SOCIAL SCIENCE

Unit 4: How we qovern ourselves

In this unit youwill find out

The electoral process in Trinidad and Tobago

T h e electoral process, relevant terms and concepts
The differences between government and politics
Preparing for an election in Trinidad and Tobago

The factors influencing a political choice

The process on election day
The formation of a new government
Free and fair elections and universal suffrage
T h e importance of a free and fair election process
and constitutional reform
.The constitution
The significance of constitutional reform

Humanitarian law -

consequences of war and conflict

normal life
How war disrupts
How gangs affect local communities
T h e action necessary to reduce or prevent the suffering caused by war

Promotion of respect for human dignity

difference
Strategies for making a

Humanitarian law - the need for justice

Justice and the need for justice

.Universal Declaration of Human Rights
in which justice can be served
Ways
the accused
.Whojudges
The reasons for international tribunals
Court
. T h e International Criminal
Criminal
the creation of the International
The role of Mr A.N.R. Robinson in
Court
of the Caribbean Court of Justice
The role and functions

65
Unit 4: How we govern ourselves

learning to:
The electoral We are

define and use appropriately releun

terms and concepts: elector, electoraat
process in Trinidad candidate, independent candidate

and Tobago
The government of Trinidad and Tobago is a representative
elected by voters
democracy, which means that people are

to serve in the government.

Electionsare held regularly to choose peoplewhowill
in national and local government. People are chosen
serve
in the
according to an electoral process, which is described
constitution of the state.
A rally in Port of Spain during the
2010 elections.
Elector

An elector is a person who has the right to vote in an

election. In order to have the right to vote, you have to be
In order
eligible and you must also be registered as a voter.
to be eligible to vote, you must:

b e 18 years old
be a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago
be a Commonwealth citizen who has lived in Trinidad
and Tobago for at least one year

have lived in your constituency (election district) for at

least two months. *******************
***"

You need to have a National ldentification Card in order to Did you know..
***********.***** ***************
*****

register as a voter.
In the election in
2010
Trinidad and Tobago
Electorate 1040127 people
but
The electorate is all the people in the country who are registered to vote,
only 722322 people
eligible and registered to vote in an election. The electorate (69%) actually voted.
of Trinidad and Tobago has increased from 259 512 the
* * * * *
* * *

**********" ** **********

number of people who were registered to vote in the first

elections in 1946-t o more than 1 million people.

Exercise
1. How old do you have to be in order to vote in Trinidad
and Tobago?
2. Do you have to be a citizen of trinidad and Tobago to
be able to vote in our elections?

3. What was the size of the electorate in 1946? How

does this compare to the size of the electorate now?

d a d a n d Tobago
Lower Secondary Social Sciences: The electoral process in Trinidad a
66
 Candidates
A candidate in an election is a person who seeks to be
4-1
nominated or elected to a position in the national or local
government.
If the candidate gets enough votes and is elected, he or she
represents the people who have voted. This is a principle of
democratic government.
Candidates in elections in Trinidad and Tobago have to:
b e 18 years old.
b e citizens or have lived in the country for The red mark on the finger shows
two years. that these people have voted in the
b e nominated by at least six registered electors in the election. This is to prevent peopie
having more thari one vie.
country.
register and pay a
deposit before they can start their .****** *********** **** *****************'**

campaigns to win supporters who will vote for them.

Candidates can be members of political parties or they can
You have to be 18 years
be independent candidates.
old to be eligible to
vote in most democratic
Exercise countries around the
world. Some countries
4. What is the difference between a candidate and an like Brazil, Argentina,
elector? Cuba and Austria - allow
citizens to vote from the
5. In one sentence, describe what is meant by thee
age of 16.
electorate of Trinidad and Tobago. **********

6. Would you be allowed to nominate a candidate for

your government? Give a reason for your answer. Key vocabulary
******* ************ ************

7. Are you or members of your family eligible to vote? representative

Why/why not? democracy
8. Who is the Prime Minister of our country now, and election
which political party does he or she lead? vote
9. How many members of this party are in the House of elector
Representatives? eligible
National Identification
Card
Discussion Research electorate
Why is it important Work in pairs and find candidate
to get a National out about people in votes
ldentification Card? your community who
represents
have been candidates in
Why do you think that national or local elections.
democratic government
registered voters do not nominated
always cast their votes Did they represent a
in an election? Discuss political party? Were they supporters
these questions in class. elected? independent candidate

67
 Unit 4: How we govern ourselves

We are learning to:

Constituents and define and use appropriately relevan
terms and concepts: Constituency,
Constituencies constituent, campaign, manifesto.

