Political & Professional

Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie was a Foun­da­tion Mem­ber and For­mer Chair­man of the Tapia House Move­ment (1973-1980), where he also served as the Editor for the weekly Newspaper. 

Dr Bhoe Tewarie (1976) at a meeting held by the Tapia House Movement (THM)
General Elections (T&T) 1976 Tapia Newspaper
Click image to view the Newspaper Manifesto General Elections 1976
Click image to view Dr. Bhoe Tewarie’s Article 1976 about Schools and Literature
Click image to view 1969-1977 Tapia Newspaper Archives

 

This newspaper soon became a key force in building the opposition alliance that led to the birth of the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR), which swept to office in 1986. He eventually became the General Secretary of the NAR. Dr Tewarie was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1986, as a member of the National Alliance for Reconstruction Government. He was the member for Caroni East, and served as Minister of Industry, Enterprise and Tourism, in addition to Leader of the House. He was also appointed a Senator and Minister of Planning on 11th May 2011 during the 10th Republican Parliament.

The Jamaat al Muslimeen coup attempt was an attempt to overthrow the government of Trinidad and Tobago, instigated on Friday, 27 July 1990. Over the course of six days, Jamaat al Muslimeen, a Muslim organization, held hostages (including Prime Minister A. N. R. Robinson and other government officials) at the Red House and at the headquarters of Trinidad and Tobago Television. On 1 August, the insurgents surrendered. They were charged with treason, but were ordered released by the Court of Appeal.

On polling day, the NAR swept to an unexpectedly large victory, capturing 33 of the 36 seats. The PNM won the three remaining seats in the House of Representatives. Mr. Robinson was sworn in as Prime Minister on 16 December and announced his 13-member Cabinet.

The NAR also won 11 of the 12 seats in the Tobago House of Assembly. However, the NAR government was unable to retain its popularity for long. In April 1989 Basdeo Panday, leader of the United Labour Front, along with other dissidents formed a new party, the United National Congress (UNC).

Voter Turnout was 65.45%. (Source: http://www.caribbeanelections.com/tt/elections/tt_results_1986.asp)

In July 1990, UNC elected Mr Basdeo Panday as its President. The UNC (with six seats in the House of Representatives) replaced the PNM (with only three) as the principal opposition party.

In July 1990, an attempted coup was staged by a militant Muslim faction which took the then Prime Minister Arthur N. R. Robinson and five Ministers hostage for five days, provoking an outbreak of rioting and looting in the capital. The hostages were released on the promise of an amnesty.

Bhoendradatt Tewarie shakes hands with then Prime Minister, The Honorable Mr. Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson after being sworn in as Minister.

Other political parties included the coalition party of The United Labour Front (ULF), The Organization for National Reconstruction (ONR) and The Democratic Action Congress (DAC).

He became Minister of In­dus­try, En­ter­prise and Tourism with the Na­tion­al Al­liance for Re­con­struc­tion (NAR) Cab­i­net, then Minister of Plan­ning, Eco­nom­ic and So­cial Re­struc­tur­ing and Gen­der Af­fairs Min­is­ter with the Peo­ple’s Part­ner­ship (PPP) Gov­ern­ment.

In May 2011, Pres­i­dent George Maxwell Richards ad­min­is­tered the oath to Dr Tewarie at a brief cer­e­mo­ny at Knowsley Build­ing, Queen’s Park West.

UNC Political Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar gives Minister Dr. Bhoe Tewarie a national flag pin. Looking on is Former President George Maxwell Richards on May 11, 2011 as hw administered the oath of office to Dr. Bhoendradatt Tewarie as Minister of Planning, Economic and Social Restructuring and Gender Affairs at Knowsley, Port of Spain.

Dr Tewarie collaborates to build strong relationships with the people of T&T and internationally. He uses his experience and foresight to proactively address details before they become a problem. He is exceptionally well respected all-round, especially in the Freeport/Caroni Central areas, not only for his unparalleled professional track record and high ethical standards but for being honest, hard-working and loyal to his mission.

Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie was elected to the House of Representatives in 2015 as the Member for Caroni Central in the 11th Parliament. He is currently the Member of Parliament for Caroni Central Constituency.

Lecturer, Director and then Principal

In 1991, Dr Tewarie returned to his po­si­tion as a Lec­tur­er and Di­rec­tor at the University of the West Indies (UWI) In­sti­tute of Business (renamed the Arthur Lok Jack Grad­u­ate School of Business). He also served as Ex­ec­u­tive Di­rec­tor until 2001.

Dr Tewarie was ap­point­ed Prin­ci­pal of the University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Au­gus­tine in 2001, a po­si­tion which he held up to 2007. During this time, he was elected to the House of Representatives in 2015 as the Member for Caroni Central in the 11th Parliament. He was up to the time of his ap­point­ment as Min­is­ter, serving as Pro-Vice Chan­cel­lor for Plan­ning and De­vel­op­ment and di­rec­tor of the In­sti­tute of Crit­i­cal Thinking.

Dr Tewarie was a Di­rec­tor at both CL Fi­nan­cial and Trinidad Pub­lish­ing Co Ltd, now known as the Guardian Me­dia Ltd. He al­so served as chair­man of the Na­tion­al In­sti­tute for High­er Ed­u­ca­tion, Re­search, Sci­ence and Tech­nol­o­gy (Ni­herst). He served as Minister under Prime Ministers, ANR Robinson and Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Dr Tewarie was a Di­rec­tor at both CL Fi­nan­cial and Trinidad Pub­lish­ing Co Ltd

Dr. Bhoendradatt Tewarie currently serves as Member of Parliament for Caroni Central Constituency and is now an Opposition Member in Parliament.

Member of Parliament for Caroni Central Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie and Opposition Leader of the United National Congress, Mrs. Kamla Persad-Bissessar at the Caroni Central Constituency’s Monday Night Forum held on September 2019
At Parliament on Friday 29th February, 2020: Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, second from left, along with, from left, MPs David Lee, Rodney Charles, Fazal Karim and Bhoendradatt Tewarie in Parliament on Friday. – Photo taken from the Trinidad Newsday.
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