January 2012


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In the glare of soft light: Tales of a turbulent past through the lens of time

By Shane J. Pantin

Late last year, Arthur N.R. Robinson made one of his few public appearances. It was at a November evening entitled “Conversations with Prime Ministers,” which was meant to facilitate reflection and a discussion of his long career in politics and social activity. It also raised awareness of the launch of Robinson’s biography, “In the Midst of It” which has since been published.

Despite the limitations presented by his frailty, the glimpses one got of his life really gives the image of the man who was once President and Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, a man whose political career was forged by sheer will and determination for success.

Robinson was born in Castara in 1926 to a humble background. With his early education in Tobago, he went on to study in the United Kingdom where he was trained in philosophy, politics and economics. He was Deputy Political Leader of the political party, the People’s National Movement, for a time under Eric Williams. He broke away from the PNM in 1970 in the wake of the Black Power disturbances and formed his own political party, the Democratic Action Congress (DAC). Thence, Robinson’s political career was opposed to the politics of the PNM, with 1986 being the eventual triumph over the party that provided him with his first taste of politics.

Reflections such as these by men who served in the realms of power are quixotic but fascinating. For them life was victory after victory, a contribution and a legacy to be etched into the history books, or in an autobiography; and so the reflections take on an, "I did it my way" kind of theme. Victories, defeats, blunders, and regrets are seen as necessary parts of the journey. Judgements of actions are left to those who write or comment on it and inevitably shape the memory of the man but do not shape the man.

Robinson served as Prime Minster during one of Trinidad and Tobago’s most difficult periods. He is known for standing up against radical fanatics during the coup d'état of 1990, defiantly instructing security forces to “attack with full force.”

He is acknowledged as a pivotal person in the formation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and was instrumental in the establishment of the Tobago House of Assembly. Alongside the THA, the ICC was a professional and personal triumph for someone who strongly believed in the principle of human rights.

In 2000, he made a decision not to appoint certain senators chosen by then elected Prime Minster, Basdeo Panday. And he made a controversial decision in 2001 in appointing Patrick Manning as Prime Minister on the basis of moral and spiritual values rather than constitutional principles.

Perhaps in trying to understand, we deconstruct the man, his career, and his work. His humble beginning in Tobago presents the image of a hard worker. It is not easy for a person to move from depressed socio-economic conditions to a socio-economic position of status, wealth, and erudition. It takes an admirable degree of determination, which means that the choices made were life changing ones. The choice to pursue education, social action, and political activity, over mediocre or forgettable choices by someone coming from depressed conditions is not a simple one. So I, for one, respect and admire his struggle to achieve what he has gained in life.

In reflecting on his years as a member of the PNM, we see someone living in the shadow of its powerful and enigmatic leader, Eric Williams. Robinson was successful within the party mainly because of his skills as an economic analyst. He served as Minister of Finance and he took this job as a challenge. Breaking with the PNM was not easy. As the most well organized and disciplined political machine the nation had ever seen, it was almost an effort in futility. But challenge it he did; he broke with the PNM because of his disagreement over the handling of the Black Power disturbances. One can guess there was more in the background. From here on, it was political wilderness until 1986 with the grand triumph of the NAR led by Robinson over the PNM.

The euphoria and political turmoil between 1986 and 1991 have already been explored twentyfold. A shattered political alliance and a wave of discontent with economic austerity looms large, not only in Robinson’s career, but many associated with the NAR. Trinidad and Tobago’s experiment with coalition party politics came at an inopportune moment given the tumult of the global financial crisis. And the bitter legacy was one that haunts politics up to today. It was not one of Robinson’s strongest periods.

But he held on, returning in 1995 to the centre of the political stage by coalescing with the United National Congress led by Panday, and he was promised the Presidency if he lent his support.

It is a mixed bag; Robinson was a political and a public figure from whose life much can be learnt. In exploring the life of a politician or public figure there is never a neat sequence; the best moments are weighted against the challenges and how that person confronts those challenges form intriguing parts of the story. At times in confronting a challenge decisions are made controversially, as we note in Robinson’s decisions in 2000 and 2001. As a student of history the lasting impression that I got from attending this event was the manner of his rise, fall, and return which provides one of the more inspiring biographical narratives in the nation’s history; a remarkable story indeed.

Shane J. Pantin is a graduate studies student with the Department of History at The University of the West Indies. His area is the intellectual history of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean with the focus of his research being the influence of nationalism, socialism, and identity in the region.