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Caribbean Islands Political Dynamics
Between independence in 1962 and 1986, politics in Trinidad and
Tobago was inseparable from the story of Williams and the party he
founded, the PNM. Even after his death in 1981, Williams's legacy
helped win another five-year term for the PNM. As the first leader
in a newly independent country, Williams set many precedents and
came to be seen as the father of the country. Williams's legitimacy
derived from his education, his charisma, his speaking ability, and
his personal identification with the lower class blacks in
Trinidad. He also was an astute politician who did not hesitate to
be ruthless if maintaining his power and leadership depended on it.
As time went on, power within the PNM became increasingly
centralized and Williams less tolerant of dissent. In spite of his
high-handed way of dealing with PNM members who disagreed with him
during his twenty-five years as prime minister, Williams left
Trinidad and Tobago with a functioning democratic political system,
including a free press and a healthy opposition whose leaders had
been trained in PNM ranks. Throughout Williams's tenure as prime
minister, there were numerous strikes and labor disputes. Labor
leaders formed various coalitions and parties, but none of these
was sufficiently powerful to gain control of the government.
Postindependence PNM rule can be divided into four phases:
1962-69, a period of consolidation and economic hardship; 1970-73,
a time of economic and political troubles that included the Black
Power riots; 1974-81, a period of prosperity and increased
government centralization; and 1981-86, the period after Williams's
death when George Chambers was prime minister.
On December 15, 1986, the National Alliance for Reconstruction
(NAR), under the leadership of A.N.R. Robinson, won the election by
a landslide. The NAR captured thirty-three out of the thirty-six
House seats, including that of Prime Minister Chambers and his two
deputies.
Data as of November 1987
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