Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago is a twin-island Caribbean state spanning 5,128 square kilometers (1,980 square miles). Its population numbers approximately 1.1 million people, among whom 40.3 percent are of East Indian descent; 39.5 percent are of African descent; 18.4 percent are of mixed ancestry; 1.2 percent are Chinese, Syrian-Lebanese, and other nationalities; and 0.6 percent are of European descent. The official language is English, and the twin island's residents are principally Roman Catholic (29.4%), Hindu (23.8%), Anglican (10.9%), Muslim (5.8%), and Presbyterian (3.4%). A viable oil and natural gas industry and tourism make the country one of the richest in the Caribbean area: In 2003 the per capita income was estimated at $9,600.

Trinidad and Tobago were merged as a single British colony on January 1, 1889, and became independent on August 31, 1962. The system of government is a parliamentary democracy. Eric Williams (1911–1981) was the nation's first prime minister.

The government of Trinidad and Tobago has five main features:

1. The inclusion of a bill of rights in the constitution (based on the 1960 Canadian bill of rights)
2. A bicameral system, with one house selected through plurality elections (the "first past the post" system) and the other nominated
3. A separation of powers with some overlap and by which government ministers must be chosen from the sitting parliament
4. The codification of many unwritten constitutional conventions common to the United Kingdom
5. The entrenchment of many constitutional provisions that can be amended only by special parliamentary majorities.

This system of government was adopted in 1962 after the British Parliament enacted the Trinidad and Tobago Independence Act, and an Order in Council (S.I. 1962/No. 1875) created an independence constitution. In August 1976 the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago repealed that independence constitution, replacing it with a new one. A Tobago House of Assembly established in 1980 and reformed in 1996 provides for policy formulation and implementation in areas devolved by the central government. There are also a chief secretary and an Executive Council; however, only the Assembly can enact bylaws.

The main political parties are the People's National Movement (PNM), the United National Congress (UNC), and the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR). The political dominance of the PNM has created a bureaucracy with an administrative culture established slowly on PNM terms and conditions.

The judiciary consists of the Supreme Court of Judicature, which in turn is composed of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals, with the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in England having the final appellate jurisdiction. The judicial process is free from political interference. Defending rights and freedoms through litigation is a matter of right. The death penalty may be applied after convictions for murder and treason. Citizens participate in the democratic process through a range of special interest groups. Friction between the government and the press, reports of police abuses, and the persistent abuse of women led Freedom House to classify Trinidad and Tobago as only partly free in its 2003 annual report.

Caribbean Region.

Freedom House. "Trinidad and Tobago." Freedom in the World 2003: The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties. New York: Freedom House, 2003. <http://www.freedomhouse.org/res earch/freeworld/2003/countryratings/tri nidad-tobago.htm>.

Philipe, Daphne. "Domestic Violence and Public Policy in Trinidad and Tobago." Caribbean Journal of Criminology and Social Psychology 1–2 (January–July 2000):181–188.

Premdas, Ralph R., and Bishnu Ragoonath. "Ethnicity, Elections, and Democracy in Trinidad and Tobago: Analysing the 1995 and 1996 Elections." Commonwealth and Comparative Politics 36, no. 3 (1998):30.

"Trinidad and Tobago." CIA World Factbook. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2005. <http://www.cia.gov/cia/publicat ions/factbook/geos/td.html>.

U.S. Department of State. "Trinidad and Tobago." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of State, 2004. <http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/ hrrpt/2003/27921.htm>.

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