An escalating internal conflict within the People’s National Movement (PNM)’s San Fernando East constituency branch has intensified in recent days, following the departure of two local executive members and renewed calls from constituency MP Brian Manning to address long-simmering grievances against branch chairperson Patricia Alexis. In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Express, Manning detailed the sequence of events that pushed two executive members to step down last week, tying their resignations directly to a controversial, unilaterally issued public statement critical of him that was posted to the constituency’s official Facebook page against party guidance.
The August 20 statement was published even after senior PNM leaders explicitly called on all factions to avoid public displays of internal division. The public rebuke of Manning came in response to his earlier decision to go public with concerns over Alexis holding multiple overlapping key party positions. Beyond her role as San Fernando East constituency chair, Alexis serves as the PNM’s assistant general secretary, a San Fernando East representative on the party’s General Council, and a member of the PNM Central Executive. Manning argues that this concentration of roles risks undermining impartial decision-making for local constituency matters, and has also raised questions about an unannounced executive vacancy that was filled by an individual with close ties to Alexis.
Manning pushed back against widespread framing that the dispute is a personal power struggle between himself and Alexis, emphasizing that the concerns stem from grassroots constituency members. “Many of these issues involve the chairman of the constituency. The constituency is crying out for a chairman they can trust. It is my job as MP to report such matters to the national executive of the party and I have done just that,” he told the Sunday Express.
The MP also addressed unconfirmed reports of a recent no-confidence motion brought against him by factional opponents within the local executive, confirming the motion was introduced but failed dramatically before it could even reach a formal vote. “(It) was shouted down. It didn’t even get a vote because so many were against it,” he claimed. In the wake of the failed motion, the critical public statement targeting Manning was released, according to his account, without the knowledge or approval of the full executive. Most members were only informed after the statement went public, prompting the two resignations in protest of the undemocratic, unilateral action.
Manning added that he has exhausted all internal party channels to escalate the concerns to PNM national leadership, but his complaints have been sidelined for months. When asked if he had received any outreach from Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles, who leads the PNM, Manning confirmed no communication had been received. “No, the matter has been ignored for months,” he said.
In the official executive statement defending its actions, members argued that Manning’s choice to name Alexis publicly and repeat what they call damaging allegations left them no choice but to respond publicly, breaking the party’s unwritten rule of keeping internal disputes private. The statement noted that Alexis had already cooperated fully with party processes, agreeing to an internal investigation led by national party leadership. PNM officials have confirmed that an investigative team met with both Manning and Alexis, and a full final report has already been submitted to the PNM leadership and General Council for review.
The statement pushed back against Manning’s approach, arguing that he cannot simultaneously claim to support formal due process while publicly undermining the ongoing investigation. In a striking addition, the statement referenced Manning’s late father, former Trinidadian Prime Minister Patrick Manning, to argue that his political legacy cannot be exploited to avoid accountability. “(Patrick) Manning’s legacy was earned through discipline, service, accessibility and performance. That legacy cannot be reduced to a surname, nor can it be used as a shield against accountability. Heritage is not a substitute for leadership,” the statement read. “San Fernando East is greater than any one officeholder, personality or surname. Our responsibility remains service to the people, loyalty to the Party and respect for the democratic institutions upon which the People’s National Movement was built.”
The Sunday Express attempted to reach Beckles for comment on the ongoing rift, asking whether she had reached out to de-escalate tensions between the two factions, but no immediate response was available as of press time. PNM national chairman Marvin Gonzales has called for all parties involved to exercise restraint and avoid making further public statements that could deepen the party split.