分类： politics

A fierce political confrontation over the controversial Special Operations Bill (SOB) has escalated in Trinidad and Tobago, with senior cabinet minister and ruling party official Roger Alexander calling on residents of opposition-held constituencies to pressure their elected representatives to support full implementation of the legislation across the country. Alexander made his remarks Thursday while speaking to reporters on a site visit of the Canopies at Caura housing development, a new Housing Development Corporation project in his Tunapuna constituency, ahead of the development’s official public launch.

The current clash stems from a decision announced earlier this week by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, leader of the ruling United National Congress (UNC). Facing widespread opposition and threats of mass protest from Members of Parliament belonging to the opposition People’s National Movement (PNM), Persad-Bissessar declared Monday that her administration would limit enforcement of the special operations framework exclusively to constituencies, local government districts, and the autonomous island of Tobago that are controlled by pro-government parties.

In a sharply worded social media statement, the Prime Minister accused PNM representatives of deliberately opposing the anti-crime legislation to protect the violent criminal gangs and local drug trafficking networks that operate in their constituencies. “Therefore, I will only authorise special operations in the 26 UNC-held constituencies, 70 UNC-held local government electoral districts and in the two TPP-held constituencies after consultation with Chief Secretary Farley Augustine,” she confirmed.

Opposition lawmakers have mobilized against the bill on constitutional and civil liberties grounds. During last Friday’s parliamentary debate, senior Opposition MP Stuart Young argued that the broad powers granted by the legislation risked transforming Trinidad and Tobago into an authoritarian police state. That opposition has extended to on-the-ground organizing: Port of Spain South MP Keith Scotland has already publicly pledged to mobilize his constituents to oppose both the bill and the proposed policy of designating high-crime neighborhoods as restricted “closed areas” for law enforcement operations.

Alexander pushed back against the opposition’s position Thursday, framing the government’s limited implementation plan as a defensive barrier that would keep criminal activity contained within opposition-held areas and away from pro-government communities. “We will build it like a fence. So, we will keep them away from good people,” he told reporters. He added that PNM representatives’ opposition to the bill does not reflect the will of ordinary constituents in opposition-held districts, arguing that lawmakers live outside the communities they represent and are out of touch with residents’ demand for stronger anti-crime action.

“He said constituents in those areas needed to stand up against their representatives and say, listen you are speaking for you because you do not live here, we want to speak for ourselves,” Alexander stated, adding that constituent pressure would force opposition MPs to reverse their position on the legislation.

When asked whether the government would open the policy up to broad public consultation before moving forward with implementation, Alexander noted that opposition lawmakers already rejected a consultation process during last week’s parliamentary debate. He confirmed that the administration has no plans to force the policy on constituents whose representatives have actively pushed back against it. When pressed to point to specific language in the legislation that allows for enforcement to be limited along political constituency boundary lines, Alexander stated the scope of implementation would ultimately be shaped by public attitudes toward the policy.

A high-stakes political and legal dispute has erupted in Trinidad and Tobago, after Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath launched pre-action legal proceedings against Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) Secretary General Joanne Ogeer over damning allegations she made at a September 14 union-hosted press conference. The contentious claims centered on Padarath’s supposed involvement in improper activities at state-owned Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT).

Attorney Jared Jagroo delivered the formal pre-action letter to Ogeer on Monday, with senior counsel Anand Ramlogan and attorney Ganesh Saroop also representing Padarath in the matter. The correspondence outlines a 14-day window from receipt for Ogeer to meet all of Padarath’s demands; failure to provide a satisfactory substantive response will result in immediate court filings without additional advance warning.

According to the legal document, Ogeer’s public statements framed Padarath as complicit in unreported wrongdoing at TSTT, accused him of intentionally ignoring alleged corruption and other improper conduct, and claimed he was unduly influenced by TSTT chairman Kern Dass. Additional allegations included claims that Padarath received internal documentation detailing purported corruption, conflicts of interest, and suspicious business deals at the telecommunications firm, and that he subsequently ordered TSTT’s chief executive officer to step down. Ogeer also reportedly claimed Dass acted as Padarath’s personal political financier – an assertion Padarath flatly denies.

Padarath’s legal team stresses that all of the allegations put forward by Ogeer are entirely false. The minister has never received the purported corruption file, never issued an order for the TSTT CEO to stand down, and denies all claims of financial impropriety or improper ties to Dass. The legal team adds that the false claims have intentionally painted Padarath as dishonest, financially compromised, and complicit in unethical activity at TSTT, causing severe and ongoing damage to his professional and personal reputation.