Constituencies and constituents

Trinidad and Tobago is divided into a number of areas
known as constituencies. The people who live in this area,
the constituents, vote for who they want to represent them
in local and national elections.
The person who receives the majority of votes from
that area is the winner. He or she then represents that
constituency at local or national level in government.

Tobago
Fast
Tobago West

Parliamentary Electoral Districts

Diego Martin North/East numbered on the map:
Diego Martin West 1 Diego Martin Central
Arima
StAnn's
East ToCondeS
Sangre Grande
2
3
4
Port-of-Spain North/St Ann's West
Port-of-Spain South
Laventille West
5 Laventille East/Morvant
6 Barataria/San Juan
Chaguanas West 7 St Joseph
13 1Horquetta 8 Tunapuna
13 14 Talparo umuto
Manzanilla 9Lopinot/Bon Air West
Couva North -
10 St Augustine
Caron 11 Arouca/Maloney
Couva South - central, 12 D'Abadie/0'Meara
13 Chaguanas East
Pointe-a-Pierre Tabaquite 14 Caroni East
San FernandoWest Mayaro 15 San Fernando East
rinces 16 Oropouche East
lown
Oropouche West 17 Naparima
Fyzabad
6
Moruga
lableland
La Brea
Point Siparia
Fortin

There are 41 constituencies in Trinidad and Tobago.

Discussion
What ideas would you like your elected representatives to include
in their manifestos? Think about issues that affect your life or the
life of your families and friends. Make a list of five ideas.

LOwer Secondary Social Sciences: Constituents and constituencies

68
Trinidad and Tobago is divided up into 41 constituencies.
Each constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP)
to sit in the House of Representatives, which is part of the
national government.
42
For example, Arima is a constituency in the north and Research
Port Fortin is a constituency in the south of Trinidad. Work in pairs or small
There are two constituencies in Tobago: Tobago East groups. Research
and Tobago West. the constituencies in
Trinidad and Tobago.
To get this information,
Campaign you can log onto the
A campaign is series of events that are organised to helpa www.ttparliame:it.org
candidate get elected. During a campaign, candidates try to website and use
th
convince voters about why they should get their votes. Constituendy Ma
Candidates present their ideas about matters that concern
the people of the constituency and the country as a whole.
They use the media as well as personal appearances to get YOu Can asc
their messages across to voters.
personal mant
in whicti you oucy
declare whar y YOuc
Manifesto
like to achieve. Here are
All candidates put together a manifesto before they begin some things that peopie
their campaigns. A manifesto states publicly what the have written in persona
candidate's views are on certain issues and explains the manifestos:
policies they support or will introduce if they are elected. Live up to my
The manifesto will reflect the policies of the political party potential!
that the candidate represents.
See the world!
Work out regularly.
Exercisee Research
1. In your own words define the terms constituency, Work in pairs and
constituent, campaign and manifesto. find out the meaning
2. Find out in the name of constituency in which of the expression 'to
you live. be on the campaign
trail.' Find examples of
3. How many constituencies are there in Trinidad and what happens on the
Tobago? Name five of them. campaign trail, then
4. Choose five constituencies. Find out who has been report back ot the class
elected to represent these constituencies in national with your ideas.
government as an MP. Find out which political party
each MP belongs to. Key vocabulary
5. Who do constituents vote for?
constituency
6. Name five types of campaign activity that a candidate
constituent
Could engage in while running to be elected to
national or local government. campaign
7. Explain what you would expect to see in a manifesto. manifesto

69
 Unit 4: How we govern ourselves
We are learning to:

Nomination Day . define and use appropriately.

terms and concepts: franchic
suffrage, nominati nominatin

Franchise
to vote.
to have the right
To have the franchise means enfranchised. In
most
to vote are
People who have the right enfranchised.
all adult citizens are
modern democracies
introduced in
was
limited franchise
In Trinidad and Tobago a
to vote for
seven
adults were allowed
the 1920s, when some
these adults
Council. To qualify,
members of the Legislative
or own
a high income
had to understand English, earn In 1946, ali adults in Trinidada
be over 21; women,
property of a certain value. Men had to Tobago were able to vote in g
elections for the first time.
over 30.

