Past and present PNM leaders Patrick Manning and Keith Rowley will walk together this afternoon in Manning's San Fernando East constituency, the Opposition office announced Tuesday. The move is the fourth in the PNM's round of walkabouts and is expected to promote the Opposition party's image as a unified party under Rowley who succeeded Manning eight months ago, post election-defeat. PNM general secretary Ashton Ford said today's walkabout begins at 4 pm from Navet Junction into Pleasantville and continues for two hours.
After the meeting, Rowley, Manning and other speakers will address a meeting of PNM's San Fernando East unit at Pleasantville Junior Secondary School. A number of PNM MPs will be attending the effort.
Today's show of unity by the two PNM personalities, once at bitter loggerheads during the PNM's previous term, comes at a time when the ruling People's Partnership administration has been hit by controversy concerning the appointment of a junior officer to head the Strategic Services Agency.
Today's PNM walkabout may the first official public teamwork appearance of Manning and Rowley since the May 2010 general election when Rowley appeared on a PNM platform in Diego Martin alongside Manning. That was at a time when both were still said to be poles apart on simmering issues between them concerning state agency Udecott and former Udecott head Calder Hart whom Manning had defended during his term. Rowley was eventually fired from the Cabinet in April 2008 after his behaviour at a Cabinet sub-committee meeting was described by colleagues as "wajang."
As a PNM backbencher subsequently, Rowley had criticised the Government of his party. The division in the PNM caused by the situation was among factors which led to the PNM's steeply plummeting political stocks and its eventual general election loss in May 2010. During election, Rowley who continued as Diego Martin West candidate, called for the PNM to put aside differences and work as one. He said there was time for "the court martial later." After PNM's defeat, Manning stepped down and Rowley was elected political leader in June 2010. Rowley has been trying to rebuild the party since.
Manning, who remained low profile for six months, began making statements in Parliament late last year. He has met with Rowley twice in the last few months, the most recent being three weeks ago at Balisier House when PNM's leadership was present also. Manning, who has said he would accede to his constituents' request to serve his five-year term as MP, has, however, said he was "on his way out" and is in the political "departure lounge"-not aspirant to anything.
News of the duo's walkabout yesterday elicited swift rebuffing on Internet and Facebook sites from UNC/PP supporters who dismissed the walkabout as a "surface" effort, saying it would only be credible if the two men apologised to each other. Today's walkabout comes three weeks before deadline for nomination of candidates for PNM's executive election being held at the party's March 20 annual convention.