A RIFT between Prime Minister Patrick Manning and Joan Yuille-Williams
who has been described as the power behind the People’s National
Movement’s (PNM) throne for the past two decades in politics
almost kayoed 2007 Emancipation celebrations.
One month before the celebrations, sources say, not a damn cent
had been passed on to the various bodies that usually host observances
throughout the island on August 1, even in an election year.
And it was only at the middle of last week that the Ministry of
External Affairs rescued the Government’s credibility and
took responsibility for the official visit of Ugandan President
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who is due in Trinidad and Tobago on July
31.
Museveni will be the third African Head of State to visit T&T
for Emancipation celebrations having been preceded by Ghana’s
Gerry Rawlins and Nigeria’s Olusegun Obasanjo.
The Emancipation Support Committee -- the main organiser of the
festival has remained tight-lipped about the flippant approach of
the PNM towards the annual celebrations especially for 2007 which
is the bicentennial of the British abolition of the slave trade.
The United Nations has also mandated the world to commemorate the
abolition of the slave trade. ESC Chairman, Khafra Kambon has already
complained, at the official launch of the 2007 observances, which
Culture Minister Joan Yuille-Williams -- or any Government representative
failed to attend -- that “Trinidad and Tobago has been the
major global centre of emancipation celebrations, therefore nationally
there should be a special emphasis on the festival this year.”
But Kambon -- being the cool character that he is -- has deliberately
tried to downplay the obvious contempt from the Government, sources
at the Ministry of External Affairs say.
“The on-going war between Joan and Patrick has come about
because she’s been putting her mouth in other people’s
business and there is a clear separation.
“The truth is, ‘the top PNM source contends’,
is that ESC -- and those other bodies, in addition to the Carnival
folks who only recovered their costs months after their festival
-- has been victims of collateral damage in the war between these
two high rankers, which people have not quite realised.
“She never showed up to the launch in June and has been hard
to get because she had been sidelined for her crazy spending.
“Many of us believe that she must have licked up her budget
in things not strictly within her purview at the Ministry of Community
development, Culture and Gender Affairs, which gives her very wide
berth and she been put under manners,” she explained.
“Her Ministerial colleagues who are usually amazed at the
kind of leeway that she gets were especially surprised quote recently
when she went to Cabinet with a note for additional money for the
observances of the bicentennial of the abolition of slavery and
she was refused.
“She did not really plan and budget for it and went in her
usual ad hoc way looking for funds.“But it turned out that
we here at Foreign Affairs had plans of our own so Joan’s
elaborate plans were shot down, easily.
“On another occasion it would have been the opposite,”
the veteran Foreign Affairs official noted“That was just one
incident which gave her Cabinet colleagues the impression that she
was no longer in favour with the boss.
“There was a build up of other issues and it is now obvious
that the power and influence that she had is no longer there.
“Can you remember that Joan who sealed her deal with Patrick
when she resigned her job as a school teacher after the PNM’s
33-3 defeat at the hands of the National Alliance for Reconstruction
(NAR) in 1986, has been the first choice as Acting Prime Minister
whenever Manning left the country?
“Has anyone noticed that for the past three occasions at least
he has instead put his trust in Public Administration and Information
Minister Dr. Lenny Saith?” she asked with chagrin.
“Because of how she has been doing her thing, Patrick as maximum
leader, been putting his foot down and trimming her power,”
she added.
“People all around have been complaining and it was only last
week that the Carnival people got their money, the thing became
most obvious when scores of little organisations throughout the
country could not get their money for Emancipation observances up
to last week.
“And while Kambon wants to stay away from controversy, we
know that Foreign Affairs rescued the visit of Museveni two weeks
before the man was due here.
“Everyone is taking note that Joan has treated the PNM constituency
(meaning Afro-Trini people) with contempt, each year people are
scrambling for funds for Carnival and Emancipation.
“Word has also gotten back to the PM that Joan has -- through
her arrogance -- been undoing the San Fernando East constituency
for him.
“Most times when people meet him at the constituency office
he refers them to Joan expecting her to deal with it.
“However, her poor inter-personal skills and aloof attitude
has turned off a lot of his constituents.“There is no doubt
that is the reason why she has spent a lot of time in the past two
weeks on radio and television trying to build an image for herself
with the public, which she never had.
“Joan’s days as the power behind the throne are over
and it will be totally new dispensation if the PNM returns to power
again,” my source warned, telling of the true extent of the
rift between the PM and his right hand women.
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