Adult suffrage
over a certain
Adult suffrage is the right that adults (people
elections. Until the 1920s adult
age) have to vote in political
was reserved for some people
suffrage was a privilege that
men were allowed to
only. In most countries, only wealthy
and women, were not
vote. People who did not own land,
enfranchised. Today suffrage is seen as a right, and most
democracies alloN all adult citizens over the age of 18 to
Discussion
vote. Adult suffrage was granted to all the British colonies
Why should elector
in the Caribbean in the 40s and 1950s. Jamaicans got this nominatecandidate
right in 1944; Trinbagonians, in 1945. Why should candidate
in 1946, all adults in Trinidad and Tobago were able to have to pay a depos
vote in national elections for the first time. Finally, all be ofticiä
in order to
citizens of the country had a real say in choosing their own declared a candidate
aovernment. Previously excluded adults, such as labourers Discuss thesequestic
and farm workers, were able to vote for the first time. This with your teacher.
encouraged people to take an active interest in their own
country and how it was governed.

Exercise
1. Make this statement accurate: all adults in Trinidad
and Tobago have been enfranchised since the
1920s.
2. Explain in your own words what the terms franchise
and adult suffrage mean.
3. How did voting change in the 1940s and
Caribbean?
1950s in the

70 Lower Secondary Social Sciences: Nomination Dav

Nomination and Nomination Day
Before they can stand for election, all candidates who
43
represent political parties, as well as independent
candidates, have to gain formal nomination as candidates. Research
This means that candidates have to follow a certain Work in pairs. Log onto
procedure in order to be able to stand for election. These the EBC website (www.
procedures take place on Nomination Day. ebctt.com), scroll down
Read the following newspaper article about Nomination to 'Operations of the
Day in a recent general election. EBC' and 'Nomination
of Candidates.' Find
out more about
Case studdy Nomination Day and
Today is Nomination Day in Trinidad and Tobago how nominatiorrs work.

All people wishing tobecome candidates in the upcoming

be
election will presenting their nomination papers and
their deposits of $5 000 to the Returning Officers of the
VOTES TOr OE
Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC).
The Returning Officers of all 41 constituencies will be in
their offices from 9 a.m. to 12:00 noon and then again from
1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

All persons wishing to become candidates for election must

be nominated by at least six registered electors from the
FOR
electoral district which the candidate is contesting.
Candidates may only seek election in one electoral district
constituency. Once the Returning Officer has accepted
the nomination papers and deposit the candidacy is official.
WOMEN
Questions In the UK, suffragettes were women
who fought for the right to vote.
1. List three things that you have to do if you wish to
********
become a candidate in an election in Trinidad and
*************** *.

Did you know...?

Tobago.
2. To whom do candidates have to apply for In the nineteenth and
nomination? twentieth centuries in
3. What is the EBC and what does it do? the UK, women known
as suffragettes fought
4. Who can nominate a candidate?
for their right to vote in
5. Can one candidate stand for election in more than elections.
****************** *******"
one constituency?
6. What happens on Nomination Day? Key vocabulary
****************************************************

7. What effect do you think the grantingof adult

franchise
suffrage had on the people of the Caribbean?
adult suffrage
nomination
Nomination Day

71
 Unit 4: How we govern ourselves

Ballots We are learning to0

define and use appropriately relevan
terms and concepts: bailot, ballot bo
secret ballot.

Ballots
A ballot is a vote or a piece of paper on which a person
records his or her vote. When people talk about winning
"the ballot', they mean the total number of votes cast
in an election.

