I will address your statements in two parts
FIRST the IMF issue:First of all The NAR inherited a mess and an empty treasury. They did NOT go tot he IMF...George Chambers did!
That is why the PNM lost the elections and the NAR won.
When Reagan came to T&T and asked us to join the illegal invasion of Grenada Chambers said in Parliament on 26 October 1983 (one day after the invasion):
“to date, I have received no notification from any CARICOM member country of any intention to request assistance from the government of the United States to intervene militarily in Grenada nor have I been informed by any CARICOM member country that such a request had in fact been made.”
The result of that was (IMF) imposed severe, draconian “conditionality measures” on a US$100m loan to the government. Dr. Rennie who was the PSA president was wary and critical and stated that public servants would be the one feeling the full effect and force of these IMF measures. Oil was 9 -10 US dollars a barrel and we were dead broke having squandered the first oil boom! PSA members were laid off no salary raise nutten. The fall out started under PNM due to the IMF and not Robbie who was voted in to solve the troubles.
Anyway Back to teh IMF.
Chambers in 1998 was forced to cut 10% off all civil servants pay, reduced subsidies on electricity,water, gas, bus fares, telephones. No tax breaks and athe following (from google as I could not remember all the exact details :
a slash in all government subsidies to public utilities (water, electricity, telephone, bus fares), elimination of personal income tax relief and allowances, house rates, taxes fire insurance and maintenance repairs no longer allowed, reduction of corporation tax from a maximum of 49.5 per cent to a consolidation of 45 per cent, abolition of tax-free bonds, credit union/co-op shares and Unit Trust deductions, phased reduction of the Negative List, non-charitable deeds of covenant on or before 23 January 1987 not allowed, a limitation on employment expense deductions, a 100 per cent increase in postage for all mail, internal and external and whereas, in previous years, students attending the University of the West Indies did not pay any tuition, for the next two years beginning with the 1989 academic year, all students must now pay 10 per cent of their tuition costs.
I personally felt at the time that this was USA retaliation for not towing the Caricom and US line in Grenada when George Chambers exhibited great statesmanship to deny the Washington lies!
The silver fox Basdeo Panday responded to the cuts by saying:
the 1989 budget “reeks of an IMF prescription” and will cause “massive retrenchment, unemployment and underemployment, resulting in a feeling of hopelessness in our young people, collapsing business in the private sector, escalating losses in private enterprises and a rising crime rate.”
All these unfortunate events led to massive strikes and civil disobedience, calling Chambers duncy in kaiso etc. they even said the cuts in civil servants pay were illegal and unilateral and they were having none of it. They called the PNM budget oppressive and detrimental to good order and breaking the backs of teachers and civil servants and small businesses. I doh know if you can recall the day of resistance, I can because I I stayed away from work and we had a fete match in Diamond Vale and my brother got engaged that same day. Nearly every civil servant stayed home that day!!!
There were rumors that the IMF deliberately manipulated their reports on T&T and the plot seemed more and more real that the Chambers government was being undermined by the USA!
So it as against that backdrop that Robbie and his NAR came into power. They inherited a morass and mess and did their best. He came to power with ell over 66% of the vote and the PNM seemed down and out with only three seats. Manning had to get rid of all the old guard and was fought by Muriel McDonald davidson for the reins of the party.
Robbie was still having to deal with the IMF and an empty treasury..oil was still historically low causing more fiscal austerity measures. The NAR was in trouble from the time they came to power. All the belt tightening further salary cuts to civil servant salaries austerity measures....again based on IMF recommendations casued support to dwindle.
The after a year in power we had the MP fighting for leadership, Robbie was pig headed and apparently from reports did not listen well and Panday and 5 old ULF MP's left the government to become independents. This led to further disenchantment and that is when Abu and he boys saw an opportunity to try they shit.