Trinidad and Tobago

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Trinidad and Tobago Image File history File links Trinidad_and_tobago_coa. ... Politics of Trinidad and Tobago takes place in a framework of a unitary state, with a parliamentary democracy modelled on that of the UK, from which it gained independence in 1962. ...

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The People's National Movement is the ruling conservative political party in Trinidad and Tobago. Founded in 1955 by Eric Williams, it won the 1956 General Elections and went on to hold power for an unbroken 30 years. After the death of Williams in 1981 George Chambers led the party. Under the weight of allegations of corruption and mismanagement the party was totally defeated in the 1986 General Elections, losing 33-3 to the National Alliance for Reconstruction. Under the leadership of Patrick Manning, the party returned to power in 1991, but lost power in 1995 to the United National Congress in the face of rising crime and allegations of corruption and mismanagement. The PNM lost the 2000 General Elections, but a split in the UNC forced new elections in 2001. These elections resulted in an 18-18 tie between the PNM and the UNC, and President Arthur N.R. Robinson appointed Manning as Prime Minister. Manning was unable to elect a Speaker of the House of Representatives, but won an outright majority in new elections held in 2002. As before, crime rates have increased sharply and five senior members of the party are currently under investigation for corruption. The President of Trinidad and Tobago is the countrys head of state and commander in chief of the countrys armed forces. ... This page lists presidents of Trinidad and Tobago. ... George Maxwell Richards, T.C., CMT, Ph. ... This page lists prime ministers of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Patrick Manning Patrick Augustus Mervyn Manning (born August 17, 1946) is the current Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Trinidad and Tobago and Political Leader of the Peoples National Movement (PNM). ... The Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago is the legislative branch of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. ... The Senate is the appointed Upper House of the bicameral Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. ... The House of Representatives is the elected Lower House of the bicameral Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Elections in Trinidad and Tobago gives information on election and election results in Trinidad and Tobago. ... General elections will be held in Trinidad and Tobago before January 18, 2008, though its considered likely that the election will be held in 2007. ... Political parties in Trinidad and Tobago lists political parties in Trinidad and Tobago. ... Local Government in Trinidad and Tobago is handled through 5 municipalities, 9 Regional Corporations and the Tobago House of Assembly. ... Modern Trinidad and Tobago maintains close relations with its Caribbean neighbors and major North American and European trading partners. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... Conservative may refer to: Conservatism, political philosophy A member of a Conservative Party Conservative extension, premise of deductive logic Conservativity theorem, mathematical proof of conservative extension Conservative Judaism britney spears Category: ... // Political scientists have developed concepts of different ideal types of political parties in order to better compare them with each other. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dr. Eric Williams Dr. Eric Eustace Williams (September 25, 1911 – March 29, 1981) was the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Elections in Trinidad and Tobago gives information on election and election results in Trinidad and Tobago. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Elections in Trinidad and Tobago gives information on election and election results in Trinidad and Tobago. ... The National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) was the governing party in Trinidad and Tobago from 1986-1991. ... Patrick Manning Patrick Augustus Mervyn Manning (born August 17, 1946) is the current Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Trinidad and Tobago and Political Leader of the Peoples National Movement (PNM). ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United National Congress (UNC) is anotherpolitical organisation in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Elections in Trinidad and Tobago gives information on election and election results in Trinidad and Tobago. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson (born 16 December 1926 in Calder Hall, Tobago) was President of Trinidad and Tobago from 19 March 1997 to 17 March 2003. ... The House of Representatives is the elected Lower House of the bicameral Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The party symbol is the Balisier flower (Heliconia bihai). Species See text. ...

