GEORGETOWN, Guyana CMC – Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders have hailed the role played by the late former Trinidad and Tobago prime minister Patrick Manning in advancing the regional integration movement, describing him as a “true champion of Caricom”.

Manning died at the San Fernando General Hospital last Saturday, less than 24 hours after he had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia. He was 69.

Caricom Chairman and Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said that he had the honour of working with Manning over an extended period of time.

“I could always rely on him to draw on his wisdom to national and regional matters… His memory and the efforts he made will certainly last in our memories for a very long time,” Skerrit said, noting that Dominica would be observing two days of national mourning on Friday and Saturday.

St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, who visited Manning in hospital just prior to his death, described him as “one of the titans of regional integration movement.

“…Patrick was a famous man; his virtues are not written in stone at home or elsewhere, but in the hearts and minds of ordinary men and women that crossed this region and we shall remember him forever,” Gonsalves said.

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said Manning’s death “represents a tremendous loss not only to the people of Trinidad and Tobago but also to the community and the entire Caribbean region”.

He told the conference that it was under Manning’s stewardship that the implementation of initiatives such as the Caricom Petroleum Stabilisation Fund and the Caricom Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) were realised.

“The ‘Manning Initiative’ with Grenada, Saint Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines reflected his dedication to strive for a stronger community. He was adamant on forging linkages with Latin America and supportive of the Time for Action blueprint that called for an Association of Caribbean States (ACS) which held its First Summit in Port of Spain during Mr Manning’s tenure.

“Mr Manning will be remembered as a visionary, a patriot and a Caribbean man who was committed to excellence and to the Caribbean Community. In this vein, I know that I will continue Mr Manning’s legacy,” Rowley said.

His St Lucian counterpart, Allen Chastanet, described Manning as “a great visionary, a man of tremendous insight” while Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Suriname President Desi Bouterse also paid homage to Manning.

Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque said he would he would normally begin the summit by welcoming regional leaders, “However, I believe it is only fitting that at the outset, we should pay tribute to a true champion of Caricom, the late Mr Patrick Manning.

“Mr Manning was a member of the conference (heads of government) for a total of 13 years, and, in that time, he demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the Caribbean Community. The initiatives he promoted to advance integration ensure that his legacy as a regionalist is secure. His calm and deliberate manner was a distinctive feature during the meetings of conference,” said LaRocque, as he called on the audience and leaders “to stand for a moment of silence to reflect on the life of Mr Manning and his contribution to regional integration”.

Manning will be buried on Saturday following a State funeral.