THERE will be a special tribute to late Prime Minister Patrick Manning at the “Manning Village” in St Vincent of the Grenadines, says the country’s Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves .
He was speaking with the media at City Hall, Port-of-Spain following the funeral for Manning at Holy Trinity Cathedral .
Gonsalves, a personal friend of Manning, was among those who delivered tributes during the service .
Asked about the mood in St Vincent following Manning’s death Gonsalves pointed out that one side of Manning’s family is from the country and the other side is from Barbados .
“The people from St Vincent and the Grenadines genuinely love Patrick. And the fact that he and I have been close, naturally that has added a particular dimension,” he said .
On the “Manning Village”, which was built via money from Manning to house people after the village in Byera was devastated in 2004 by Hurricane Ivan, Gonsalves said there has not been a specific tribute but assured “they will do something” .
“They are very happy about Patrick and his contribution. All over, all over,” he said .
Gonsalves promised that you will hear more about his contribution when he opens the country’s international airport about September and “there will be something special for him” in the airport as well as former Cuban president Fidel Castro and late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez .
On the suggestion by Manning’s son, Brian, to develop a regional fund to assist people with housing as a tribute to his father Gonsalves described the suggestion as an “excellent idea” and he said that throughout the islands people have suffered from disasters .
First Published Newsday.co.tt
