{{Short description|Trinidad and Tobago trade unionist, economist and politician}} {{use dmy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox person |name = |image = |caption = |birth_date = |birth_place = Jamaica |death_date = |death_place = |parents = Clive Abdulah (father) |spouse = |alma_mater = University of the West Indies at St. Augustine |occupation = Trade unionist, economist and politician |known_for = General Secretary of the Oilfields Workers' Trade Union;<br/> leader of the Movement for Social Justice |otherparty = }} '''David Abdulah''' is a Trinidad and Tobago trade unionist, economist and politician. He served as the General Secretary of the Oilfields Workers' Trade Union (OWTU), and is the current leader of the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ). Abdulah served as a government senator from 2010 to 2012 during the 10th Republican Parliament.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=David Abdulah – Parliament |url=https://www.ttparliament.org/members/member/david-abdulah/parliamentary-career/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250211235055/https://www.ttparliament.org/members/member/david-abdulah/parliamentary-career/ |archive-date=11 February 2025 |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=www.ttparliament.org |language=en-US |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Early life and education == David Abdulah is the son of retired Anglican bishop Clive Abdulah and his wife Mariko, who was Canadian of Japanese ancestry.<ref name="Newsday 2022-9-15">{{Cite news |last=Douglas |first=Sean |date=2022-09-15 |title=David Abdulah loses mother |url=https://newsday.co.tt/2022/09/15/david-abdulah-loses-mother/ |access-date=2025-05-05 |work=Trinidad and Tobago Newsday}}</ref> Born in Jamaica, while his father was serving as a parish priest in a rural community there,<ref name="Newsday 2022-9-15" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.guardian.co.tt/article-6.2.411646.6196afc491|title=Caricom future may be at stake|newspaper=Trinidad and Tobago Guardian|first=Reshma|last=Ragoonath|date=28 January 2013|access-date=8 May 2025}}</ref> he attended the University of the West Indies at St. Augustine, in Trinidad, obtaining a B.A. degree in mathematics and economics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sta.uwi.edu/conferences/petrodollar/abstracts.asp|title=Accounting for the Petro-Dollar {{!}} Abstracts & Bio-Data|publisher=University of the West Indies at St Augustine|access-date=8 May 2025}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=2016-04-17 |title=Abdulah gets hero's send-off from OWTU |work=Trinidad and Tobago Guardian}}</ref><!--https://trinidad689.rssing.com/chan-50652996/article2279.html--> His political and labour activism began during his student days at St. Augustine.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/08/21/features/in-the-diaspora/the-new-world-website-as-relevant-as-ever/|title=The New World Website: As Relevant as Ever|first=David|last=Abdulah|newspaper=stabroek News|date=21 August 2017|access-date=8 May 2025}}</ref><ref name="Express 22-6-12">{{cite news|url=https://trinidadexpress.com/news/local/no-ambition-to-be-pm/article_3def9971-5c60-5b04-9397-fc7edfd3909c.html|title='No ambition to be PM'|newspaper=Daily Express|date=22 June 2012|access-date=8 May 2025}}</ref>
==Career== Abdulah worked for the OWTU from 1978 until his retirement in 2016.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Members of The Committee on Judicial Appointments: David Abdulah |url=https://lawassociationtt.com/council/members-of-the-cja/ |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> He served as its Chief Education and Research Officer, and was Secretary General of the union from 2008 to 2016.<ref name=":1" /> He also served as president of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions and Non-Governmental Organisations (FITUN) until 2012, when he chose not to stand for re-election.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ragoonath |first=Reshma |date=2012-04-22 |title=Abdulah: My party comes first |url=https://www.guardian.co.tt/article-6.2.420819.8bd0b445f9 |access-date=2025-05-07 |work=Trinidad and Tobago Guardian}}</ref>
The MSJ was party to the Fyzabad Accord which formed the People's Partnership (PP),<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ghany |first=Hamid |date=2012-01-21 |title=Revisiting the Fyzabad Accord |url=https://www.guardian.co.tt/article-6.2.414570.689a3eb370 |access-date=2025-05-07 |newspaper=Trinidad and Tobago Guardian}}</ref> and after the PP's victory in the 2010 general elections Abdulah was appointed to the Senate as a government senator representing the MSJ.<ref name=":2" /> After the resignation of Errol McLeod, the party's political leader, from the MSJ in January 2012, Abdulah took over as interim political leader of the MSJ.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sookraj |first=Radhica |date=2012-01-22 |title=Errol McLeod resigns from political party |url=https://www.guardian.co.tt/article-6.2.414616.87634b1c65 |access-date=2025-05-07 |work=Trinidad and Tobago Guardian}}</ref> In June, the MSJ under Abdulah's leadership withdrew from the PP government.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2012-07-03 |title=I've cut ties with the MSJ, says McLeod |url=https://trinidadexpress.com/news/local/ive-cut-ties-with-the-msj-says-mcleod/article_b251e2fb-ed87-5b31-88fb-b7d936608a30.html |access-date=2025-05-07 |newspaper=Trinidad and Tobago Express}}</ref>
Abdulah was the MSJ candidate for the Pointe-à-Pierre seat in the 2020 general elections. He placed third of four candidates behind the United National Congress's David Lee and the People's National Movement's Daniel Dookie.<ref>EBCTT. [https://www.ebctt.com/wp-content/uploads/Report-of-the-Elections-Boundaries-Commission-on-the-Parliamentary-Elections-held-on-Monday-10th-August-2020.pdf Report of the Elections Boundaries Commission on the Parliamentary Elections held on Monday 10th August 2020]</ref> The party did not contest the 2025 general elections.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Khan |first=Rishard |date=2025-01-14 |title=MSJ to sit out 2025 general election |url=https://newsday.co.tt/2025/01/14/msj-to-sit-out-2025-general-election/ |access-date=2025-05-07 |work=Trinidad and Tobago Newsday}}</ref>
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdulah, David}} Category:Living people Category:Trinidad and Tobago trade unionists Category:20th-century Trinidad and Tobago politicians Category:21st-century Trinidad and Tobago politicians Category:Trinidad and Tobago economists Category:Members of the Senate (Trinidad and Tobago) Category:Leaders of political parties in Trinidad and Tobago Category:University of the West Indies alumni Category:Year of birth missing (living people)