分类： politics

Trinidad and Tobago’s national public finances for the 2025 fiscal year face significant scrutiny after the country’s Auditor General Jaiwantie Ramdass issued a qualified opinion on the 2025 Public Accounts, highlighting unresolvable gaps in billions of dollars in tax revenue and millions in improperly documented government spending that undermine the reliability of official financial statements. The audit report, officially titled *The Report of the Auditor General of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on the Public Accounts of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago for the financial year ended September 30, 2025*, was formally tabled in the national Senate this Friday, bringing these long-running financial irregularities into public view.

At the core of the auditor’s concerns is a $36.56 billion pool of total tax revenue that auditors were unable to verify due to persistent unreconciled discrepancies across three critical government accounting systems: official Treasury revenue statements, Inland Revenue Division receipts and disbursements logs, and the division’s GenTax digital reporting system. Ramdass explained that material mismatches between the three datasets for value-added tax and individual income tax were left unresolved by the end of the fiscal year, leaving auditors unable to confirm whether any corrections to the reported tax totals would be required.

Beyond unconfirmed tax revenues, the audit also uncovered $1.59 billion in total government spending – equal to roughly 2.43% of the 2025 fiscal year’s total reported expenditure of $65.45 billion – that lacked the necessary supporting documentation to verify that payments were legitimate, correctly categorized, and properly recorded. Ramdass confirmed that the entire audit was conducted in full alignment with the International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAI), and that the Auditor General’s office maintained full independence from the central government in line with global ethical auditing requirements. Ramdass noted that the evidence gathered was sufficient and appropriate to justify the qualified opinion the office has issued.

The audit also laid bare long-standing negative trends in the country’s public finances that have persisted for more than two decades. The Exchequer Account, the core bank account for the national Consolidated Fund, remained overdrawn by $51.94 billion at the close of the 2025 fiscal year, marking an 11.55% increase from the $46.56 billion overdraft recorded the previous year. Ramdass confirmed that this account has been continuously overdrawn since 2003. As of September 30, 2025, total national public debt stood at $117.46 billion, a 6.65% increase of $7.32 billion year-over-year. This brings total public debt to 191% of the country’s annual total revenue, with $81.15 billion of that debt held domestically and $33.6 billion sourced from external lenders. Total annual public debt charges, including principal repayments and interest payments, hit $12.55 billion in 2025, a 4.16% year-over-year increase that accounts for nearly one-fifth (19.17%) of total annual government spending.

Auditors also recorded that total outstanding arrears of government revenue reached $59.8 billion by the end of the fiscal year, with 89% of those arrears ($53.17 billion) falling under the responsibility of the Board of Inland Revenue for collection, and an additional 10% ($6.03 billion) the responsibility of the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries. Notably, the office did not receive required arrears reports from multiple government revenue collectors, adding another layer of opacity to public revenue tracking.

In addition to the broad systemic irregularities, the audit uncovered specific cases of misappropriated public funds and procedural violations. In one high-profile finding, $78 million in earmarked affordable housing infrastructure funds were misused by the state-owned Housing Development Corporation (HDC) for unrelated routine maintenance costs. The funds, allocated through the Infrastructure Development Fund’s Affordable Housing Programme, were released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to the HDC specifically for new housing and infrastructure construction projects. Instead, the HDC redirected the full sum to pay contractors for routine operational services including grass cutting, municipal garbage collection, and drain cleaning – a use of funds that directly contradicts the approved purpose outlined by Parliament and violates national financial regulations.

Procedural violations were also widespread across government ministries, departments, and agencies, the audit found. In multiple agencies, people collecting government cheque payments were not formally authorized to receive those funds, in direct violation of national Financial Instruction 118(2), which requires paying officers to confirm that claimants are the legally authorized recipients of public funds. Auditors found that no files containing authorized representative names and specimen signatures were kept for audit review, and in multiple cases, agency employees signed for cheques without receiving formal authorization from the intended payee.

Standing before thousands of soaking-wet but unwavering supporters at her United National Congress (UNC) party’s annual congress held in Couva on Sunday, Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar marked the first anniversary of her administration’s return to power, delivering a keynote address that balanced accountability, promise, and calls for patience from the nation’s citizens.

Draped in the UNC’s iconic golden yellow attire, Persad-Bissessar greeted thousands of attendees — which she estimated between 17,000 and 20,000 based on local police estimates — as she processed through the packed crowd toward the main stage. Even when heavy rain broke out mid-speech, her supporters refused to leave their positions, a show of loyalty that underscored the strong base of support for the new administration.

