Brian Manning, son of former prime minister Patrick Manning, has lashed out at politicians, saying they are "seeking to score points" by visiting his ailing father. Manning, addressing San Fernando East constituents gathered last night at his father's office on Coffee Street, San Fernando, said: "It is not about scoring points of the demise or the suffering of others." On Tuesday, former prime minister Basdeo Panday, one of the San Fernando East MP's arch rivals, visited the elder Manning at the San Fernando General Hospital. He was among several politicans who visited the former ailing prime minister after he suffered a stroke on Monday night.
The younger Manning criticised politicans who he said "maligned" his father during his political career yet come to see his "demise" to run to the media to make statements. "Some politicans playing games," he said. Manning was accompanied by former minister of Commmunity Development Joan Yuille-Williams and San Fernando East constituency protocol officer, Wendy Lewis. He said Lewis was the only authorised person to speak on the family's behalf. Manning said the family would issue daily updates at three intervals on his father's condition.
While he knocked some politicans, Manning was in high praise of Health Minister Dr Faud Khan who visited the elder Manning at the High Dependency Ward. "I would like to publicly thank him for everything he has done to make my father's stay there as comfortable as possible and the family's stay as comfortable as possible," he said. "Dr Faud Khan, you are doing an excellent job." Manning assured constituents that his father was doing "extremely well," as he had regained some mobility on his right side and started speaking some words.
The younger Manning defended his father's decision in the past to seek medical care outside of T&T. He assured it had nothing to do with his confidence in the local healthcare system, but there were some who would "turn it into a circus... you see what I mean," he said, pointing to media. Manning expressed displeasure with the media hype around his father's hospitalisation and "misinformation" being circulated in some quarters. "It becomes extremely challenging and I think we can all understand that everyone has a right to privacy, even our public figures and not just privacy, a right to some peace and quiet," he said. "I understand that people mean well...Some people do not mean well, they just want to score some points."