Rise to power

When Eric Williams returned to Trinidad in 1948 he set about to develop a political base. Between 1948 and 1955 he delivered a series of political lectures, under the auspices of the Political Education Movement (PEM) a branch of the Teachers Education and Cultural Association. On January 15, 1956 Williams launched the PNM. In the 1956 General Elections the PNM captured 13 of the 24 elected seats in the Legislative Council with 38.7% of the votes cast. In order to secure an outright majority in the Legislative Council Williams managed to convince the Secretary of State for the Colonies to allow him to name the five appointed members of the council (despite the opposition of the Governor Sir Edward Betham Beetham). This gave him a clear majority in the Legislative Council. Williams was thus elected Chief Minister and was also able to get all seven of his ministers elected. Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 15 is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Elections in Trinidad and Tobago gives information on election and election results in Trinidad and Tobago. ... The Legislative Council of Trinidad and Tobago served as an advisory commission to the Governor in British-ruled Trinidad and Tobago, between 1925 and independence in 1961. ... A governor or governour (archaic) is a governing official, usually the executive (at least nominally, to different degrees also politically and administratively) of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the Head of state; furthermore the title applies to officials with a similar mandate as representatives of a chartered... Sir Edward Betham Beetham (1905-1979) served as Governor of Trinidad and Tobago between 1955 and 1960. ...

In the 1958 Federal Elections (which the PNM contested as part of the West Indies Federal Labour Party), it won four of the 10 Trinidad and Tobago seats with 47.4% of the vote. The Opposition Democratic Labour Party won the other six seats. Elections in Trinidad and Tobago gives information on election and election results in Trinidad and Tobago. ... The West Indies Federal Labour Party was one of the two Federal parties in the short-lived West Indies Federation. ... Parliamentary Opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. ... The Democratic Labour Party was the main opposition party in Trinidad and Tobago between 1957 and 1971. ...

Independence era

In the 1961 General Elections the PNM won 20 of 30 seats with 58% of the vote. With the collapse of the West Indian Federation the PNM led Trinidad and Tobago to independence on August 31 1962. Elections in Trinidad and Tobago gives information on election and election results in Trinidad and Tobago. ...

In the 1966 General Elections the PNM won 24 of 36 seats with 52% of the vote. However economic and social discontent grew under PNM rule. This came to a climax in April 1970 with the Black Power Revolution. On April 13, PNM Deputy Leader and Minister of External Affairs A.N.R. Robinson resigned from the party and government. On the 20th facing a revolt by a portion of the Army in collusion with the growing Black Power movement, Williams declared a State of Emergency. By April 22 the mutineers had begun negotiations for surrender. Following this certain ministers were forced to resign including John O'Halloran, Minister of Industry and Gerard Montano, Minister of Home Affairs. Elections in Trinidad and Tobago gives information on election and election results in Trinidad and Tobago. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... The Black Power Revolution also known as the 1970 Revolution was an attempt by a number of revolutionary elements, led by Black Power activists, Trade Unionists and Marxists to overthrow the government of Trinidad and Tobago in 1970. ... April 13 is the 103rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (104th in leap years). ... Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson (born 16 December 1926 in Calder Hall, Tobago) was President of Trinidad and Tobago from 19 March 1997 to 17 March 2003. ... Tommie Smith (gold medal) and John Carlos (bronze medal) famously performed the Black Power salute on the 200 m winners podium at the 1968 Olympics. ... A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend certain normal functions of government, may work to alert citizens to alter their normal behaviors, or may order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. ... April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ...

In the 1971 General Elections the PNM faced only limited opposition as the major opposition parties boycotted the election citing the use of voting machines. The PNM captured all 36 seats in the election, including 8 which they carried unopposed. Additionally Williams split the post of Deputy Leader into three and appointed Kamaluddin Mohammed, Errol Mahabir and George Chambers to the position. Elections in Trinidad and Tobago gives information on election and election results in Trinidad and Tobago. ... This article is about the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. ...

In 1972 J.R.F. Richardson crossed the floor and declared himself an Independent. He was subsequently appointed Leader of the Opposition. He was soon joined by another M.P., Dr. Horace Charles. 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in a Westminster System of parliamentary government. ...

In 1973 the PNM faced a major crisis. On September 28 Williams announced that he would not stand for re-election. This led to a race to succeed him as Political Leader of the party. By November 18 250 of 476 registered party groups had submitted nominations, 224 of them for Attorney General Karl Hudson-Phillips and 26 for Minister of Health, Kamaluddin Mohammed. Williams announced on the December 2 that he would return as Political Leader and Hudson-Phillips was forced out of the party. September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... In most common law jurisdictions, the Attorney General is the main legal adviser to the government, and in some jurisdictions may in addition have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions. ... Karl Terrence Hudson-Phillips, Q.C. (b. ... December 2 is the 336th day (337th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Decline and Fall

In 1976 the PNM won 24 of 36 seats with 54% of the vote. In March 1978 Hector McClean, Minister of Works resigned from the party and government and declared himself and independent MP.

