MEDIA RELEASE

FITUN VINDICATED IN OUR STRUGGLE AGAINST THE MANNING PNM DICTATORSHIP

The statement by the Honourable Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, in the Parliament on Friday last on the illegal wiretapping of phone calls, text messages and emails of citizens by the Strategic Intelligence Agency (SIA), exposed a horrendous attack on the nation’s democracy by Patrick Manning’s PNM government. That the list of citizens who were being spied upon included the President of the Republic, Chief Justice, Acting Commissioner of Police, government Ministers, journalists and sporting and cultural personalities is a clear indication of the slippery slope towards dictatorship along which we were rapidly sliding only to be rescued by the General Elections of May 24^th, 2010.

It is abundantly clear that Mr. Manning saw then and still sees absolutely nothing wrong with the wanton violation of citizens’ rights and the breach of the Constitution occasioned by the illegal wiretapping. His pathetic attempt to reply to the Prime Minister on Friday, even though fully knowing it to be a breach of the Standing Orders of the Parliament, followed by the media conference that he held, demonstrated that he is totally out of touch with reality.

Mr. Manning’s statement at that media conference that “The way the PNM has operated in government is that we start a programme and if the programme works well, you give it a legislative complexion” is confirmation of FITUN’s position that the Manning PNM government was moving towards dictatorship and had to be removed. For here is the former Prime Minister openly stating that “the way the PNM operated” was to consciously and in a premeditated manner systematically violate the Constitution that, as Ministers, they had sworn to uphold. For this alone, Mr. Manning should be brought before the Courts. FITUN therefore supports the investigation of this sordid affair by the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Police so that justice is done.

Furthermore, Mr. Manning implicates his entire party in this gross attack on good governance since he says “the way the PNM has operated”. Whether or not all members of the PNM government were aware of the details of the wiretapping is irrelevant, notwithstanding the condemnation of this illegality now coming from the PNM Leader, Dr. Rowley. “The PNM way of operating” is a definite statement about the culture of PNM governance and it must never again see the light of day.

The fact that FITUN’s President David Abdulah and the leaders of two of FITUN’s member organizations (the OWTU and CWU) during the period 2005-2008, Errol K. McLeod and Lyle Townsend were the victims of this illegal wiretapping, while not surprising must be condemned in the strongest possible manner. It was clearly an unacceptable attack on persons who were political opponents of the Manning regime.

This entire issue vindicates all of FITUN’s struggles and campaigns against the Manning government. We recognized that these struggles, campaigns and peaceful mass actions were in the national interest and were central to any democratic process of removing the government and bringing about a new opportunity for renewal of the nation. That opportunity came on May 24^th and FITUN is pleased that key leaders of FITUN member organizations were involved in the process of developing the People’s Partnership and thus enabling citizens to have the real option of voting out Manning and his PNM and ending what was clearly emerging as neo-fascist regime.

FITUN congratulates Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar and the People’s Partnership government for making public this attack on democracy by the Manning regime and for bringing legislation to Parliament to address, in a transparent system with proper checks and balances, the need for wiretapping as an aid to crime fighting.

FITUN will continue to be vigilant so that no government can again operate in such a rogue manner.

Federation of Independent Trade Unions and NGOs

Akins Vidale

General Secretary