Patrick Manning, the fourth prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, served three terms, second only to Dr. Eric Williams, Trinidad’s longest-serving prime minister. Manning’s three terms ran from December 17, 1991, to November 9, 1995, and again from December 24, 2001, to May 26, 2010. He was also the leader of the People’s National Movement (PNM) from 1987 to 2010.
A geologist by training, Manning served as a Member of Parliament for the San Fernando East constituency from 1971 until 2015, when Randall Mitchell replaced him. He was also the longest-serving member of the House of Representatives.
When the PNM lost the 1986 general election in a shocking landslide, winning only three seats, including Manning’s, he was made PNM leader and consequently leader of the opposition—a post he held until 1990. In the election of 1991, the PNM regained its place as the nation’s government, with Manning becoming the nation’s fourth prime minister.
In 1995, with the political tide turning against his government, Manning called a general election one full year before it was constitutionally due. The PNM and the opposition United National Congress (UNC) won 17 seats in this election, while the National Alliance for Reconstruction, NAR, won two seats. The UNC and the NAR then united in a coalition and formed the government, and Basdeo Panday, the UNC leader, replaced Manning as prime minister. Manning served as Leader of the Opposition once again, also losing the subsequent 2000 election.
A general election was called again in 2001, with the results being a tie between the governing UNC and the Opposition PNM, both parties winning 18 seats. However, President ANR Robinson made the bold move of appointing Manning as prime minister. In addition to being prime minister, Manning also held the portfolio of minister of finance.
Unable to elect a speaker of the House of Representatives, Manning proceeded to rule without Parliament until the need to pass a Budget forced him to call an election in October 2002. His party won this election with 20 seats to 16 for the UNC.
Under the PNM administration, income taxes were substantially reduced, and most companies’ corporation tax was reduced. The government also reinstituted free university education. The economy grew primarily due to high natural gas and oil prices and significant increases in natural gas production.
In September 2007, Manning received an honorary doctorate from Medgar Evers College, CUNY.
In the general election Manning called in November 2007, the PNM won 26 of the 41 seats, and Manning began his third term as prime minister.
Subsequently, the country experienced a slowdown in the economy. Despite this, the economic ratings of the country came in for high praise mainly from the Standard and Poor report on August 15, 2008, which raised Trinidad and Tobago from an “A-” to an “A.”
On April 9, 2010, Prime Minister Manning advised President George Maxwell Richards to dissolve Parliament, resulting in a general election being held on May 24, two years sooner than was constitutionally mandated. Manning and the PNM lost the election to The People’s Partnership (UNC, COP, TOP, NJAC, MSJ) led by Kamala Persad-Bissessar. After the defeat, Manning officially resigned as the party’s political leader on 27 May 2010 but remained the parliamentary representative for San Fernando East.
On January 23, 2012, Patrick Manning suffered a stroke. Four years later, he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and died on July 2, 2016, at the San Fernando General Hospital—six weeks before his 70th birthday.