Ballot paper
A ballot paper on which you cast your vote has the names of
the candidates and the political parties with which they are
associated.
In some countries there are also photographs of the
candidates on the ballot papers. In order to cast your vote,
for whom
you make a cross next to the name of the person Ballot papers are counted carefuly
you are voting. and behind closed doors.

Ballot box)
Once you have chosen the candidate for whom you wish to
vote, you place your ballot in a ballot box.
A ballot box is a special box which is sealed so that people
cannot tamper with it. The box is only opened when the
votes are counted.

Exercise
Ballot boxes are sealed so that pec
1. Define the terms ballot and ballot box. cannot tamper with them.
2. What would you expect to see on a ballot paper?

3. What do you do with a ballot paper?

4. What does it mean if a candidate wins the ballot?

72 Lower Secondary Social Sciences: Ballots

 Secret ballot

When you vote or cast your ballot in an election, you do

so in secret. You do not have to tell anyone vwho you have
444
voted for and nobody should watch you while you make
your cross on the ballot form.

The constitution of Trinidad and Tobago states that voting

in elections has to be by means of a secret ballot.

Secret ballots allowpeople to vote anonymously and freely.

This helps to make sure that you have a real choice when
you vote, as it stops other people from intimidating or
bribing you to vote for someone else.
Another way of voting is by means of a show of hands. This
method is sometimes used in schools or clubs. People are
asked to raise their hands to vote for a persorn or to agree
with a proposal.

This method is not secret, as everyone can see how you vote.
ting in elections in Tririidad and
Itis not appropriate in general elections, as it would be Tobago has to be by secret baliot
difficult to check votes afterwards and it could also lead to
corruption and voter intimidation. ************************************************

Did yo
***************************************-******* ****~.

Exercise The word ballot comes

from an ltalian word
5. Write a sentence explaining what a secret ballot is. ballotta, which means
6. Why does a ballot box have to be sealed? 'a small ball.' It refers to
an old system of voting
7. What are the advantages of a ballot by show of in which people cast
hands? Are there any disadvantages? their ballots by placing
8. Which of the small coloured balls in
following are advantages/disadvantages a container.
of a secret ballot?
******************************************* ****

a) You can vote for whom you choose without fear

of intimidation.
b) It makes it difficult to bribe people to vote for a Key vocabulary
certain candidate, because you cannot be sure
who they will really vote for. ballot
c) Some people may be anxious about having to ballot paper
complete the process by themselves.
ballot box
d) You don't have to tell others who you have
voted for. secret ballot

73
 Unit 4: How we govern ourselves

Voting systems We are learning to:

define and use

appropriately relevant
terms and concepts: floating voters,
first-past-the-post system, ection da
hung parliament.

Floatingvoters
Some voters always support one political party, while others
are sometimes unsure who to vote for. These voters are
called floating voters in an election. Floating voters can
affect the outcome of an election, because political parties OTE
cannot guess who they are going to vote for. Their votes can Yore
also help to decide an election that is closely contested. We an bese n
LI ZA ZAKOUR

First-past-the-post system
Floating voters can be influenced by
There are two types of electoral system; the first-past-the- party political advertising.
post system (FPPS), and the proportional representation
(PR) system. The difference between the two revolves
aorund how votes are counted and the way candidates win
elections.
The first-past-the-post system is used to elect Members to
the House of Representatives in Trinidad and Tobago.
In this system, one candidate is elected for each
constituency. The candidate who wins is the candidate
who gets the most votes in that constituency. In some
systems, a majority
candidates have to win of the votes
in other words, more than 50% of the votes. The winning
candidate becomes the constituency representative in the Research
House of Representatives, and is said to have won a seat in Work in groups. Find out
Parliament. on which date the
The party that wins the majority of seats in Parliament last general election
wins the overall election and therefore forms the was held in Trinidad
government. The Prime Minister is selected from the and Tobago
winning party and the leader of the opposition is selected
which political
from the party with the second-highest number of seats parties contested
the election
Proportional representation which political par
won the election
In some countries, like Guyana, candidates are elected
the of five
through a system of proportional representation (PR). In a names

Candidates who
PR electoral system, voters vote for a political party. Each
were elected to
party draws up a list of candidates for an election. The
number of candidates elected from each party is directly serve in the House
of Representative
proportional to how many votes were cast for that party.

