledge that Manning now has two major conditions concerning his heart and kidneys.

“The question of ill health and how debilitating this may all be will still need to be faced,” they said.

Other PNMites believe Manning will recover in time to hold the spotlight as host to leaders of the Americas and Commonwealth next year.

Opposition ailments

Manning estimated his return to T&T “around January 3—or 4.”

Whether or not Manning will be back in time for Parliament’s projected January 9 reopening, Panday, whose suspension from Parliament ends next week, will definitely be there.

Like Manning, he is also burdened. But the political “condition” besetting Panday has afflicted his party before, particularly involving the UNC-A’s Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, whose fall-out with Panday in 2001 led to the UNC Government’s demise.

(Panday’s party also endured another blow yesterday when UNC MP Vasant Bharath suffered a heart attack at 3 pm.)

Moves by Maharaj and deputy Warner for “change” in the UNC-A appear to have greatly irked Panday.

At Wednesday’s UNC-A meeting, when asked how his relations with Warner were, Panday snapped, “We’re not related.”

At the earlier UNC executive meeting, the UNC-A’s Adesh Nanan braced Maharaj, saying people were asking him why the UNC-A had brought Maharaj back, it was also confirmed.

Maharaj retorted he could give up the seat and let Nanan contest it.

While the UNC-A’s executive has accepted Warner’s request to debate his issues at January conferences, the executive has also sent a clear warning to Warner in its notice that the UNC-A’s disciplinary committee will be formulated next year also.

Some MPs hope the situation will be thrashed out at the UNC-A’s January 21 retreat since they believe the party’s image—particularly in the face of the PNM’s situation sans Manning—needs to be reinforced as a viable political alternative.

If the UNC-A’s problem was the only development in the Opposition, it might be easy to compare the situation to the last time Panday was challenged in 2006.

However, the COP is also attempting to sift through its own mixture of views on possible accommodation with the UNC-A.

The COP’s Timothy Hamel-Smith, who attended Tuesday’s dinner hosted by Warner and Maharaj, admitted his presence might have “upset some people.” Neither the COP’s leader nor deputy leader were invited, Warner confirmed.

The COP’s recent forums on unity have garnered views in favour of accommodation—but not with Panday.

The COP’s Devant Maharaj, at the Tunapuna forum, was the only one to state that any unity discussions should be with Panday.

Whether January’s new parliamentary session will see a return to good health—politically and otherwise—for Panday and Manning remains to be seen.