MANNING TO THE RESCUE OF TROUBLED ISLANDs

I don’t usually pay attention to the utterances of Mr. Basdeo Panday but today I have to agree with his assessment of the Prime Minister’s desire to member states of the Caribbean and also with his desire to form a political union with those willing to grab petro crumbs.

It looks like Mr.  Manning wants to one up Dr. Eric Eustace Williams and ‘give birth’ to the already tried and failed West Indies Federation that died on May 31, 1962.

I have to agree with Mr. Panday and endorse his views (and yes I still believe that Bas should depart from the leadership of his party- for unity of the opposition).

The following quote was taken from the Trinidad Newsday newspaper written By Andre Bagoo Thursday, June 25 2009

“But Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday yesterday criticized Manning for getting his priorities wrong.

“The duty of the Government is to look after its own citizens first,” Panday told reporters hours after Manning made his announcement in Parliament. “Right now I do not think we can afford (this). We can’t afford it because our people still do not have water. Our roads, our hospitals are in a bad way. No, at this point in time the first and most important consideration is our own people.

“I agree that prosperity in the other Caribbean countries is important because it means they can buy goods and services from us,” Panday admitted, but he saw the matter more for the private sector as opposed to public sector intervention. “To be prosperous they (the other Caribbean islands) must invite the private sector because this is a free economy.”

http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,102649.html