Opening her address, the Prime Minister drew a sharp contrast between her administration and the previous 10-year rule of the People’s National Movement (PNM), claiming that UNC supporters had been systematically excluded, abused, and marginalized during the opposition’s tenure from 2015 to 2025. She asserted that her leadership would break from this pattern of retaliatory exclusion, while also promising to address past harms done to UNC loyalists. “I am not going to advantage anyone, but I will square up the account because the bad treatment of good people cannot go unanswered,” she told the crowd. “I have nothing to lose. Why? Because we lost everything before.”

Reiterating the UNC’s core 2024 campaign promise that “When the UNC wins, everybody wins,” Persad-Bissessar acknowledged that many citizens have not yet felt tangible improvements from the new government’s actions, even as the country has started to reverse the national decline inherited from the previous administration. She stressed that while meaningful progress has already been made, significant work remains to deliver widespread prosperity.

One of the central policy priorities of the UNC’s first year has been addressing the nation’s persistent unemployment crisis, a top concern for voters before and after last year’s general election. Persad-Bissessar sharply criticized the PNM’s long-running temporary make-work programs, the Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) and the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP), arguing that these initiatives trapped low-income citizens in cycles of entrenched poverty instead of delivering sustainable economic opportunity, while also becoming riddled with corruption and mismanagement of public funds.

Her administration has made the controversial decision to restructure the existing CEPEP and URP frameworks, a short-term painful adjustment that she said has already cleared the way for long-term sustainable job growth. Despite inheriting a nearly empty national treasury from the previous government, Persad-Bissessar reported that her administration has already created more than 15,000 full-time, meaningful jobs across multiple government ministries. If current growth trajectories hold, she projected that the administration could deliver more than 70,000 new jobs over its five-year term ending in 2030.

Multiple upcoming infrastructure and economic development projects are set to add thousands more positions in the near term, the Prime Minister announced. New housing developments run by the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) are expected to generate more than 3,000 jobs, while the first phase of the government’s national revitalization plan will add approximately 4,000 additional roles. She also unveiled two major industrial and economic expansion projects: a 500-acre expansion of the Plipdeco industrial estate at Point Lisas, and a newly Cabinet-approved 256-acre Special Economic Zone in Picton, adjacent to the University of the West Indies South Campus, that will be purpose-built to host data center operations. Both projects already have companies negotiating memoranda of understanding for space, and are projected to create thousands of long-term private sector jobs. A third partnership with international firms to revitalize the Point Fortin heritage storage tank farms and local marine infrastructure will add further employment opportunities, she added.

Housing and land distribution have also emerged as core drivers of job creation and public good under the UNC administration, Persad-Bissessar said. The country faces a backlog of more than 228,000 housing applicants, and the government has advanced a $3.4 billion public-private partnership (PPP) housing project that does not draw on taxpayer funds. Ten parcels of public land have already been transferred to the HDC to build 1,543 new housing units, with another 3,700 new homes planned through PPP models this year and next, creating an additional 3,000 construction and related jobs.

The administration also reintroduced its popular Land for the Landless programme in January, which has already received more than 20,000 applications from citizens seeking land access. All applications are being reviewed under a transparent new framework, and every applicant will receive formal feedback, the Prime Minister confirmed. To date, the Ministry of Land and Legal Affairs has already delivered 553 Caroni land leases, issued 200 Certificates of Comfort, granted 137 State land grants, and resolved long-running land disputes impacting 100 families.

Closing her address to supporters, Persad-Bissessar acknowledged that many individual citizens have not yet accessed the new jobs or services the government has created, and urged the public to maintain patience through the ongoing transition. “Hold strain, Dorothy, hold on Dorothy…better days are coming, better days are ahead, just hold on!” she implored, repeating her core message that after a period of painful adjustment, widespread economic joy and prosperity will follow under the UNC government.

One year after the United National Congress (UNC) took power in Trinidad and Tobago, a recent on-the-ground survey of the party’s long-held stronghold of Chin Chin, Cunupia, reveals widespread dissatisfaction among local residents with the new administration’s performance, with many echoing criticism that the government has delivered little meaningful change from its predecessor.

Tricia Ramsumair, a 52-year-old local shopkeeper, was among the first to share her frustrations with the *Sunday Express* during the outlet’s recent community visit. In her assessment, the UNC’s first year in office has simply extended the stagnation that defined the previous People’s National Movement (PNM) administration. She described both governments as stuck in gridlock, with zero tangible progress for working-class communities.

