[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 105 (Monday, July 29, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1430-E1431]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 RECOGNIZING THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 26, 2002

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Republic of 
Trinidad and Tobago on its celebration of the 40th anniversary of its 
Independence.
  I will spend a brief moment describing the beginnings of the Republic 
of Trinidad and Tobago and describe its ties with the U.S.
  Trinidad was settled by the Spanish a century after Columbus landed 
there. The original inhabitants--Arawak and Carib Indians--were largely 
wiped out by the Spanish colonizers, and the survivors were gradually 
assimilated. Although it attracted French, free Black, and other non-
Spanish settlers, Trinidad remained under Spanish rule until the 
British captured it in 1797. During the colonial period, Trinidad's 
economy relied on large sugar and cocoa plantations.
  Tobago's development was similar to other plantation islands in the 
Lesser Antilles and quite different from Trinidad's. The smaller island 
of the pair, Tobago became known first as Tavaco, then Tabagua, then as 
Tobago. This was the name given by its tribal people who used a long 
stemmed pipe in which they smoked a herb called Vcohiba, known today as 
tobacco.
  During the colonial period, French, Dutch, and British forces fought 
over possession of Tobago, and the island changed hands 22 times--more 
often than any other West Indian island. Tobago was finally ceded to 
Great Britain in 1814. Trinidad and Tobago were incorporated into a 
single colony in 1888.
  If Trinidad was a sugar economy in the 19th Century it became an oil 
economy in the 20th. With the advent of the automobile and the 
conversion of the British Navy from coal to oil the search for and the 
production of oil received a strong boost.
  Oil was discovered in the Guayguaygare, Point Fortin, and Forest 
Reserve areas in Trinidad. Over time oil and oil related exports came 
to dominate the economy and transformed much of populace from a rural 
to an urban one.
  Besides oil, another important event was the establishment of U.S. 
bases on the island in 1941. This was agreed to in exchange for 50 
destroyers which at the time was sorely needed by an overstretched 
Britain. These bases included a large chunk of the Chaguramas 
Peninsular as well as an air base at Wallerfield. The G.I.s injected 
American culture and money into a stagnant economy and shifted the 
focus of country from Britain to the U.S. More important, U.S. Marines 
helped construct numerous roads including the important Northern Coast 
Road which still is functional today.
  In the 1950s, the British sponsored the West Indies Federation as a 
potential post-colonial model, in the belief that most of the Caribbean 
islands would be unable to survive politically or economically on their 
own. The Caribbean peoples thought otherwise and the Federation 
collapsed in the early 1960s.

[[Page E1431]]

  In Trinidad and Tobago a movement was being born in the 1950s. After 
receiving his Ph.D. and serving as assistant professor at Howard 
University, Eric Williams returned to Trinidad and Tobago and formed 
the People's National Movement (PNM), a political party of which he 
became the leader. In September of 1956, the PNM won the national 
elections and he became the chief minister of the country from 1956 to 
1959, premier from 1959 to 1962, and prime minister from 1962 to 1981. 
During his term as prime minister, Williams led Trinidad and Tobago 
into full independence within the Commonwealth in 1962. Eric Williams 
is considered the father of Trinidad and Tobago. He died in office on 
March 29, 1981.
  After its 1962 independence, Trinidad joined the United Nations and 
the Commonwealth. In 1967, it became the first Commonwealth country to 
join the Organization of American States (OAS).
  Trinidad and Tobago and the U.S. enjoy cordial relations. U.S. 
interests focus on investment and trade, and on enhancing Trinidad's 
political and social stability and positive regional role through 
assistance in drug interdiction and legal affairs. A U.S. embassy was 
established in Port of Spain in 1962, replacing the former consulate 
general. Today, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago remains a stable 
government with close ties and a working relationship to the United 
States.
  Evidence of government stability is represented in the fact that U.S. 
investment in Trinidad and Tobago exceeds one and one-quarter billion 
dollars. In addition, Trinidad and Tobago is becoming the leading 
importer of liquefied natural gas to the U.S. It also is active in the 
U.S.-initiated Summit of the Americas process and fully supports the 
establishment of the Free Trade Area of the Americas.
  This has made Trinidad and Tobago one of the most prosperous islands 
in the Caribbean.
  With a population of 1.2 million people and the size of the state of 
Delaware, Trinidad and Tobago maintains strong relations with its 
Caribbean neighbors as well. As the most industrialized and second-
largest country in the English-speaking Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago 
has taken a leading role in the Caribbean Community and Common Market 
(CARICOM), and strongly supports CARICOM economic integration efforts.
  The two countries also share its people and culture. There are large 
numbers of U.S. citizens and permanent residents of Trinidadian origin 
living in the United States. These individuals keep strong cultural 
ties to their country of origin. About 20,000 U.S. citizens visit 
Trinidad and Tobago on vacation or for business every year, and over 
2,700 American citizens are residents. In addition, Trinidad like 
carnivals are held in numerous cities across the U.S. with a major 
celebration occurring in Brooklyn every Labor Day.
  The republic of Trinidad and Tobago is moving confidently forward in 
the 21st Century. As they celebrate their 40th anniversary let us give 
recognition to a nation that has realized its potential by fostering 
both economic and social growth.

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