74 Lower Secondary Social SCiences:

Voting systems
Election Day
4.5
Candidates who are
electedto serve in the House of
Representatives in Trinidad serve for five years at a time.
This means that new elections have to be
held at least every five years.
The President can call for elections before
the five years have been completed. This
sometimes happens when one party does
not have a clear majority or when there are
important issues that need to be resolved.
The Elections and Boundaries Commission
(EBC) and the government notify voters
about when an election will take place. On
that day, Election Day, people cast their
votes. The votes are counted and the results
are usually announced the following day, as Trinidad and Tobago'sformer PM Pattick M:ning i3 hi
counting the votes can take a long time. dyed finger after casting his vote during the gaeta ieet Dn5
in 2010 in Port of Spain.

Hung parliament
A hung parliament is when no party has gained the overall
majority of seats in Parliament to take control and to
form a government. When this situation occurs, two (or
more) parties may join forces to create a government.
Alternatively, the election may be held again.

Exercise
1. Log onto the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament website
(www.ttparliament.org/about.php?mid=42) and find
out the definition of a first-past-the-post system.
2. Then complete this definition by choosing the correct Key vocabulary
****************'***************

words: 'In the first-past-the-post system the candidate

who receives (fewer/more) votes than any other
floating voters
candidate is elected. The candidate (does/does not) first-past-the-post-
have to receive an absolute majority of the votes.' system (FPPS)
3. In your own words, define floating voter. proportional
4. What is Election representaion (PR)
Day?
5. Explain the term hung parliament.
majority
6. In your own words, compile a glossary of terms used Election Day
so far in Units 4.1-4.5. Write at least 15 defintions. hung parliament

75
 Unit 4: How we govern ourselves

We are learning to:

Preparing for understandthe differences betweer
government and politics
an election outline the steps in preparing for an
election in Trinidad and Totbago
discuss the factors influening a

political choice.

eoee

Differences between politics and government

It is important to understand the differences between
politics and government. Politics refers to the beliefs or
theories people hold about the way a country should be run,
while government is the body, or institution, that runs the
country. This is why we have different political parties, which
have different ideas as to howa country should be run.

Steps in preparation for an election

Keith Christopher Rowley, Lead
of the Opposition and Member
There are a number of legal steps involved in setting up a
the House of Representatives fo
national election before polling day in Trinidad and Tobago: Diego Martin West, speaks duri
the General Election campaigen
The government announces the intention to hold an 27 August 2015 in St Augustine,
election and Parliament is dissolved. Trinidad.
Electoral registration - the electorate (voters/electors)
check that they are registered to vote.
T h e dates for Nomination Day and the election are set.
Political parties nominate their candidates on
Nomination Day, which has to be within 14 days of the
announcement of the election. Candidates have to be
nominated by at least six people.
Venues for polling stations are identified. The buildings Activity
must be safe, a public or community-owned building In groups, imagine thä
with facilities for the disabled and elderly voters, and you are a youth office
located within the electoral district. with a political party
A notice about the polling stations is published in a
Brainstorm a five-min
newspaper, detailing the date of the election, hours
speech in which you a
when the polling station is open, its address and station to encourage people
number, and information about the candidates. to vote for your party
Outline your manifeste
Poll cards are sent out. These contain the details of the and say why people
elector, date of the election and location of the elector's should vote for you
polling station. Then one member or
Following Nomination Day, the candidates and parties begin your group presentsy
of
their campaign. First they decide their policies and speech to the rest
their manifesto. The campaign that follows
publish the class.
typically has
public meetings and rallies, house-to-house canvassing and
opinion polls.