From where Ramsumair stands, basic municipal services in the area have completely broken down: clogged drains remain uncleared, overgrown bushes choke local roadways, and widespread unemployment has left many neighbors struggling to afford basic food. “I don’t know if this government is delivering for other groups, but it’s not delivering for people like me,” she said.

The shutdown of the Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) has hit Ramsumair directly, wiping out her only steady source of customer income. “CEPEP supported low-income workers, who are the backbone of my small shop. Now that their incomes are gone, small business owners like me are just one step away from poverty too,” she explained.

Ramsumair also called out local Member of Parliament Dr. Rishad Seecheran for failing to follow through on pre-election promises of accessibility. Ahead of the April 28 general election, Seecheran visited her household, left a contact card, and promised to respond whenever constituents needed help. But after the votes were counted, Ramsumair says she has never been able to reach him. “We called repeatedly, and we were just told he’s not around, not in the office, to call back or make an appointment. We’ve never actually spoken to him directly – the number he gave us goes unanswered,” she said. She added that while the entire ruling party was visible and accessible to voters before the election, the public is now completely shut out of their post-election work.

She also criticized the location and accessibility of Seecheran’s Madras Road office, noting that it creates unnecessary barriers for elderly residents, people with disabilities, those without personal transportation, and residents who lack experience navigating government support systems. The groups that need help the most, she argued, are often the ones that end up with no assistance at all.

Last week, Ramsumair received a call from UNC representatives inviting her to the party’s official one-year anniversary celebrations – a fact that reinforced her frustration. “They clearly know how to reach us when they need photo ops for events. They should put that same energy into visiting our communities instead of making us come to them,” she said, urging Seecheran to deploy a team of outreach workers to engage with constituents directly. She added that the community has a critical unmet need for a dedicated local community centre.

Ramsumair’s assessment is widely shared by her neighbors. Suzette Hospedales, a 40-year-old resident who has lived in the area for a short time, gave the new government a failing grade, calling its overall performance “poor.” For Hospedales, the top priority is addressing the country’s escalating crime crisis. She noted that while the UNC campaigned heavily on criticizing the PNM’s failure to get crime under control, the situation has only gotten worse since the new administration took office. “I have no confidence in their ability to turn this around,” she said, adding that reports of criminal activity across Cunupia are becoming more frequent every day.

Hospedales called on the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) and the Ministry of Homeland Security to improve transparency around their anti-crime efforts. “People need to know what steps are being taken to keep us safe. Regular communication would go a long way to easing the fear that people live with every day,” she said. She also joined calls to fix crumbling local infrastructure, pointing to countless dangerous potholes on area roads, and echoed Ramsumair’s call for youth-focused public amenities, such as a community centre or public playground to give local children a safe space to gather.

Like Ramsumair, Hospedales has never had contact with her local MP: she says she has never met Seecheran, though she acknowledged that he may have campaigned in the area during work hours when she was not home.

A retired 2023 member of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF), who spoke to the *Sunday Express* on condition of anonymity, offered a more measured but still critical take, describing the government’s progress as “very slow.” He acknowledged that the administration has only been in office for 12 months, saying voters should give the government roughly two years to deliver on its promises before issuing a final judgment. Still, he admitted, he has not seen any tangible changes in the community a year in.

Interestingly, the retired veteran, who spent 19 years in the TTDF and abstains from voting due to personal religious beliefs, said he would still choose the UNC over the PNM if he ever cast a ballot. His loyalty stems from a 2013 back payment he received during the UNC’s last term in office – the largest he ever received during his career.

Like other residents, he pointed to the overgrown, unmaintained Chin Chin Main Road as a visible sign of decline after the CEPEP shutdown. He explained that overgrown grass now completely covers exposed, unprotected manholes, forcing pedestrians to walk in active roadways and putting lives at risk. Echoing widespread community frustration, the veteran argued that the government made the wrong call when it shut down CEPEP entirely. “CEPEP definitely had a corruption problem tied to its contractors, but it was a good program that worked for working people. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar should have cracked down on the corrupt contractors, not cut the program that supports everyday workers,” he said.

On the issue of crime, which impacts the entire country as well as Cunupia, the veteran said that while the problem can be solved, the government needs to stop taking half-measures to address it. He also pushed back on common stereotypes about local youth unemployment, rejecting claims that young people are lazy or uninterested in working. “If you actually spend time in this community, you’ll see most young people are out here hustling every day just to get by. They don’t have permanent, stable work – but they desperately want it,” he said.

