The Democratic Labour Party was the main opposition party in Trinidad and Tobago from 1957 to 1971. The party was formed as a multi-racial alternative to the Afro-Trinidadian-dominated People's National Movement led by Eric Williams. Over the course of the next ten years the party developed into an Indo-Trinidadian-dominated party. After several splits brought about by leadership struggles, the party lost its hold on the Indo-Trinidadian community in the 1976 General Elections and was displaced by the United Labour Front under the leadership of Basdeo Panday.

Federal Period

The DLP originated when three of the Opposition parties in the Legislative Council affiliated with the Democratic Labour Party of the West Indies Federation under the leadership of Sir Alexander Bustamante. These three parties (the People's Democratic Party, the Trinidad Labour Party and the Party of Political Progress Groups) then merged to form the Democratic Labour Party of Trinidad and Tobago. The DLP defeated the PNM in the 1958 Federal Elections, winning six of the ten seats in the Federal Parliament.

Shortly thereafter the party began to distintegrate. Bhadase Sagan Maraj, the first leader of the party in the Legislative Council, became ill, bedridden and addicted to pethidine. Dr. Rudranath Capildeo was elected party leader in 1960; he was brought in to the party to provide an "intellectual equal" to Eric Williams. When Capildeo left Trinidad to teach at the University of London, a faction of the partycalled a general meeting and elected Albert Gomes party leader. However, the rank and file of the party stood behind Capildeo, and the Gomes faction left the party.

Independence era

The 1961 General Election campaign was the most tense in the country's history. The 1961 Representation of the People Act instituted identification cards, voting machines, and altered the way in which constituencies were laid out. The DLP challenged that the PNM was trying to disenfrancise Indo-Trinidadian voters through the use of "complicated" voting machines, and it was alleged that the machine totals were rigged (an allegation that found support when initial returns showed PNM candidate A.N.R. Robinson receiving more votes than there were registered electors). The PNM secured a two-thirds majority in Parliament which allowed it to write the Independence Constitution without input from the DLP, once the Federation dissolved in 1961. In response to allegations of voting irregularities the DLP boycotted the opening of parliament and operated largely through boycotts and walk-outs.

In 1963 Capildeo accepted a permanent position at the University of London and attempted to run the DLP and serve as Leader of the Opposition while based in London. This led to a revolt in the party executive, and Stephen Maharaj (a former Butler Party member) was appointed Leader of the Opposition, while Capildeo retained the post of Party Leader. When the executive called for Capildeo to resign as Party leader, Capildeo dismissed the executive. In response to this three MPs, Dr. Montgomery Forrester, Peter Farquahar and Tajmool Hosein resigned from the party and formed the Liberal Party.

In response to labour unrest in 1965, the PNM government introduced the Industrial Stabilisation Act. Although Stephen Maharaj instructed his MPs to vote against the bill, most of them voted in favour of it. This led to a split in the party, with three separate wings vying for power. The centrist wing was led by Vernon Jamadar , the radical wing by Stephen Maharaj and the conservative wing by Lionel Seukaran and Ashford Sinanan . The conservative wing had the most MPs and were able to remove Maharaj as Leader of the Opposition and replace him with Simbhoonath Capildeo (Rudranath Capildeo's older brother). When Rudranath Capildeo returned to Trinidad and denounced both the radical and conservative wings of the party, the DLP split again. Stephen Maharaj formed the Workers and Farmers Party (together with George Weeks , C.L.R. James and a young Basdeo Panday), Simbhoonath Capildeo resigned from the DLP and joined the Liberal Party and Lionel Seukaran became an Independent. This left the DLP and the Liberals each holding four seats, the WFP holding one, and Seukaran holding the other as an Independent.

The 1966 General Elections allowed the DLP to return to its position as the sole opposition party. Rudranath Capildeo's continued absences led to his seat being declared vacant in 1967. When the DLP chose to boycott the by-election in protest, Bhadase Sagan Maraj was able to win the seat as an independent.

"No-vote campaign" and the demise of the party

In 1969, Vernon Jamadar was able to capture the party leadership from Capildeo. Following the Black Power riots and army mutiny in 1970, the DLP allied itself with former PNM Deputy Leader, A.N.R. Robinson, and his new movement, the Action Committee of Democratic Citizens (ACDC). When Williams called elections 6 months early, Robinsons declared that he would not contest the election. The DLP ended up supporting Robinson in his "no vote" campaign, and the PNM won all seats in the 1971 General Elections.

Alloy Lequay ousted Jamadar as party leader in 1972. Thereafter the DLP split into the Democratic Liberation Party (led by Lequay) and the United Democratic Labour Party (later the Social Democratic Labour Party) led by Simbhoonath Capildeo and later by Vernon Jamadar. None of the successor parties won any seats in the 1976 General Elections. This marked the effective end of the party.

Party leaders

• Victor Bryan - provisional leader (1957 -1958)
• Bhadase Sagan Maraj - leader of the Parliamentary wing (1958-1960)
• Ashford Sinanan - Opposition Leader, Federal Parliament (1958-1961)
• Rudranath Capildeo - party leader (1960-1969)
• Albert Gomes - party leader (1960)
• Stephen Maharaj - Opposition Leader (1963-1965)
• Simbhoonath Capildeo - Opposition Leader (1965)
• Vernon Jamadar - party leader (1969-1972)
• Alloy Lequay - party leader (1972)

See also

• Politics of Trinidad and Tobago
• List of political parties in Trinidad and Tobago
• Elections in Trinidad and Tobago

References

• Meighoo, Kirk. 2003. Politics in a Half Made Society: Trinidad and Tobago, 1925-2002 ISBN 1558763066