On the March 29 1981 Eric Williams died. Williams had maintained an iron grip over the party and forced all potential rivals out of the party. In the absence of a clear successor, President Ellis Clarke was left to choose the new Prime Minister from among the three Deputy Political Leaders of the party. Clarke appointed George Chambers Prime Minister in preference to Kamaluddin Mohammed and Errol Mahabir. It was widely assumed that Mohammed and Mahabir were not selected because they were Indo-Trinidadians. Chambers was subsequently was elected as Political Leader of the PNM and led the party to victory in the 1981 General Elections. The PNM won 26 of 36 seats and 52% of the vote. March 29 is the 88th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (89th in leap years). ... Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States (1861-1865) The majority of this article is about heads of states. ... Sir Ellis Emmanuel Innocent Clarke (born December 28, 1917) was the second Governor-General of Trinidad and Tobago the first President of Trinidad and Tobago. ... This article is about the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Kamaluddin Mohammed, better known as Kamal, is a Malayalam director. ... Indo-Trinidadians are people of South Asian descent who are citizens or nationals of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Elections in Trinidad and Tobago gives information on election and election results in Trinidad and Tobago. ...

It subsequently held on to power until 1986 when it was defeated by the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) under the leadership of A.N.R. Robinson. The PNM won 3 of 36 seats with 32% of the vote. Chambers resigned and was succeeded by Patrick Manning as Political Leader. The National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) was the governing party in Trinidad and Tobago from 1986-1991. ... Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson (born 16 December 1926 in Calder Hall, Tobago) was President of Trinidad and Tobago from 19 March 1997 to 17 March 2003. ... Patrick Manning Patrick Augustus Mervyn Manning (born August 17, 1946) is the current Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Trinidad and Tobago and Political Leader of the Peoples National Movement (PNM). ...

Manning and the New PNM

When Manning became leader he promised a 'new PNM' and purposely ignored the discredited old guard. He appointed Wendell Mottley, Keith Rowley and Augustus Ramrekersingh as his deputy leaders. Wendell Mottley is a Trinidad and Tobago economist, politician and athlete. ...

The PNM was returned to power in the 1991 elections after the NAR self-destructed. In the 1991 election it won 21 of 36 seats with 45% of the vote. However in the later half of that term the party became unstable. It lost one seat in a bye election and another when Ralph Maraj defected to the United National Congress. The issue that led Maraj to defect was the declaration of a limited State of Emergency which sole purpose was to remove Occah Seepaul (Maraj's sister) as Speaker of the House of Representatives. The party also suffered a loss of support with the death Minister of Public Utilites, Morris Marshall ,a favourite of the party grassroots. Attempting to halt the decline in party support Manning called an early 'snap election' in 1995 . Many party 'front benchers' did not seek reelection including Finance Minister Wendell Mottley. The United National Congress (UNC) is anotherpolitical organisation in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Wendell Mottley is a Trinidad and Tobago economist, politician and athlete. ...

The party lost the 1995 election winning 17 of 36 seats with 48% of the vote. The United National Congress (UNC) under the leadership of Basdeo Panday also won 17 seats and formed a coalition government with the National Alliance for Reconstruction which had won the remaining 2 seats. The PNM was further weakened when two MPs resigned from the party and threw their support behind the UNC government. This led to numerous calls for Manning to resign the party leadership, and for calls for Mottley to replace him. Manning declined to resign and Mottley appeared to have taken a sabbatical from politics. When leadership elections were held in 1997 Manning was challenged by Keith Rowley. Manning was returned as Political Leader. The United National Congress (UNC) is anotherpolitical organisation in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Basdeo Panday Basdeo Panday (born May 25, 1933) was Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 1995 to 2001 and has served as Leader of the Opposition from 1976-1977, 1978-1986, 1989-1995 and 2001-present. ...