The original press conference was carried live on air and later uploaded to the CWU’s official Facebook page, before being picked up and reprinted by multiple mainstream Trinidad and Tobago media outlets. This widespread distribution, Padarath’s attorneys argue, has significantly amplified the harm caused by the false claims.

Among Padarath’s demands are a formal written apology, a high-profile public retraction posted to the CWU’s Facebook page and any other platform where the original allegations were shared, the removal of all social media content including the original Facebook reel that repeats the claims, and a formal written promise that Ogeer, the CWU, and all affiliated representatives will not reprint or repeat the allegations in the future. Padarath is also seeking monetary damages for defamation and full reimbursement of his legal costs. If Ogeer fails to meet all terms within the 14-day period, or issues any repeat allegations, Padarath will move forward with full legal proceedings seeking aggravated and exemplary damages, a court-ordered injunction blocking further publication of the claims, and additional legal relief.

This latest pre-action letter marks the second legal threat leveled against Ogeer stemming from the same September 14 press conference. Last week, separate pre-action correspondence was sent on behalf of Kern Dass and TSTT Corporate Secretary Viveka Pargass. In that matter, attorney Samantha Singh-Poona gave Ogeer 48 hours to withdraw her claims against the two TSTT executives, issue public apologies, and provide all factual evidence supporting her original allegations. Ogeer’s claims against Dass included attacks on his professional competence and his handling of TSTT’s bond refinancing and activities tied to the entity Maritime, while Pargass disputed allegations made about the circumstances of her appointment to her TSTT role. Singh-Poona also warned that failure to meet the 48-hour deadline would result in immediate court filings, including applications for injunctive relief to block further publication of the claims.

A brewing political controversy has emerged in Trinidad and Tobago over planned amendments to the national Procurement Act, with Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles raising urgent red flags about what she calls a power grab that erodes independent oversight of public spending. In a public statement posted to her official Facebook page over the weekend, Beckles laid out a sweeping critique of the proposed legislative changes, arguing the ruling government is systematically stripping the country’s independent procurement watchdog of its core enforcement powers while granting cabinet ministers broad, unchecked discretion to exclude public spending projects from legal scrutiny.

At the heart of Beckles’ criticism is the stripping of key intervention authorities from the Office of Procurement Regulation (OPR), the independent body tasked with monitoring and enforcing compliance with public procurement rules. Under Clause 5 of the new bill, the OPR will lose its ability to take meaningful action even when it uncovers irregularities through investigation or public complaints. These stripped powers include the ability to suspend ongoing procurement proceedings, block public bodies from moving forward with flawed award decisions, compel agencies to reverse or reconsider problematic rulings, order re-evaluation of bids, terminate entire procurement processes, and block or pause the award or implementation of contested contracts. Instead of binding enforcement action, Beckles explained, the OPR will only be permitted to issue non-binding, advisory recommendations that carry no legal weight.

Beckles specifically questioned the timing and motivation of these changes, pointing to a high-profile 2024 case where the OPR used its existing powers to halt billions in public housing contracts. Back in April, the OPR ordered the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to pause the award of $3.4 billion in public housing project contracts mid-way through the process, launching a full review of the procurement proceedings to check for irregularities. The Opposition Leader asked pointedly why the government would move to eliminate the very powers that were already used to protect billions in taxpayer money, noting the lack of public consultation and transparency around the proposed changes. She also questioned the role of the Joint Select Committee, the parliamentary body that normally provides oversight for major legislative changes, asking why the panel had not carried out public engagement on the proposed amendments before they were brought forward.

Beyond weakening the OPR’s enforcement powers, Beckles highlighted a series of new broad exemptions the bill creates for major public spending categories. These new carve-outs include energy sector projects covering oil and natural gas development, national security initiatives, public-private partnership projects for public housing development, and a wide range of emergency-related procurement. Most concerning, Beckles argued, is a new provision that grants individual cabinet ministers the unilateral authority to add any additional procurement project to the exemption list via executive order. Under current law, any new exemptions to procurement rules require either a recommendation from the independent OPR or formal approval from the minister with the explicit agreement of the OPR. The proposed changes would completely eliminate this independent check on ministerial power, Beckles warned, leaving no guardrail against arbitrary or politically motivated exemptions for public spending.

The bill also doubles the monetary threshold for exempted procurement from $1 million to $2 million, a change Beckles says will put hundreds of millions in annual public spending outside the OPR’s regulatory framework. The proposed amendments would also repeal the existing Simplified Procurement Regulations that currently govern these lower-value purchases, removing existing transparency requirements for these contracts. Under the new framework, national ministries and designated public bodies will be able to spend up to $2 million on contracts without following the procurement rules laid out in the Act, while chief executive officers of Municipal Corporations will have an exemption threshold of $500,000 for their spending. Critically, the OPR will only receive notification of these contracts after they have already been awarded, eliminating any possibility for pre-award oversight to catch irregularities or corruption.

