Constitutional Design in the Commonwealth Caribbean

2020 ◽  
pp. 46-78
Author(s):  
Hamid Ghany
Keyword(s):  
Trinidad And Tobago ◽  
The Bahamas ◽  
Constitutional Design ◽  
Commonwealth Caribbean

The Commonwealth Caribbean consisted of Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and, Trinidad and Tobago. In the intervening years between 1962, when Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago attained their independence, and 1983, when St. Kitts-Nevis attained its independence, it is to be noted that all the constitutions of these countries bore a resemblance to each other. This similarity between countries and the similarity of constitutional design has been referred to as the Westminster–Whitehall model in the Commonwealth Caribbean. This chapter explores the main tenets of the Westminster–Whitehall model as well as providing some context as to why there is a desire to hold on to it.

scholarly journals Yes to Local Government, No to Participatory Democracy: The Local Governance Reform Dilemma in Trinidad, St. Lucia and St. Vincent

2009 ◽  
pp. 31-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bishnu Ragoonath
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Trinidad And Tobago ◽  
Participatory Democracy ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Citizen Involvement ◽  
Government Reform ◽  
Governance Reform ◽  
General Acceptance ◽  
The People ◽  
Commonwealth Caribbean

In the Commonwealth Caribbean countries of St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago, local government reform has been and continues to remain on the agenda. The proposals are all based on the philosophy that there should be elected local government, which in turn should facilitate substantive levels of participatory democracy and citizen involvement. But whilst there is general acceptance of this philosophy, central governments are seemingly reluctant to implement any reforms which would return power to the people. Citizen involvement and participatory democracy has thus become the bug-bear in the process, and has led to the stalling of local government reform in all three countries. With reforms having stalled, one wonders whether the next step will be the dissolution of systems of local government in these states.

Revolutionary Theory and Political Reality in the Eastern Caribbean

1983 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick A. M. Emmanuel
Keyword(s):  
Trinidad And Tobago ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Intellectual Community ◽  
Leeward Islands ◽  
Diagnosis And Prognosis ◽  
Political Reality ◽  
Correct Analysis ◽  
Windward Islands ◽  
Eastern Caribbean ◽  
Commonwealth Caribbean

In this analysis of contemporary economic and sociopolitical reality in the smaller states of the Commonwealth Caribbean— the so-called Lesser Developed Countries (LDCs) comprising Antigua, St. Kitts-Nevis and Montserrat (the Leeward Islands) and Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent (the Windward Islands)—developments within the larger CARICOM countries—namely Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Barbados—will be discussed. All too often social science analysis of the Commonwealth Caribbean assumes a great deal of homogeneity among all CARICOM countries, therefore concluding that what might be a correct analysis of Jamaica, for example, is equally applicable to any of the smaller territories. This article shows that this assumption is often erroneous and can produce several pitfalls in perspective, diagnosis, and prognosis.During the 1970s there have been several concrete developments in the Commonwealth Caribbean presenting the intellectual community with unprecedented tasks of interpretation. Broadly, the decade began with the massive “black power” upheavals in Trinidad and Tobago and culminated with the revolutionary overthrow of the neocolonial Gairy regime next door in Grenada.

Trinidad and Tobago: A Case for Reform in the Law of Succession

1996 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 675-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Tesheira
Keyword(s):  
Trinidad And Tobago ◽  
The Bahamas ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Law Of Succession

It is rather distressing, if not tragic, that the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, with a relatively large legal population and a somewhat litigious reputation, has earned itself the dubious distinction of having the most archaic, if not the most inequitable, succession laws in the English-speaking Caribbean, second only to the Bahamas.

scholarly journals Book Reviews

1994 ◽  
Vol 68 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 317-407
Author(s):  
Redactie KITLV
Keyword(s):  
Trinidad And Tobago ◽  
West Indies ◽  
English Language ◽  
New World ◽  
White Women ◽  
Early Career ◽  
The West ◽  
The Bahamas ◽  
Cambridge University ◽  
History Of

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