The body of late prime minister and longest serving parliamentary representative Patrick Manning will be taken to his childhood neighbourhood in his constituency of San Fernando East for the last time tomorrow during a street procession in his honour.
His body is to lie in honour at the Southern Academy for Performing Arts (SAPA) for public viewing tomorrow but arrangements are being made for a convoy to accompany the hearse to and from the venue using designated routes.
So said PNM’s deputy political leader, Joan Yuille Williams, on Monday night during a wake under the pretext of a political meeting in Pleasantville where Manning held his first political meeting over 40 years ago.
Calling on people to line the streets of the designated route in tribute to Manning, Williams said the body would lay in honour at SAPA from 10 am to 6 pm.
She said arrangements were being made to have the hearse pass through Coffee Street, Harris Promenade and then to SAPA. On its return to Belgrove’s Funeral Home, Williams said part of the journey would be through Pleasantville and Cocoyea Village.
“This is an opportunity for San Fernando to say thank you and goodbye to Mr Manning,”she added.
The logistics were still being ironed out, but she said they were also considering asking schoolchildren to line Harris Promenade as well. The route, she said, would be advertised in the newspapers and carried on the airwaves.
Manning’s body will also be lying in state at NAPA, Port-of-Spain, on Friday. On Saturday his funeral service will be held at Trinity Cathedral followed by a private burial.
Although Manning’s wife, Hazel, could not attend the “political meeting,” Williams said she expressed her appreciation to the organisers of the event.
Videos of Manning’s political speeches over the years and recordings of his most popular campaign songs were played at the bus shed where there is a mural of great leaders, including Manning.
Moko jumbies from Junior Bisnath’s Kaisokah School of Arts were among several performances as they celebrated the life of Manning.
There were many speakers who shared their fondest memories of Manning, including Pleasantville councillor Robert Parris, who fondly called him Uncle Manning. He grew up with him as his father, Roger Parris, had known Manning for the past 48 years.
Roger Parris, who first met Manning when he was 21 years old, urged those gathered: “Let Mr Manning’s legacy be part of your life.”
Pleasantville area manager, Shirlyn Nickles, remembered she last visited Manning at his Vistabella home about a month ago.
She drank wine and chatted with him for hours about everything. Recalling one of her fun memories, she said one time while he was prime minister, he escaped his security detail to play cards in the washroom of an apartment buildings in Pleasantville with some of the men living there.
“I want to publicly thank Mr Manning for being in my life,” she said.
One of Manning’s bodyguards, Barry Garcia, recalled when he saw Manning in the hospital two days before he died, in hindsight, he now realised Manning was trying to tell him he was dying.