76 Lower Secondary Social Sciences:

Preparing for an election
Factors influencing a political choice

In
and the wider Caribbean, al
Trinidad and Tobago,
4.6
citizens aged 18 and over can vote in a national election.
There are many different factors that determine the party or
candidate a voter may choose to vote for:
PORTORSPANNORTH/
Gender men and women sometimes vote differently 0965-2
based on certain issues, as particular things will be more
important to men and women. A party's manifesto may POLING STATION E
contain promises that appeal particularly to men, or LIMIT
more to women.
Race/culture - voters from a particular ethnic group may
Polling day at a polling station in
choose to vote for a candidate from the same ethnic Trinidad and Tobago.
group; in countries that are dominated by one ethnic
group, the party that has the support of that group
often wins the election.
Religion- some religious denominations do not allow
people to vote in elections, but when they do they Actii
often vote for a candidate or political party that shares
their religious views.
Write a paragrapn to
describe why 3omee
Emotions- people may be biased by responding might changa thei rnind
emotionally to a particular candidate or party's about wtrich poitica!
campaign. They may not like the other candidates, not party to vote for.
agree with a political party's view, or feel unhappy with
the pertormance of the government.
Family-family members often vote for the same
party that their family has voted for across several
generations, as they often share the same value systems
and outlook on life.
Political socialisation political parties attract loyal
followers, who will always vote for a particular party.
Discussion
As a class, your teacher
Tolerance of different political views to your own.
will lead a discussion on
The media have a responsibility to give accurate, why people give support
balanced and unbiased coverage of an election, to different political
allowing all parties equal access to advertising
parties.
opportunities. However, newspapers, television and
radio can influence public opinion. Sometimes they can
present a biased view of a certain political party, either
in a positive or negative way, and in some countries
governments own particular media outlets.

Exercise
Key vocabulary
1. Draw a flow diagram that outlines the steps in ********************************"

preparation for an election. house-to-house

2. Why do you think people from the same ethnic and/or canvassing
religious groups often vote for the same party? opinion polls

77
 Unit 4: How we govern ourselves

We are learning to:

The process on explain the process to be followed.
election day.
election day
The process on election day
is Monday and no more than
Election day usually on a

21 days after Nomination Day. In Trinidad and Tobago the

polling stations open at 6:00 a.m. and close at 6:00 p.m.
Voters are allowed to go and cast their vote at
any time during those hours. If a voter is still
queuing to get in the polling station at 6:00 p.m.,
they are allowed to vote, but no one who joins
the line after this time is allovwed to vote.
Voters' list: The voter's name is checked on
the voters' list, which shows that they are
registered. The voter's name and number is
called out, so that the party agents who are
present can mark their own lists.
Polling station: Upon entering the polling The police are often at polling stations to mke sure

voting is fair and peaceful.

station, the voter queues in either the green
line (if they have their International ldentity Card) or a
red line (those without their ID or who are visually or
physically impaired).
Ballot paper (casting of ballot): The voter is then
advised how and where to mark the ballot paper, and
their fingers are checked for signs of indelible ink,
which shows whether the voter has already voted.
Ballot box: The voter then makes their way to voting
booth. They make their mark, fold the paper and put it
in the ballot box.
Checking of votes: The counting of the ballot papers
starts at the end of voting, at 6:00 p.m. The presiding
officer opens the ballot box and one by one opens the
ballot paper and calls out who the vote is for.
Declaration of winner: The pll clerks, and party agents,
keep a tally of the number of votes, and at the end of
this process the result is announced to those present.
The ballot papers are placed back in the ballot box,
along with the polling cards, and the party agents
sign a Statement of Result, which declares that they
agree with the result. The ballot box is then taken to
the constituency centre, where the results from all the
polling stations in the constituency are put together
and the winner is declared
The illustration shows what happens once in the polling station.

78 1.Ower Secondary Social SCiences: The

process on election day
 Green line poll clerk Red line poll clerk Deputy presiding officer
4.7
Project
In groups, role-play
Voting booth the steps involved in
a general election.

Information
offhcer t antanunr Include the selection
of candidates, the
campaign, the casting of
ballots, the declaration
Officer in charge of of a winner and the
the ballot box
victory and losing
speeches.

