National Alliance for Reconstruction
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The National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) was the governing party in Trinidad and Tobago between 1986 and 1991. It was founded in 1986 out of an accommodation between the National Alliance (consisting of the United Labour Front led by Basdeo Panday, the Democratic Action Congress led by A.N.R. Robinson and the Tapia House Movement led by Lloyd Best) and the Organisation for National Reconstruction (led by Karl Hudson-Phillips.) The party defeated the ruling People's National Movement in the 1986 elections, winning 33 of the 36 seats in the national Parliament.
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[edit] Pre-1986
With the merger of the ONR,ULF, DAC and TAPIA into the NAR, Robinson was chosen as Political Leader, with Panday and Hudson Phillips as his two Deputy Leaders
[edit] 1986-1991
The NAR entered government with broad national support and good will, but support declined as fiscal austerity and neo-liberal economic policies imposed by the International Monetary Fund's Structural Adjustment Program resulted in increased unemployment and a 10% cut in salaries in the public service. In 1990 the Jamaat al Muslimeen attempted to capitalise on the dissatisfaction with an attempted coup d'état. (See Jamaat al Muslimeen coup attempt).
In 1988 the party split with six MP's (Panday and five other former ULF memebers) forming the United National Congress. Subsequently a further five MPs defected to the Independent benches. Despite surviving the attempted coup the NAR was defeated in the 1991 General Elections, winning only two seats.
[edit] 1991-1995
Following this defeat Robinson resigned as Leader. Many prominent NAR members also went into "political retirement" at this time leaving the NAR severely weakened. In the 1992 Local Government Elections the NAR suffered another humiliating defeat not winning a single seat (though winning 11% of the vote). The NAR did however retain its dominance in the Tobago House of Assembly holding 11 of 12 seats in the 1992 THA elections. This however confirmed to many that the NAR was no longer a national party capable of winning elections, but a minor party supported only by Tobagonians.
The NAR went through rapid leadership changes. Former Works Minister, Carson Charles served as leader from 1992-1993. He was replaced by former Finance Minister Selby Wilson. Charles left the NAR and formed his own group the National Development Party. In a 1994 by-election an attempt was made to have the NAR and its two daughter parties the UNC and NDP, run a joint platform. Proposals to reunite the NAR came to naught however. The UNC was adopting a policy of attracting 'NAR voters' directly rather than attempting another formal alliance. Following his failure to reunite the party Wilson resigned and the NAR was leaderless until just prior to the 1995 General Elections. During this period NAR chairman Robert Mayers served as the de facto leader. When elections were called in 1995 Robinson was persuaded to return and resume leadership of the party. At the same time though several persons who had previously campaigned on NAR tickets, contested the 1995 election on the UNC slate (Ganga Singh, Kamla Persad Bissessar, Mervyn Assam).
[edit] 1995-2000
The NAR retained its two Tobago seats in the 1995 general elections and entered government as junior partner to the United National Congress which had seventeen seats. Together both parties had a bare majority in the thirty-six seat Parliament. Robinson was appointed Minister Extraordinaire and was elected President in 1997. Former Speaker of the House Nizam Mohammed replaced him as NAR leader.
However the NAR continued to weaken and fracture. Its bargaining position was reduced when two PNM MP's defected and joined the government as Independents. In the 1996 THA elections a NAR assemblywoman ,Deborah Moore-Miggins, contested as an Independent and won. Later two other NAR assemblymen defected and joined her in forming the People's Empowerment Party (Trinidad and Tobago).
During the 1996 Local Government elections the NAR contested approximately 1/3 of the 124 seats while the UNC contested the other 2/3. Most of the seats contested by the NAR however were PNM strongholds, where the NAR had little support. Even in places like Arima where the NAR could potentially have won, independent candidates split the vote, leading to PNM victories. The NAR won no seats and accused the UNC of supporting these independents, deliberately preventing the NAR from regaining representation in Trinidad.
NAR control overs its two MP's in the National Parliament was reduced. One, Morgan Job (who had taken over Robinson's seat) frequently sided with the UNC against the NAR leadership. The other was increasing friendly with the PEP and eventually became an Independent.
Feeling itself used and ignored by its coalition partner the NAR withdrew from government, though its MPs remained in the UNC-led government. Mohammed did not seek reelection and former Attorney General Anthony Smart became the new NAR leader in 1999.
The NAR won only a single seat in the 2000 elections and found itself back in opposition.
[edit] 2001-2006
In the 2001 THA election the NAR found itself in a four-way battle. NAR Tobago leader Hochoy Charles was a controversial figure. Accusations of autocratic, corrupt and incompetent governance had led to the formation of the PEP, composed of younger rebel NARites. The UNC was also making a first ever foray into Tobago politics and was backed by the power of being in Government. However it was their traditional adversaries, the PNM who proved the undoing of the Tobago NAR. The NAR won only four seats and the PNM assumed control of the THA.
General elections were called early as a result of a split in the UNC. The NAR executive wished to ally with the UNC rebels, dubbed National Team Unity. Smart however was opposed to allying with NTU leader Ramesh Maharaj. Overruled by the executive he resigned. Lennox Sankersingh was elected to replace him. The NAR entered into an electoral arrangement with the NTU whereby the NAR contested six and the NTU thirty seats. Unfortunately neither parties won any seats in the 2001 elections.
The NAR suffered a further loss in 2004 when a portion of the Tobago wing of the party led by Hochoy Charles split away from the NAR and re-formed the DAC. This reduced the NAR representation in the THA to two seats.
An attempt to ally with the Citizen's Alliance (led by former PNM Finance Minister Wendell Mottley) prove fruitless and at the last General Elections, on October 7, 2002, the party won only 1.1% of popular votes and no seats. Afterwards the NAR contested the 2003 Local Government Elections with an arrangement with the UNC. The NAR contest 19 seats but won none. Sankersingh was however appointed an alderman of the UNC controlled Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation. The NAR lost its last representatives in the Tobago House of Assembly in the January 2005 elections. Just prior to that election that majority of the Tobago NAR membership (including its two remaining Assemblymen) defected to the DAC. The NAR was only able to field two candidates and attracted a measly 0.01% of the vote.
At present the party has no representation in either the National Parliament or the Tobago House of Assembly. It has no elected Local Government representatives and has a single appointed alderman. At its 2005 Party Convention less than a hundred members attended. At that meeting Carson Charles, who had returned to the party, was elected Political Leader.
[edit] Party leaders
- A.N.R. Robinson (1986-1991, 1995-1997)
- Carson Charles (1992-1993), (2005- )
- Selby Wilson (1993-1994)
- Nizam Mohammed (1997-1999)
- Anthony Smart (1999-2001)
- Lennox Sankersingh (2001-2005)
