分类： politics

A public employment and community maintenance initiative in Trinidad and Tobago has found itself at the center of heated political debate, with the cabinet minister in charge pushing back hard against longstanding accusations of so-called “ghost work” — a practice of paying unemployed workers for no completed labor that plagued two now-discontinued national programs.

Rural Development and Local Government Minister Khadijah Ameen, who also serves as the Member of Parliament for the St Augustine constituency, made her remarks during a community plant distribution event held at her constituency office on Pasea Main Road, St Augustine on the day before the Corpus Christi public holiday.

Addressing public and political scrutiny of the National Programme for the Upkeep of Public Spaces (NPUPS), Ameen refuted claims that the initiative’s roughly 1,600 deployed workers across 14 local corporations are non-existent “ghost gangs”. She emphasized that program staff are active in every region and electoral district across the country, turning out consistent, verifiable work. “We have been reviewing daily work logs and conducting on-site observations of teams in the field,” she stated. “I do not run ghost gangs. The number of workers may be smaller than previous programs, but every person on the payroll is showing up to work. Taxpayer money no longer goes to workers who do not perform any duties.” Ameen added that the central government is also conducting a full performance review of all local corporations to bring greater accountability and structure to local governance.

The NPUPS was launched as a replacement for two decades-old public employment programs, the Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) and the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP), both of which were permanently shelved by the Trinidad national government in 2023 after repeated accusations of widespread corruption and ghost worker schemes. Thousands of workers lost their positions when the programs ended, though both continue to operate in Tobago.

Ameen told attendees at the community event that her ministry is currently exploring expansion of the NPUPS to under-served rural communities including Blanchisseuse, Paramin, Lopinot, Maracas and Matelot. Any scaling of the program will depend on approval of the new national budget, expected to be delivered in October, she noted. The initiative’s core mandate, she explained, is to address urgent public maintenance needs while the government develops long-term solutions for persistent unemployment and community underdevelopment. It also pairs ongoing productivity assessments of workers with support for local municipal governance and the creation of short-term income opportunities for out-of-work citizens.

When the NPUPS launched nationwide on April 27, a ministry statement outlined that the 1,600 hired workers would be responsible for regular maintenance of public recreational grounds, parks, and other community open spaces. “This program strengthens proactive, consistent maintenance across all communities, as our ministry remains fully committed to advancing local development and raising quality of life for all citizens,” Ameen said in the post-launch statement. The program currently offers three-month fixed-term employment contracts to all participants, and was first rolled out on a smaller scale in February to support post-Carnival cleanup operations, where NPUPS teams handled public space cleaning outside official Carnival venues, complementing cleanup teams operated by the National Carnival Commission.

Despite the minister’s defense, reactions from local government leaders across the country have been deeply divided, with some praising the program’s accountability and others criticizing its limited scope, short contract lengths, and alleged political bias.

In a phone interview conducted the week after the launch, Kwesi Antoine, deputy chairman of the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation, argued that the small size of NPUPS work teams is woefully inadequate to meet widespread need in the wake of the CEPEP and URP closures. “We are being told to send just one name for an opening, when thousands of people in this region are out of work and struggling to put food on the table,” Antoine said. The program currently assigns small teams of roughly 12 people per area, including one laborer, one checker, and one foreman. “Thousands of people lost their jobs from CEPEP, URP, the Forestry Division, even other government ministries, and we only get a handful of openings. It is impossible to choose just one person when so many are in need.” Antoine added that three-month fixed contracts do not offer the stable, long-term employment that workers need to plan for the future, pay into national insurance, and qualify for pensions. “The government could allocate the same budget to create stable permanent positions instead of these short-term stints,” he said. He also alleged that the program shows a clear allocation bias against areas controlled by the opposition People’s National Movement (PNM).