Polling agents
Entrance

Exit

The voters are supervised by a number of staff at the polling

station:
t h e presiding officer - responsible for the running of
the polling station
the deputy presiding officer
two poll clerks who are
responsible for managing
the queue, asking the elector for his or her ID card,
checking the documents to determine that the elector
is entitled to vote and ticking off the elector's name to
say they have voted
o n e officer in charge of the ballot box
information officer(s) (where considered necessary)
who help to give general information to the electors
and answer questions.

Exercise
1. On what day of the week is election day usually?
2. Between what times are you allowed to vote?
3. What should you bring with you to the polling
station?
4. What are the roles of the presiding officer and poll Key vocabulary
*'******************************************* **
clerks on election day?
polling stations
5. Draw a flow diagram that outlines what happens on
election day. voters' list

79
 Unit 4: How we govern ourselves

We are learning to:

A new governnment .discuss the activities follovwing an
election in the formation of a ne
government.

Formation of a new government

Following the declaration of the result of the general
election, the party with the largest proportion of the vote
begins the process of forming a new government.

The member who commands the majority in the House of

Representatives (Upper House) becomes the Prime Minister.
Candidates who get the most votes in a constituency
become members of the House of Representatives.
The Parliament Building for Tobag:
It is the Prime Minister's role, in their capacity as head of Port of Spain, Trinidad.

government, to appoint Ministers and Junior Ministers to

the Cabinet. If they feel it is necessary, they restructure the
Ministries for example, the Ministry for Health, Education,
Public Utilities and Tourism.

TheOpposition
The Opposition to the government is led by the largest party Activity
that did not form the government after a general election. Go to the website of the
The Opposition leader in Trinidad is appointed by the Trinidad and Tobaggo
President of Trinidad and Tobago. Parliament (www.
ttparliament.org/index.
The role of the Opposition is to hold the government to
account for the decisions that it makes and to scrutinise php) and research the
Current members of the
their policies.
Senate (Upper House)
and the House of
The formation of the Senate (Upper House)
Representatives (Lower
The Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is
House).
made up of two houses: the Senate (Upper House), which is
presided over by the President; and the Lower House (House
of Representatives).
The Prime Minister nominates 16 members of their own
party to the Senate, while the Opposition leader nominates
six members from their party. The President appoints nine
members to the Senate.

Members of an Electoral College elect the President in a

secret ballot. This Electoral College is made up of members
of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

80 Lower Secondary Social Sciences: A new

government
 The role of
the citizens

People who are elected to national and local government in

4
a democracy have a responsibility to carry out the duties and
for which they have been elected.
services
The citizens who have elected these representatives also
have a responsibility to make sure that these representatives
do their jobs correctly.
There are several ways in which citizens can be involved.
The prime minister of Trinidad and
When Parliament is discussing new proposed bills, Tobago, Keith Rowley, speaks during
which may later become lavws, members of the public the Conference of Defense Ministers
are invited to comment and to give their views. of the Americas in the Port of Spain,
Trinidad and Tobago, Oct. 11, 2016.
Sovernment representatives also hold meetings from
time to time, which citizens can attend.
There are websites from which citizens can get
information freely and through which they can contact
government representatives. Resea
Go to the wehsite of the
If government officials do not do their work in a satisfactory
manner, there are ways of removing these officials from
Trinidad and Tobago
Parliament (www.
their jobs.
ttparliament.org/index.
Elected officials will not be re-elected if they have not php) and research who
performed well. is the current President,
Officials whoare found to be corrupt can be removed Prime Minister and
from office, too. Leader of the Opposition.
All government officials, including the Prime Minister, are Explain the roles that
subject to the laws of the country, like any other citizen. they have in the running
of government.

Exercise)
1. Write a short paragraph describing how a new
government and Opposition is formed after a general Key vocabulary
election. ********************************************************

2. After a general election, who appoints the new House of

Cabinet? Representatives
3. What is the role of the Opposition? Cabinet
4. Explain how the Upper House is formed. Parliament
5. Name two ways in which citizens can scrutinise the Senate
role of the government in Trinidad and
Tobago President
6. Do you think the Prime Minister of Trinidad
and
Tobago can be removed from office? How and why? Prime Minister

81
 Unit 4: How we govern ourselves

We are learning to:

Free and fair define and explain relevant terms
and concepts: free aricd feir electione
elections universal suffrage
recognise the importance of a free a
fair election process.

