Kamla Persad-Bissessar

The Honourable
Kamla Persad-Bissessar
PBS SC MP
Leader of the Opposition
Assumed office
9 September 2015
President Paula-Mae Weekes
Anthony Carmona
Prime Minister Keith Rowley
Preceded by Keith Rowley
In office
25 February 2010 – 25 May 2010
President George Maxwell Richards
Prime Minister Patrick Manning
Preceded by Basdeo Panday
Succeeded by Keith Rowley
In office
26 April 2006 – 8 November 2007
President George Maxwell Richards
Prime Minister Patrick Manning
Preceded by Basdeo Panday
Succeeded by Basdeo Panday
Political Leader
United National Congress
Assumed office
24 January 2010
Preceded by Basdeo Panday
7th Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago
In office
26 May 2010 – 9 September 2015
President George Maxwell Richards
Anthony Carmona
Preceded by Patrick Manning
Succeeded by Keith Rowley
7th Chair of the Commonwealth of Nations
In office
26 May 2010 – 28 October 2011
Preceded by Patrick Manning
Succeeded by Julia Gillard
Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago
In office
5 October 2001 – 24 December 2001
Prime Minister Basdeo Panday
Preceded by Ramesh Maharaj
Succeeded by Glenda Morean
In office
27 November 1995 – 2 February 1996
Prime Minister Basdeo Panday
Preceded by Keith Sobion
Succeeded by Ramesh Maharaj
Minister of Education
In office
22 October 1999 – 4 October 2001
Prime Minister Basdeo Panday
Preceded by Adesh Nanan
Succeeded by Ganga Singh
Member of Parliament
for Siparia
Assumed office
6 November 1995
Preceded by Sahid Hosein
Majority 10,141 (51.6%)
Personal details
Born Kamla Persad
(1952-04-22) 22 April 1952
Siparia, Trinidad and Tobago[1]
Citizenship Trinidadian and Tobagonian
Nationality Trinidadian and Tobagonian
Political party United National Congress (UNC)
Other political
affiliations		 People's Partnership (2010–present)
Spouse(s) Dr. Gregory Bissessar
Mother Rita Persad
Father Raj Persad
Residence Philippine, Penal–Debe, Trinidad and Tobago[2][3]
Alma mater University of the West Indies
Hugh Wooding Law School
Norwood Technical College
Occupation Lawyer
Politician
Teacher

The Hon. Kamla Persad-Bissessar PBS SC MP (born 22 April 1952[4]) is a Trinidadian lawyer and politician who was the seventh Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 26 May 2010 to 9 September 2015. She was the country's first female Prime Minister, Attorney General, and Leader of the Opposition.[5][6] She is also the first woman of Indian origin to be a prime minister in a country outside of India and South Asia.

Persad-Bissessar is the political leader of the United National Congress (UNC) and is the current leader of the opposition of the People's Partnership coalition in the eleventh parliament, a coalition of three parties, which was formed to contest the general election of 24 May 2010. She became political leader of the UNC in 2010.[7] In 2011, Persad-Bissessar was named the thirteenth most influential female leader around the world by Time magazine.[8]

Early Life, ancestry, education and early career

Kamla Persad-Bissessar was born in Siparia[1] in southern Trinidad to Raj and Rita Persad, both of Indian descent.[9][10] Her paternal grandparents were Soomintra Gopaulsingh and Choranji Persad, and her maternal grandparents were Rookmin and Ramprit.[11] She has two sisters: Vidwatie and Sally.[12][13] She was born into a Hindu Brahmin family.[9] Her ancestors emigrated from India to Trinidad under the Indian indenture system. Her maternal great-grandparents (her maternal grandmother’s parents) were Sumaria and Seepersad who were from India. Sumaria had left India from the Madras Port.[14] Her paternal great-grandparents (her paternal grandfather’s parents) were Pundit Ram Lakhan Mishra and Ganga Mishra who were from India. Pundit Ram Lakhan Mishra was from Bhelupur, Bihar, India. In 2012, Persad-Bissessar visited her paternal great-grandfather's village on a state visit to India.[15] When Persad-Bissessar was sixteen she wanted to go to the United Kingdom to study, but her traditional father and uncles insisted she stayed in Trinidad and Tobago, however, her mother eventually convinced them to send her.[9] Persad-Bissessar attended the University of the West Indies, Norwood Technical College (England), and the Hugh Wooding Law School. She was awarded a B.A. (Hons.), a Diploma in Education, a B.A. of Laws (Hons.) and a Legal Education Certificate. In 2006 she obtained an Executive Masters in Business Administration (EMBA) from the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, Trinidad.[16]

Political career

Persad-Bissessar has served as Member of Parliament for the Siparia constituency since 1995. She served as Attorney General in 1995 until Ramesh Maharaj was able to disassociate himself from ongoing cases and again in 2001 after Maharaj left the party. When the UNC formed Government on 22 December 2000, she was sworn in as the Minister of Education.