Not all local leaders have criticized the initiative, however. Siparia Mayor Doodnath Mayrhoo called the NPUPS a positive improvement over the previous programs, noting that rampant corruption in CEPEP and URP required urgent government action. He added that NPUPS workers earn just over $200 per day, compared to the $79 per day workers received under the old CEPEP system. “The program has rolled out across all 14 corporations nationwide, and it is already delivering results in our area,” Mayrhoo said. “Schools and recreational grounds are now in excellent condition, and communities are cleaner than they have been in years. Local corporations just need to ensure the program is managed efficiently to keep that progress going. If the national economy were stronger, we would be able to do even more for residents.”

Other municipal leaders have echoed Antoine’s concerns about insufficient staffing. Point Fortin Mayor Clyde James said the 36 workers assigned to his municipality could not replace the much larger CEPEP workforce that previously operated in the area. Josiah Austin, chairman of the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation, reported that his corporation received 218 NPUPS workers, far fewer than the CEPEP contingent it previously had. To cover the corporation’s nine electoral districts adequately, Austin estimated the region needs roughly 2,500 workers to maintain public spaces effectively.

Opposition leaders have also raised broader criticisms of the initiative. Opposition Senator Faris Al-Rawi argued shortly after the launch that the NPUPS fails to deliver sustainable employment for former CEPEP and URP workers, and has left communities under-maintained ahead of the annual rainy season. Al-Rawi noted that CEPEP employed roughly 11,000 workers nationwide, compared to the NPUPS’s 1,600, and the reduced workforce has already led to unkempt communities and delayed critical maintenance at a time when upkeep is most needed.

Some other local leaders have backed the program’s structure. Ryan Rampersad, chairman of the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation, said the 204 workers assigned to his region were sufficient to meet current needs. Chaguanas Mayor Faaiq Mohammed also praised the initiative, noting that under the previous CEPEP system, coverage was inconsistent across the borough, with only one team serving Chaguanas West and unreliable support for Chaguanas East. “NPUPS brings a far more equitable, structured approach to public space maintenance across the entire Borough of Chaguanas,” Mohammed said.

As mounting public protests and industrial action sweep across Trinidad and Tobago, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has drawn a firm line against scrapping controversial state of emergency (SoE) regulations that ban demonstrations within 500 meters of 15 key high-security state facilities, even as she asserts the fundamental right of citizens to engage in peaceful protest within legal boundaries. In an exclusive interview with the Express newspaper, the Prime Minister pushed back against growing pressure from labor unions and activist groups, dismissing claims that the current wave of public discontent has shifted the government’s policy priorities.

The Prime Minister’s comments come in response to coordinated calls from the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) and other labor organizations, which have labeled the no-protest zone regulations an unjustifiable overreach of executive and police authority. These groups have organized a national shutdown call for Friday, joining a growing roster of dissatisfied groups that include teachers, nurses, and maxi-taxi operators who have launched their own industrial action in recent weeks.

Addressing the mounting criticism, Persad-Bissessar framed the restricted protest zones as a common-sense security measure rather than an attack on civil liberties. She noted that the 15 restricted sites include critical national infrastructure: the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the country’s two international airports, the main port, Defence Force headquarters, Trinidad and Tobago Police Service headquarters, the Ministry of Finance, and President’s House. “I’m not going to allow gang members to infiltrate legitimate protests and congregate in front high-security buildings like the airports and DPP offices,” she stated, emphasizing that protesters remain free to demonstrate in any location outside these 15 designated areas.

The Prime Minister also dismissed suggestions that the wave of protests and industrial action has pressured her administration, stressing that the government remains fully focused on delivering core governance responsibilities. When asked about growing public frustration across multiple sectors, she flatly replied, “No,” when asked if she felt pressured by the rising discontent. “There is always public frustration in some sectors every day. That’s not new. The Government will always act to make citizens’ lives better with the resources available to us,” she said.

Persad-Bissessar drew a distinction between what she described as bona fide citizen groups with legitimate, solvable grievances and other organizations that she claimed have been co-opted or infiltrated by bad actors. “However, there are many groups that have been created or infiltrated by political and race grifters, concern trolls and engagement farmers who seek to use issues to rage bait, race hustle, publicity farm, etc. These groups are generally ignored,” she said.

