Trincadian Member of Parliament for San Fernando East Brian Manning has publicly pushed back against growing speculation that his local support base is eroding, questioning why he has been targeted amid internal party tensions within the People’s National Movement (PNM).
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a community-focused back-to-school haircut initiative in Tarodale, Manning pushed back against claims that the 2020 general election results should serve as a reliable measure of his current standing within the constituency. He pointed out that other senior figures within the PNM national executive held their positions despite losing previously competitive or safe seats by margins of nearly 4,000 votes, arguing the double standard in criticism directed at him is unwarranted. As the only PNM-held parliamentary seat located outside of Trinidad’s heavily populated East-West Corridor, Manning emphasized that San Fernando East remains unshakably loyal to the PNM, rejecting all claims of waning support.
Manning’s remarks come at a period of intense internal upheaval within the San Fernando East PNM constituency executive, triggered by corruption allegations he leveled against the body earlier this month. Following his public accusations, the entire constituency executive resigned en masse. PNM leader and Opposition Leader Penelope Beckles has publicly directed Manning to submit any evidence of corrupt activity to local law enforcement for formal investigation. Last week, ahead of a scheduled general constituency membership meeting, Manning told reporters he had not yet filed an official police report, noting that ample information around the allegations is already in the public domain, and promising “all will be revealed in time.”
Despite the escalating internal conflict, Manning rejected suggestions that he fears retaliation or victimization within the party. “I don’t feel like a victim. I feel like a person who stood up for his constituents, someone who the constituents have placed their trust in, and that’s part of the job,” he explained. “Whether I have to stand up against my own party or someone else to support the constituents of San Fernando East, that’s what I signed up to do and that’s what I will continue to do.”
Manning, the son of former Trinidadian Prime Minister Patrick Manning who held the San Fernando East seat for 44 consecutive years, also ruled out any possibility of crossing the floor to join the ruling United National Congress (UNC), noting that such a move would make his late father “turn in his grave.”
During the constituency’s recent general membership meeting, Manning updated attendees on the ongoing leadership dispute, sharing details of the unfolding conflict, party decisions, and the planned path forward. He reported that local constituents delivered “overwhelming support” for his initial actions against the former executive, and are now awaiting the appointment of a new constituency leadership body. Even so, he made clear he remains dissatisfied with the process that has unfolded to date.
When asked to elaborate on a recent social media post in which he accused an unnamed party figure — who won their own seat by a narrow 200-vote margin — of undermining the current PNM leadership, failing to deliver substantive work, and leaking one-sided, biased documents to the press, Manning declined to expand on his claims. “I have no further comment and I think it speaks for itself,” he said.
Beyond internal party matters, Manning also addressed ongoing concerns around school preparedness ahead of the new academic year in his constituency, revealing that several local schools have not completed pre-opening preparations. He attributed this gap in work particularly to the recent cancellation of two government work programs: the Community-based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) and the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP), which previously handled routine maintenance tasks including grass cutting and campus painting for schools across the constituency.
Manning confirmed that the national Minister of Education has already assured local Members of Parliament that the desperately needed assistance for school preparations will be rolled out shortly. He also responded to recent concerns raised by the Parent Teacher Association of San Fernando East Secondary School, which flagged unresolved structural and maintenance issues including an overgrown uncut playfield. He clarified that the delayed maintenance is not linked to claims of underground gas lines on school grounds, but rather stems from the loss of CEPEP support that the school previously relied on for this work.
He added that the Mayor of San Fernando has already stepped in to manage the increased maintenance workload left by the cancellation of the two programs, despite operating with a significantly reduced municipal budget. “It’s been difficult to keep up but we are aware of the issue and we are going to work to see what can be done in due course,” he said.