In 2000 the PNM suffered another defeat, winning 16 of 36 seats with 46% of the vote. Another election ws held in 2001 which resulted in a tie with both the PNM and UNC winning 18 seats, the PNM with 46% of the vote and the UNC with 50%. However President Arthur N.R. Robinson appointed Manning as Prime Minister. Unable to elect a Speaker Manning advised the President to prorogue Parliament. In October 7, 2002 General Elections were held in which the PNM won 50.7% of popular votes and 20 out of 36 seats. Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson (born 16 December 1926 in Calder Hall, Tobago) was President of Trinidad and Tobago from 19 March 1997 to 17 March 2003. ... October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Elections in Trinidad and Tobago gives information on election and election results in Trinidad and Tobago. ...

The current administration has been plagued with a sharp increase in violent crime, controversy regardling appointments and the issue of broadcast licenses, and allegations of incompetence, corruption and nepotism. Among the issues are: Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Nepotism This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

• A sharp increase in kidnappings and other crime. Manning stated that he did not believe that the kidnapping situation was as much a big problem as the press tried to make it. National Security Minister, Martin Joseph has also said that he did not think that crime was a big problem.
• Appointment of Manning's wife, Hazel Manning, as a Senator and Minister of Education. Mrs. Manning had no political experience, and an appointment like this was without precendent in Trinidad and Tobago politics. It must be understood, though, that Hazel Manning is otherwise a well qualified person to be a senator.
• The allegation by PNM Councillor Dansam Dhansook that he paid bribes to Minister of Works, Franklin Khan and Minister of Energy, Eric A. Williams. One year after receiving the letter Manning reportedly has not yet acted on it. After the matter was made public, Khan resigned his ministerial portfolio. On November 23, 2005, Khan, who is also party chairman, was arrested and charged with six counts of misbehaviour in public office. This was the first time a Trinidad and Tobago politician was charged with corruption while his party was still in power.
• The allegation that Housing Minister, Keith Rowley received bribes in connection with the award of contracts for the construction of the Scarborough Hospital.
• Two other senior PNM officials are before the Integrity Commission. In addition, on June 10, 2005 UNC MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar alleged that the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was investigating three government Ministers.

A more objective evaluation of these developments however, indicates that accusations of corruption were also made against the former government of Basdeo Panday. The former prime minister has also been convicted of fraud, and he is currently out on bail due to health reasons. The Senate is the appointed Upper House of the bicameral Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Dansam Dhansook is a Trinidad and Tobago politician and businessman. ... Franklin Khan is a Trinidad and Tobago politician and Member of Parliament for Ortoire-Mayaro. ... Eric A. Williams is a Trinidad and Tobago politician and Member of Parliament for Port-of-Spain South. ... November 23 is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 38 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Scarborough, Tobago is the largest town on Tobago, one of the two islands of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and contains more than half of the population of the island. ... June 10 is the 161st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (162nd in leap years), with 204 days remaining. ... Kamla Persad-Bissessar, a Trinidad and Tobago politician and lawyer, was the first woman to serve as Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Since 1973, the DEA has enforced the drug laws in the United States. ... Basdeo Panday Basdeo Panday (born May 25, 1933) was Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 1995 to 2001 and has served as Leader of the Opposition from 1976-1977, 1978-1986, 1989-1995 and 2001-present. ...

Party Leaders

• Eric Williams (1956-1981)
• George Chambers (1981-1986)
• Patrick Manning (1987- )

Dr. Eric Williams Dr. Eric Eustace Williams (September 25, 1911 – March 29, 1981) was the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. ... This article is about the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Patrick Manning Patrick Augustus Mervyn Manning (born August 17, 1946) is the current Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Trinidad and Tobago and Political Leader of the Peoples National Movement (PNM). ...

See also

• Eric Williams
• George Chambers
• Patrick Manning

Dr. Eric Williams Dr. Eric Eustace Williams (September 25, 1911 – March 29, 1981) was the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. ... This article is about the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Patrick Manning Patrick Augustus Mervyn Manning (born August 17, 1946) is the current Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Trinidad and Tobago and Political Leader of the Peoples National Movement (PNM). ...

External links

• PNM Website