On the question of a potential extension of the full state of emergency, Persad-Bissessar confirmed that the National Security Council will make an imminate decision based on the latest security data available to the government.

Turning specifically to the ongoing three-day strike by maxi-taxi operators, the Prime Minister struck a more conciliatory tone, acknowledging that many of the workers hold legitimate concerns that can be resolved through ongoing dialogue. She praised the vast majority of maxi-taxi operators as hard-working, law-abiding citizens who provide an essential public service, noting that many have long supported her United National Congress party. “The vast majority of maxi operators are decent, hard-working people who ensure that our loved ones get to work or school and back home safely. I have nothing negative to say about them because they provide a service that is generally efficient and safe,” she said.

Persad-Bissessar urged striking operators to continue bilateral talks with Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Eli Zakour, who she confirmed has been working on addressing the group’s concerns for an extended period. As a precautionary measure to minimize disruption for commuters during the strike, the Prime Minister announced that bus routes would remain open to light motor vehicles on the strike day, with national security vehicles on standby to provide emergency transportation for stranded members of the public.

Nearly 17 months after the departure of the last U.S. ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, President Donald Trump has put forward a historic nomination to fill the long-vacant diplomatic post: Jennifer Johnson-Carroll, a Trinidad-born former Florida lieutenant governor with a decades-long record of U.S. public service.

The post has remained empty since former ambassador Candace Bond concluded her tenure on January 20, 2025, shortly before the new Trump administration took office. On June 1, 2026, the White House released an official statement listing Johnson-Carroll, a Florida resident, among a slate of new diplomatic nominees, tapping her to serve as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The nomination was formally submitted to the U.S. Senate for confirmation the day after the White House announcement.

Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago in 1959, Johnson-Carroll moved to the United States with her family at age 8, building a diverse career that spans military service, public office, and private sector leadership. She enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1979 as a jet mechanic, retiring 20 years later as a lieutenant commander aviation maintenance officer. She went on to earn multiple degrees in political science and business administration, and entered electoral politics in 2003, when she made history as the first Black female Republican elected to the Florida House of Representatives. In 2010, she was selected as running mate by Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott, taking office as Florida’s 18th lieutenant governor in 2011—again breaking barriers as the first woman and first Caribbean-born person to hold the statewide post. She resigned in 2013 amid questioning connected to a federal investigation into an illegal gambling and money laundering scandal at a charity organization, though she was never criminally charged.

The American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago (AMCHAM T&T) has publicly welcomed the nomination, emphasizing its significance for bilateral relations between the two nations. In an official statement released shortly after the nomination announcement, the chamber noted that Johnson-Carroll’s roots in Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago make the appointment particularly meaningful. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, she will become the first Trinidad and Tobago-born woman to serve as U.S. ambassador to her country of origin, a milestone that AMCHAM T&T says underscores the far-reaching global contributions of the Trinidadian and Tobagonian diaspora.

AMCHAM T&T also highlighted Johnson-Carroll’s long record of demonstrated leadership and commitment to public service across government, policy, and community advocacy, noting her repeated history of breaking barriers for underrepresented groups in U.S. politics. The organization acknowledged that the nomination must now advance through the formal Senate confirmation process: first a review by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, followed by a full vote by the entire Senate. AMCHAM T&T said it expects the process to conclude successfully and looks forward to welcoming the new ambassador in the near term.

Beyond welcoming the nominee, the chamber reaffirmed the deep strategic ties between the United States and Trinidad and Tobago, which span trade, investment, energy, security, education, technology, and cultural and community connections. The bilateral relationship, the organization noted, remains a core driver of economic growth, democratic governance, and regional cooperation across the Caribbean. AMCHAM T&T said it remains committed to advancing the strong commercial and diplomatic partnership between the two nations, and looks forward to working with Johnson-Carroll, if confirmed, to expand opportunities for collaboration, innovation, increased investment, and shared prosperity for both countries.