The general term period of the Parliament is for five years after which general elections are held. The judiciary is independent of the government. For Trinidad and Tobago there exists a Supreme Court of Judicature, which is made up of the High Court and the Court of Appeal. However, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council located in the United Kingdom decides the final verdict on some matters. Currently the political party in power is the People’s National Movement (PNM), which has a keen interest in developing the energy sector, particularly oil and gas.[i]
The state of Trinidad and Tobago can be described as being an industrial island with a diversified economy. Due to its prosperous sectors, the country holds the rank of being the third richest country by GDP per capita in the Americas, following the United States and Canada. Some of its most …show more content…
The population of 1.34 million people living in the region being predominantly (40%) African and Indian descendent. One fifth of this population is known to be living under poverty. This can be linked to the lack of job opportunities available in the region due to structural factors, mismatch of skills and labor market rigidities that limit wage flexibility. This is surprising since the literacy rate is over 90% with most of the occupants having university degrees from North America and the UK. In terms of religion these people have mixed religious views with French and English being the most common modes of communication. In 2016, the government introduced an unpopular value added tax on many untaxed products such as basic foods. The public opposed to this on grounds that the wage growth and household income has been minimal. To make matters worse, Trinidad and Tobago have some of the highest charges on electricity, with businesses and homeowners paying an average of around 30 cents per kWh.
Technological breakthroughs in terms of renewable energy have been slow for Trinidad and Tobago. The country has brought together experts to draft and recommend feasible and long-term renewable energy sources. The Republic of India provides technical assistance in terms of training and capacity building through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program. This allows the Trinidad and Tobago nationals access