Beckles also pointed to two additional controversial changes in the bill: a reduction in the window of time that suppliers have to challenge flawed procurement decisions, and a new requirement that losing challengers cover the legal costs of the defending public body. She argued that these changes will deter suppliers from speaking out about irregularities, even when they have clear evidence of unfair or corrupt practices, leaving the status quo unchallenged.

Summarizing the scope of the changes for the public, Beckles said the amendments amount to a systemic rollback of procurement transparency: more public spending conducted outside the bounds of the Act, fewer enforcement powers for the independent regulator, weaker protections for suppliers that challenge irregularities, and far more unaccountable discretion in the hands of cabinet ministers and public bodies. She went on to allege that the changes open the door for renewed controversy connected to the HDC and LandmarkTT, claiming the amendments could ultimately clear the way for “massive payouts to UNC financiers.”

At the 81st United Nations General Assembly session held in New York, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has amplified Trinidad and Tobago’s long-running campaign against illicit firearms, drug trafficking and cross-border organized crime to the global community, issuing a stark warning about the existential risks these networks pose to small island developing states.

In her address to the assembly, Persad-Bissessar stressed that the illegal trade in weapons and narcotics has grown beyond a national crisis for Trinidad and Tobago, emerging as a destabilizing force across the entire Caribbean region. Unlike major global powers, small states like her country face a deeply asymmetric challenge: well-funded, technologically sophisticated criminal networks that directly undermine public safety, weaken state institutions and block long-term socio-economic development. “For Trinidad and Tobago, this is not an abstract threat,” she told delegates. “These networks directly endanger our citizens, our institutions and our development.”

Since her administration took office in 2025, Persad-Bissessar noted, the government has centered its domestic policy agenda on people-centered priorities: building safer communities, attracting productive investment, modernizing public services, and expanding economic opportunity for all citizens. At the core of this agenda is restoring lasting public security, a goal that the country has pursued through deepened collaboration with international partners. She singled out U.S. President Donald Trump for specific praise, extending gratitude for his administration’s commitment to deepening security cooperation and extending an invitation for Trinidad and Tobago to join two key regional anti-crime initiatives: the Shield of the Americas and the Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition.

Trump first launched the Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition during the inaugural Shield of the Americas Summit held in Florida this past March, where Trinidad and Tobago was counted among the founding participating nations. The initiative is designed to coordinate cross-border action to disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal organizations operating across the Western Hemisphere. “We remain confident that this partnership will continue to promote freedom, security and prosperity in our region,” Persad-Bissessar said.

Looking ahead, the prime minister outlined Trinidad and Tobago’s planned priorities for its upcoming two-year term on the UN Security Council, which the country will assume on January 1, 2027. Trinidad and Tobago secured its non-permanent council seat for the 2027-2028 term in a June election, winning support from 181 UN member states—an outcome Persad-Bissessar thanked the global body for. This marks only the second time in Trinidad and Tobago’s history that the country will sit on the Security Council, and the first time in more than 40 years. During its tenure, she said, the country will uphold the mandate it campaigned on: “Building Consensus for the Realisation of Sustainable Peace and Security.”

As a Small Island Developing State, Persad-Bissessar noted, Trinidad and Tobago will bring a unique, on-the-ground perspective to the council’s work, all while remaining fully committed to the principles of the UN Charter, international law, and the peaceful resolution of disputes. Curbing the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons will top the country’s list of priorities. She emphasized that while no Caribbean nation manufactures the illegal weapons that fuel widespread violence across the region, Caribbean states bear the devastating human and economic cost of their proliferation. “Although the region does not manufacture these weapons, their availability fuels gang violence, organised crime, drug trafficking and loss of life across our societies,” she said.

During its Security Council term, Trinidad and Tobago will push for expanded global cooperation to map the source countries and trafficking routes of illicit weapons, and block these weapons from being diverted into illegal markets. Key priorities for action include strengthening global firearms tracing mechanisms, expanding cross-border intelligence and information sharing, boosting joint border and maritime security efforts, and deepening collaboration between source, transit and destination countries. These efforts must also target the illegal narcotics trade and the illicit financial flows that fund and sustain transnational criminal syndicates, she added.

Persad-Bissessar emphasized that the crisis in the Caribbean offers a clear lesson for the global community: transnational organized crime can destabilize sovereign states and threaten regional security even in the absence of traditional armed conflict. Through its work on the Security Council, she said, Trinidad and Tobago will bring this firsthand experience to the global stage to rally collective action against a shared global threat.