No Order of Republic

PORT OF SPAIN – No one was announced yesterday as a recipient of the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (ORTT).

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said former prime ministers Patrick Manning and Basdeo Panday would have been conferred with the ORTT for outstanding service.

She made this comment during a pre-Independence cocktail reception at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s, on August 21. In 2006, no one was awarded the Trinity Cross, which was a precursor to the ORTT.

In the aftermath of Persad-Bissessar’s announcement, Manning took to Facebook where he posted he would not accepting the award because she had engaged in character assassination against him before.

He also said proper procedure and process had not been followed. He said he was a sitting MP and would not accept an award while he remained an MP.

Yesterday, his wife and former education minister Hazel Manning said: “He is not at home at this point, and, I would prefer to say nothing.”

Meanwhile, Panday’s daughter/attorney Mickela Panday has previously said her father was in Singapore and she had no knowledge when he would return home.

Efforts to contact Mickela Panday yesterday on her mobile and landline proved futile. Panday has said he was not contacted about receiving an award.

Trinidad and Tobago is celebrating 52 years of independence today. (Trinidad Express/SAT)