Probably because it happened nearly 60 years ago and lasted for only a short time, many cannot now remember when T&T, for one brief interlude, lost is status as a semi-autonomous colony of Britain and became a province in a governance arrangement called the Federation of the West Indies or West Indies Federation. It was a model similar to what had been put into place in Australia and marginally akin to the government of the United States, with separate territorial administrations under a federal legislature. One might argue that the federation was a last ditch attempt by England to save what was left of its rapidly declining empire.
In 1948, India had become independent, depriving the British of their crown jewel. In the immediate post-WWII era there arose in the Caribbean many popular leaders from among the people whose emergence signalled to the Crown that change was imminent. In T&T this man of the people was Dr Eric Williams. He proved his political mettle in the establishment of the PNM as the dominant force in the colony. Similar upheavals were taking place in Jamaica, British Guiana and Barbados, among other territories. The British Caribbean Federation Act (1956) became the legislative authority for the federation and on January 3, 1958, the federation came into being. The proposal for a federal capital was one of the earliest matters, with Chaguaramas being the popular choice, but since this area was largely a US Army facility established under the Bases Agreement (1941), the capital was more or less Port-of-Spain.
The federal union from the start was fraught with problems. For one, the individual economics and social situations of the respective territories were not properly considered; for instance, certain minority factions like the Indo Trinidadians (British Guiana, like Belize, had only observer status) feared marginalisation in the largely homogenous Afro-Caribbean space. The federation’s government consisted of a bicameral parliament with 19 senators appointed by the governor general and an elected House of Representatives, with Jamaica and Trinidad having 17 and ten seats respectively, thus making them majority stakeholders. In 1958, Lord Hailes, the governor general, proclaimed federal elections—which would show up the serious flaws of the system. The two dominant political parties—which were systematically engineered by white Jamaicans (Norman Manley’s West Indian Federal Labour Party and Alexander Bustamante’s Democratic Labour Party)—completely dominated the elections and claimed 26 and 19 seats respectively, with the DLP winning six of the ten T&T seats. The appointment of Sir Grantley Adams of Barbados as the federal prime minister further soured the alliances so weakly forged under federal legislation. Manley and Dr Williams were seen as the two men best fit to lead the federation and with their decision to concentrate on their provincial politics, major confidence in the federation was lost.
Under the new regimen, it was touted that several institutions and services would be common to all territories, including a Supreme Court, shipping service, the West India Regiment and the University College of the West Indies. One of the biggest omissions of the federation structure, however, was neglecting to provide a single customs service. The concept of free trade and zero barriers to entry were admittedly in a nascent stage even on a global spectrum, but with each territory maintaining its individual tariffs and excise duties, free trade within the federation was stymied. This placed a limitation on the amount of economic growth and development which could be achieved. Moreover, with only a stingy federal budget provided by subvention from the UK, Jamaica and T&T as the two largest and most viable economies were required to bear the brunt of the burden of supporting the federal institution.
Even within the individual territories, there was an inward focus on local political climates rather than federal affairs. Following poor results for the PNM in the 1959 county council elections in Trinidad, Dr Williams too became disillusioned with the federation. His growing discontent, however, was independently exceeded by what was brewing in Jamaica. As the province with the largest number of seats, Jamaica held immense sway in federal affairs. In 1961, by forcing Manley into holding a referendum, Bustamante compelled Jamaica to withdraw from the federation and swiftly led Jamaica to independence in April 1962. This elicited the famous comment from Dr Williams: “One from ten leaves nought.” Dr Williams was re-elected to the post of prime minister and in a rapid drafting of an Independence Constitution leading to nationhood, the Federation of the West Indies finally collapsed, being dissolved in 1962.