On March 30, 1981, a day after the death of Prime Minister Eric Williams, George Michael Chambers, then one of the deputy leaders of the People’s National Movement, PNM, was summoned to the President’s House, with the other two PNM deputies, Kamal Mohammed, and Errol Mahabir. He was appointed by then-President Ellis Clarke as the country’s second prime minister.
Chambers served as assistant general secretary of the PNM before becoming parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Finance in 1966, then served two terms as minister of finance (1971-1974 and 1981-1986). Chambers also served as minister of public utilities, housing, national security, education, planning, industry/commerce, and agriculture.
Following his rise to prime minister, Chambers led the PNM to victory in the 1981 general election, but in 1986 led the PNM to its worst-ever electoral defeat, winning only three of the then 36 seats in Parliament. Chambers resigned, and Patrick Manning succeeded him as PNM leader.
During his five-year tenure as prime minister, Chambers faced the arduous task of diversifying the nation’s economy following the oil boom of the 1970s. Although his policies were unpopular, leading to the PNM’s defeat in 1986, many credited him with the country’s continuing economic success at that time.
Some of the budgetary policies that resulted in Chambers and the PMN’s downfall included a ten percent cut in salaries of all public servants, and eliminating personal income tax relief and allowances; a 100 percent increase in postage for all mail, both internal and external; and requiring UWI, St. Augustine students, who previously paid no tuition fees, to pay ten percent of their tuition costs for the next two years.
The labor movement organized a mass mobilization program against the budget. This included a nationwide “day of resistance” during which 82 percent of public sector workers, 75 percent of private-sector workers, and 65 percent of teachers refused to go to work.
As prime minister and chairman of CARICOM, Chamber refused to collaborate with the United States in its invasion of Grenada on October 25, 1983. Trinidad and Tobago did not respond to the “urgent request” of then U.S. President Ronald Reagan to invade Grenada to quell the revolution that resulted in the assassination of Grenada’s Prime Minister, Maurice Bishop.
Because Chambers stood up to the might of the United States, Trinidad and Tobago faced retaliation. Shortly after, the U.S.-controlled International Monetary Fund imposed severe conditionality measures on a US$100m loan to Chamber’s government.
George Michael Chambers retired from public life after the 1986 election. He died on the 4 November 1997 at age 69.
