Patrick Manning

Patrick Manning ( born August 17, 1946 as Patrick Augustus Mervyn Manning in San Fernando, Trinidad ) is a politician and from 1991 to 1995 and from 2001 to 2010, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

Training, higher education and professional activities

After attending the Government School in his hometown, he worked from 1965 to 1966 as a worker in an oil refinery Texaco Trinidad Inc.. Subsequently he studied until 1969 Geology at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. Subsequently he was employed until 1971 as a geologist again at the Texaco.

Political career and climb to the Minister

Manning, a member of the People's National Movement ( PNM ) of the Prime Minister Eric Eustace Williams, was first elected in the parliamentary elections of 1971 in the House of Representatives and represents there since the constituency of San Fernando (East). Today, Manning is the longest serving member of parliament.

Prime Minister Williams called him immediately to the Parliamentary Secretary. As such, he was initially active from 1971 to 1973 in the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining, and then in the Office of the Prime Minister. In 1974 he was Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Planning and Development, and the following year at the Ministry of Industry and Trade. From 1976 to 1978 he was Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Labor, transportation and communication.

1978 appointed him to the Prime Minister Williams Junior Minister for maintenance to Treasury. The following year, he became a junior minister for public services in the Ministry of Finance and at the same time Junior Minister of Information in the Office of the Prime Minister.

Shortly before his death he was appointed Prime Minister Williams 1981 for the Information Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade.

Following the appointment of Prime Minister George Michael Chambers on 30 March 1981, he was appointed by the latter to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. This office he retained until the crushing electoral defeat of the PNM in December 1986, in which the PNM received only 3 of the 36 parliamentary seats.

Opposition leader and climb to the Prime Minister

First term as prime minister from 1991 to 1995

Following the resignation of Prime Minister Chambers as chairman of the PNM Manning joined its successor as party leader. He was also the Leader of the Opposition until 1991 in the House of Representatives.

After the electoral victory of the PNM over the NAR in the parliamentary elections in December 1991 he was appointed as the successor of Arthur NR Robinson on 17 December 1991 for the first time Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.

During the first term, Manning initially continued the reorganization and liberalization of economic policies already done by the previous government. Furthermore, the State-fixed exchange rate of the Trinidad and Tobago dollar was replaced by a determined by the foreign exchange market exchange rate and state companies were sold to foreign owners. In particular, this step was strongly criticized by the now opposition NAR. Although this was also the dissolution of the state-owned enterprises, however, subject to the condition of the sale to local buyers.

In addition, there was a political crisis after the dismissal of Foreign Minister Ralph Maraj and his " self-appointment " to the " father of the nation ". In elections the PNM lost one seat to the UNC. In addition, Maraj joined the opposition alliance NAR. Thus, the PNM had only a majority of one seat in parliament. Following the crisis, called Manning a year before the expiry of its term elections in November 1995.

Second term as Prime Minister 2001-2010

In the early parliamentary elections of November 1995, the PNM lost again the majority. Manning took over after the transfer of the Office of the Prime Minister Basdeo Panday to turn the office of the opposition leader in the House of Representatives. The PNM lost the parliamentary elections in 2000.

In turn, the early parliamentary elections of December 2001, there was an equality of votes in Parliament and with 18 mandates for PNM and the NAR. On 24 December 2001, there was a scandal when the incumbent President Arthur NR Robinson broke with the parliamentary tradition and Manning spite of a tie with the NAR the current acting Prime Minister Panday preferred and appointed as Prime Minister. Since, due to the equality of votes in the House of Representatives no parliament speaker could be chosen, Manning ruled over the next ten months without a parliament.

On 7 October 2002 Manning then called again early parliamentary elections, since the constitutionally prescribed approval of the budget decency. From this election the PNM went with 20 of the 36 seats out as the winner.

The second term was marked by an increase in crime and corruption. Prime Minister Manning was accused of doing in particular the appointment of his wife Hazel Manning senator and minister of education.

On the other hand, was able to lower the income tax and introduce free education his government due to higher revenues from oil and gas sales. On 6 November 2007 Parliamentary elections were held again, which won Manning.

Manning joined with the statement that " capital punishment is an essential element in crime fightig " for the resumption of execution of death sentences. To this end, he called for a law change that would accelerate the Revisonsprozess on death sentences. The enforcement of the death penalty had been set according to a judgment of the Judicial Committee of the Council virtually invalidates the throne, as the committee had considered a capital punishment after a prison term of more than five years as a "cruel" ( crue and unusual punishment ). The defenders succeeded in following this judgment to consider the duration of the appeal proceedings until a final judgment on these fixed five- year period, so that since 1999 no longer a death sentence was carried out.