On 25 April 2006 she received the support of the majority of Opposition MPs for the post of Leader of the Opposition.[17] The position of Leader of the Opposition was declared vacant by President George Maxwell Richards[18] after Basdeo Panday was convicted of failing to make an accurate declaration to the Integrity Commission concerning a bank account held in London.[19] Persad-Bissessar was subsequently appointed Leader of the Opposition on 26 April 2006.

Political leader

On 24 January 2010, Kamla Persad-Bissessar was elected political leader of the UNC, emerging victorious over the party's founder, Basdeo Panday. She was formally appointed opposition leader on 25 February 2010, having gained the support of a majority of UNC MPs.

Prime Minister

Persad-Bissessar took office as Prime Minister after the victory of the People's Partnership in the general election of 24 May 2010, defeating the previous government of the People's National Movement, which had called an early election. She was the first female prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago and is also the first female Commonwealth Chairperson-in-Office. She was succeeded as Chairperson-in-Office by Julia Gillard with the opening of the 2011 CHOGM on 28 October 2011.

Leader of the Opposition

On September 21, 2015, Mrs. Persad-Bissessar was appointed leader of the opposition by president Anthony Carmona after her party was defeated at the polls, following the September 7, 2015 general elections. The People's National Movement led by Dr. Keith Rowley secured 23 out of 41 seats to form the government, while the People's Partnership coalition led by Persad-Bissessar secured 18 out of the 41 seats in the House of Representatives to form the opposition.

Personal life

Persad-Bissessar is married to Dr. Gregory Bissessar and has one son named Kris Bissessar.[20] She says, "I am baptised in the Baptist faith. I have no specific church as such. I am of both the Hindu and the Baptist faiths."[21] She had raised her brother’s children after he died in a car accident.[22]

References

  1. 1 2 "Kamla Persad-Bissessar". Columbia University World Leaders Forum. Retrieved 2017-08-27.
  2. ↑ http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/KAMLA_S__150M_PALACE-109355654.html
  3. ↑ corp.guardian.co.tt/news/2015-07-15/protesting-pensioners-blanked-pm
  4. ↑ Sookraj, Radhica (26 May 2010). "Kamla came from humble beginnings". Trinidad and Tobago Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
  5. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2010. PNM lose to Peoples Partnership in Trinidad elections 2010]. ttgapers.com 24 May 2010.
  6. ↑ Skard, Torild (2014) "Kamla Persad-Bissessar" in Women of power – half a century of female presidents and prime ministers worldwide, Bristol: Policy Press ISBN 978-1-44731-578-0, pp. 271–3
  7. ↑ Staff writer (25 May 2010). "WOMAN POWER: Kamla creates history in TT". Caribbean News Agency (CANA). Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  8. ↑ http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,2005455,00.html
  9. 1 2 3 http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/50075/meet-pm-kamla
  10. ↑ "Penal businessmen to work with Kamla". Guardian.co.tt. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
  11. ↑ https://m.facebook.com/KamlaPersadBissessar/posts/10156359453829798
  12. ↑ https://archives.newsday.co.tt/2012/04/26/kamlas-sister-paid-868258/
  13. ↑ http://www.news.gov.tt/content/pm-returns-home-after-visiting-her-ailing-sister-new-york#.W8Ammy_MyDU
  14. ↑ https://m.facebook.com/KamlaPersadBissessar/posts/10156359453829798
  15. ↑ http://m.timesofindia.com/nri/nri-achievers/Kamla-Persad-Bissessar-returns-to-village-in-Bihar-for-an-emotional-reunion/articleshow/11451273.cms
  16. ↑ http://www.ttparliament.org/members.php?mid=54&id=KPB01
  17. ↑ Lord, Richard. 2006. "Leader Kamla: President's move forces UNC crisis decision" Archived 28 April 2006 at the Wayback Machine., Trinidad Express, 26 April 2006.
  18. ↑ "Lawyers criticise Max for declaring vacancy" Archived 28 April 2006 at the Wayback Machine., Trinidad Express, 26 April 2006.
  19. ↑ Cummings, Stephen (16 January 2006). "Trinidad's opposition leader set to go on trial". Caribbean Net News. Archived from the original on 3 February 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2007.
  20. ↑ House of Representatives: Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. Ttparliament.org. Retrieved on 2012-04-26.
  21. ↑ Meet T and T PM, Kamla Archived 8 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine. NationNews Barbados, June 2010.
  22. ↑ http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2005455_2005458_2011602,00.html
Political offices
Preceded by
Basdeo Panday		 Leader of the Opposition
2006–2007		 Succeeded by
Basdeo Panday
Leader of the Opposition
2010		 Succeeded by
Keith Rowley
Preceded by
Patrick Manning		 Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago
2010–2015
Preceded by
Keith Rowley		 Leader of the Opposition
2015–present		 Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by
Basdeo Panday		 Leader of the United National Congress (UNC)
2010–present		 Incumbent
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Patrick Manning		 Chair of the Commonwealth of Nations
2010–2011		 Succeeded by
Julia Gillard
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