Organisation for National Reconstruction
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The Organisation for National Reconstruction (ONR) is a defunct political party in Trinidad and Tobago. It was led by Karl Hudson-Phillips (former Attorney General and member of the People's National Movement) and Surujrattan Rambachan. The party contested the 1981 General Elections and despite getting the second-highest vote tally nationally, failed to win a single seat. In 1983 the ONR entered into a coalition with the National Alliance, a group comprising 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). This coalition won the Local Government elections held in 1983. In 1986 these parties formally merged into the National Alliance for Reconstruction which won the 1986 General Elections by a margin of 33 seats to 3.
[edit] Formation and the 1981 elections
Hudson-Phillips resigned from the PNM in 1973 when Prime Minister Eric Williams reversed his decision to resign from politics. Hudson-Phillips had been the main contender to succeed Williams - once Williams returned there was no longer room for a person who had openly expressed an interest in leading the party. Hudson-Phillips went on to form the 'National Land Tenants and Ratepayers Association of Trinidad and Tobago in 1974, a right-of-centre body. After building a support base among the middle and upper classes, he launched the ONR in 1980. In the 1981 General Elections the ONR won 22.1% of the vote (the second largest vote tally), but failed to win a single seat. This led to the ONR forging a closer relationship with the other Opposition groups, which had themselves joined together under the banner of the National Alliance to fight the 1981 elections.
[edit] Accommodation and NAR
This Accommodation came to fruition in the 1983 Local Government Elections. The ONR won 26 of the 120 Local Government seats while the National Alliance won 40. This was the first time since 1959 that the PNM had not won the majority of seats contested in any election in Trinidad (the DAC had taken control of the Tobago House of Assembly in 1980). Following on this success, the three parties making up the National Alliance and the ONR combined to form a single party, the National Alliance for Reconstruction. In the 1986 General Elections the NAR won 33 of the 36 seats in Parliament and was able to form the new government.
[edit] Aftermath
Hudson-Phillips did not take a major role in the NAR government (according to Basdeo Panday this was because of animosity between Hudson-Phillips and A.N.R. Robinson, the "compromise" leader of the NAR). He went on the lead the prosecution of the Maurice Bishop murder trial, and is now a judge of the International Criminal Court. Rambachan served as Ambassador to Brazil and now serves as United National Congress Mayor of Chaguanas. Several other ONR members held prominent posts in the NAR government. After the fall of the NAR many of them made their way to the UNC, while others returned to the PNM. Dr. Robert Maharaj formerly of the ONR is credited with much of the effort of amalgamating opposition parties to aid in the formation of the ANR for the 1986 general elections.