A sharp political clash has erupted over Trinidad and Tobago’s cross-border energy negotiations with neighboring Venezuela, after the country’s Energy Minister Dr. Roodal Moonilal publicly accused opposition lawmaker Stuart Young of deliberately undermining national energy interests during an unpublicized meeting with Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez. The explosive accusation came during the United National Congress (UNC)’s national congress and annual report to the nation, held in Couva to mark both one year of the current UNC administration and 37 years since the party’s founding.

Moonilal launched a pointed critique of the main opposition People’s National Movement (PNM), framing the party as an uncooperative, obstructive force that stands in the way of the government’s work to revitalize Trinidad and Tobago’s struggling energy sector. “That PNM that is known for their wickedity, they are known as wicked, clueless, hapless, obstructionists. Stuart Young and the PNM continue to undermine our national interest. I am told that he was in Panama, he got lost and ended up in Venezuela,” Moonilal joked sharply.

Going further, the minister questioned the purpose of Young’s unannounced visit, raising a series of public challenges for the opposition MP to answer. “He went there to undermine Trinidad and Tobago and the multinational companies. He went there to join another conga line. I asked him today, what was his agenda? Was it an official trip? Did he go for a lime? Was it a frolic of his own? Is Penny Beckles sending him there? Does she know he’s there? Because she don’t know anything going on in Arima,” he said.

Moonilal directly connected the visit to ongoing bilateral energy negotiations between Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and major international energy firms operating in the region, demanding Young end his disruptive actions. “Why was he there? To undermine Shell, bP, Trinidad and Tobago? He’s undermining our interest. And today I call upon him to cease disrupting the negotiations, agreements and discussions between our countries and the multinational companies to secure our energy future,” he stated.

He doubled down on his critique of Young, portraying him as a reckless agitator who puts national energy security at risk for political gain. “Moonilal wondered “if Stuart Young will now dust out the bullhorn and go in the Strait of Hormuz with the bullhorn to conduct sea traffic. Will he do that? He is a disruptive character who only intends to disrupt and undermine the national energy security of Trinidad and Tobago. Brothers and sisters, while he’s playing the fool, we were busy working in the Cabinet”, the minister said.

Alongside the political attack, Moonilal used the party congress to outline the UNC government’s progress in rebuilding the energy sector, which he said was left in a state of long-term decline after a decade of PNM rule. According to government data, oil production hit a low of 50,000 barrels per day in 2024, but has since climbed to 56,000 barrels per day as of April 2026. Output is projected to reach 60,000 barrels per day by the end of the current year, and major ongoing projects from operators including EOG, bP, Perenco and Heritage Offshore are expected to push production to 70,000 barrels per day by 2028.

Moonilal also highlighted progress in natural gas production, noting that after years of steady decline, the ministry has stabilized output and put the sector on a trajectory for strong growth. Eleven major gas development projects are currently in motion, including the flagship Manatee Plus development, Juniper Phase II, Onyx, Coconut and Ginger. Manatee Plus alone is expected to boost national gas production by 10%, he added.

One of the government’s biggest wins, Moonilal said, is the return of energy giant ExxonMobil to Trinidad and Tobago after a 20-year absence that began during the previous PNM administration. Updated exploration results are expected by September, and independent global estimates indicate the agreement with ExxonMobil could unlock as much as US$20 billion in new investment for the country’s energy sector. The sector is already on track to outperform budget projections, contributing more than TT$1 billion in additional revenue, and the state-owned National Gas Company has posted its highest annual profit in 11 years, reaching $3.2 billion, under the current administration. Interest in the government’s refinery restart program also remains strong, with new inquiries from potential investors received as recently as the prior Friday, the minister confirmed.

The criticism of Young and the PNM was echoed by Works and Infrastructure Minister Jearlean John, who also questioned whether Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles had any knowledge of Young’s trip to Venezuela. John noted that she had never seen Young and Beckles photographed together, joking that “Because Penny is like the mysterious tombstone in Tobago. I’m from Tobago, so I know about that. Because she’s a leader of the Opposition without knowing it.” She further claimed that the PNM currently operates with three separate de facto leaders, and emphasized that the UNC has no intention of returning to opposition after the widespread hardship the country experienced during 10 years of PNM governance.

Turning to her own portfolio’s achievements in the UNC’s first year in office, John reported that the government’s road patching initiative has completed more than 2,055 roadway repairs, deploying 953 tonnes of hot-mix asphalt to improve infrastructure across the country. In total, more than 83 road infrastructure projects, ranging from general roadway maintenance to landslide slope stabilization, have been completed within the administration’s first 12 months in power.