Universal suffrage in Trinidad and Tobago

Universal is the term used to show that all

suffrage
have a right to vote.
competent adult persons in a country
The right to vote is not restricted by race, sex, belief, wealth
or social status.
From 1797, Trinidad and Tobago was under Crown Colony
rule from the British. This system had a Governor and a
Legislative Council. The Council was made up of people
nominated by the Governor. Under this system, citizens did
Hunger march during civil
not have the right to vote. disturbances in the 1930s, Port of

Trinidad and Tobago had a limited franchise

Spain, Trinidad.
By the 1920s,
system. This is a system where not all the population
was
allowed to take part - men had to be over 21, women over
have property above
30, they had to earn a high income or
a certain value and had to understand the English language.
These rules meant that only about 10% of
the population Research
could take part. Using the interne
the call to reform the research situations
After civil disturbances in the 1930s, around the world where
in 1945, adult suffrage for
voting system increased. Finally, Citizens were elections have not been
allowed.
all citizens over the age of 21 was
allowed to vote in their first general election on 1 July free or fair. For example
1946. The age was lowered to 18 in 1962, when Trinidad and you could research
OCcasions in the past
Tobago gained independence.
when people have been
excluded from voting
Exercise
in Trinidad and Tobago
1. In your own words, define the term universal suffrage. because of their status
or in other countries
2. In the period 1797-1922, were citizens allowed to vote
for the people they thought should run Trinidad and around the world that
are not democracies.
Tobago? You could use the sear
3. What were the terms of the limited franchise phrase 'unfair elections
recommended by the Wood Commission in 1922? in history.' Write an es
Were these terms good for the nation's citizens? of 200 words outlining
4. When was the voting age lowered to 18? your findings. Add
any consequencestor
COuntries that haveno
had fair elections.

82 Lower Secondary Social Sciences: Free and fair elections

Free and fair elections
An election should adhere to the principles of universal
49
adult suffrage and has to be free and fair.

A free and fair election occurs when the parties taking part
in the election do not try to persuade citizens to cast their 0965-2
t
yotes in their tavour by using force or intimidation. It should
also ensure that the counting of the votes is accurate and
not open to abuse.
LIMY
Elections, at both national and local level, also require the
following conditions to make them free and fair:
A policeman guards the entrance
.universal suffrage for all eligible men and women to a polling station during the
parliamentary elections in Port of
.the freedom to register as a voter or as a candidate Spain, Trinidad, 2007.
freedom of speech for candidates, their parties and the
freedom to hold political rallies and campaigns
polling stations accessible to everyone and people have
a private space to cast their vote.

Importance of free and fair elections Discussion

In groups, discuss this
It is in the interests of all political parties to make sure that statement: 'Elections
general elections are transparent: should be free, fair and
to avoid voters being persecuted or prevented from free from fear.' Do you
voting, by threats of violence or attacks on polling agree with this? Discuss
as a group, then outline
stations
your conclusions to the
t o avoid voters being intimidated or bribed to vote for
rest of the class.
a candidate or a party
********
*********** ** .-...
t o avoid voters being excluded from voting based on
Did you know...
race, sex, beliefs, wealth, or social status *************"***** ********** **** ** ***

to ensure that the counting of votes is transparent and Article 21 of The

independent and not tampered with Universal Declaration
t o ensure that ballot papers are not deliberately of Human Rights states
miscounted, lost or destroyed. "that everyone has the
right to take part in
government.'
Exercise -****-** --

5. List four conditions that make an election free and

fair. Key vocabulary
****"

6. List four scenarios that would make an election unfair. universal suffrage

Do you think it is fair that people should be excluded Crown Colony

Trom voting because of their race, sex, beliefs, wealth limited franchise
or social status? Explain why/why not.
free and fair
8. Write a paragraph explaining why an election should
be free and fair. Write about 50 words. transparent

83