标签： Trinidad and Tobago

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 public debate over the future of the Trinidad-Tobago domestic airbridge has prompted top government officials to clear up widespread misinformation, confirming that existing subsidized passenger fares will remain untouched, while a proposal for new premium unsubsidized flights remains in the early feasibility stage.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar stepped forward to address growing public anxiety over the weekend, emphasizing in an interview with local outlet the Express on that there has never been any official consideration of scrapping the longstanding subsidy program that keeps round-trip airfares fixed at $400 for travel between the two main islands. She stressed that the subsidized service is an essential lifeline for Tobago residents, who regularly need to travel to Trinidad to access government services, conduct private business, and handle critical matters that are unavailable on their home island.

The confusion erupted after Trade, Investment and Tourism Minister Satyakama Maharaj told the Express Thursday that the government was exploring a targeted adjustment to the airbridge service to address persistent overcrowding and last-minute booking shortages. Maharaj’s proposal calls for adding two daily unsubsidized flights during peak travel periods, which would carry a price point of roughly $1000 round-trip. These premium flights would primarily serve travelers booking short-notice trips and tourists, who frequently struggle to secure seats on the heavily booked subsidized service. Maharaj himself noted that the persistent shortage is a well-known issue, even affecting government officials: he recalled a recent experience where securing a last-minute seat to Tobago was harder than booking a flight to Miami. Crucially, Maharaj explicitly stated in his initial comments that the existing subsidized service would remain in place, with no plans to eliminate the $400 fare.

Persad-Bissessar clarified that Maharaj never proposed cutting the subsidy, pushing back against erroneous public interpretations that suggested the government was planning to eliminate the popular program. She confirmed that only the proposal for additional unsubsidized peak flights is under active review, with government analysts currently conducting work to assess whether the plan is logistically and financially feasible. The Prime Minister added that her administration remains fully committed to upgrading and maintaining the inter-island domestic transport network, and that she will continue collaborative discussions with Tobago Chief Secretary Farley Augustine and the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) to advance policies that benefit Tobago’s residents. Currently, all airbridge services are operated by state-owned national carrier Caribbean Airlines.

Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal further clarified the government’s position in an interview with TTT News, pushing back against an earlier misleading media headline that incorrectly claimed the government had already approved the $1000 unsubsidized fares. Moonilal stated categorically that the Cabinet of Trinidad and Tobago has not discussed, approved, or implemented any such decision, and that the reported policy change does not reflect official government position. While he acknowledged that the proposal reflects the working idea put forward by the relevant cabinet minister, it has not advanced to formal cabinet consideration, and the misleading headline should be completely discounted by the public. Moonilal noted that the inaccurate reporting was deeply concerning, and that officials wanted to erase the false claim from public discourse immediately, reaffirming that no policy change has been authorized by Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar’s cabinet.

Looking ahead, the Prime Minister is set to address a range of national policy issues during the UNC Congress and Report to the Nation event, scheduled to take place today at the Couva South Hall car park along Couva Main Road.

A shocking on-duty murder at a local municipal police facility has triggered urgent disciplinary action across Trinidad and Tobago’s law enforcement oversight bodies, after Attorney General John Jeremie publicly pushed for swift accountability in the killing of Municipal Police Corporal Anuska Eversley.

Eversley was fatally attacked last Sunday while on duty at the San Fernando Municipal Police Station, a crime that has sent shockwaves through the country’s public safety community and raised urgent questions about internal discipline within municipal law enforcement. In an official letter dated April 21, 2026, addressed to Dr. Gloria Edwards-Joseph, chair of the Statutory Authorities Service Commission (SASC)—the body responsible for disciplinary oversight of statutory public officers including municipal police—Jeremie stressed that the unprecedented nature of the crime demanded immediate, decisive action.

Key details of the investigation, confirmed by Jeremie in his correspondence, reveal that the primary suspect in Eversley’s murder is a serving municipal police officer, and multiple other officers were on the station’s compound when both the killing and an associated heist took place. Jeremie emphasized that as the official guardian of public interest, the SASC could not afford to delay action, noting that disciplinary authority over affected officers falls explicitly under the commission’s constitutional and statutory mandates.

“It would be remiss of your office, as guardians of the public interest, to not take swift action and treat the matter with urgency,” Jeremie wrote. “I hope that within your authority, appropriate urgent and decisive action is taken consistent with your constitutional and statutory mandates.”

Edwards-Joseph confirmed in her response to the Attorney General that the commission has already acted on a formal recommendation from Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro, voting to immediately suspend five municipal police officers—three men and two women—including one serving Superintendent, pending the final outcome of the criminal investigation. Official suspension notices have already been delivered to all five officers, directing them to cease reporting for duty immediately.

The commission also addressed a second recommendation from Guevarro to suspend Assistant Commissioner of Municipal Police Surendra Sagramsingh. However, Sagramsingh’s employment status falls outside the SASC’s jurisdiction: he serves as a contract officer directly employed by the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government. In line with this, Acting Permanent Secretary of the ministry Peter Mitchell issued his own notice to Sagramsingh on the same date, April 21, 2026, ordering him to take immediate paid administrative leave to protect the integrity of the ongoing homicide investigation. The ministry’s letter explicitly clarifies that Sagramsingh’s leave is a purely precautionary measure and does not represent a finding of misconduct or liability on his part.

In a landmark move to update decades-old employment regulations, Trinidad and Tobago’s Labour Minister Leroy Baptiste introduced a transformative amendment bill to the Senate Wednesday that aims to rewrite the rulebook for retrenchment practices and strengthen safeguards for workers facing job loss.

The Retrenchment and Severance Benefits (Amendment) Bill 2026 brings a slate of sweeping changes, including stricter accountability requirements for employers, expanded worker protections, and a marked increase in the minimum severance payments companies must issue to laid-off staff. Baptiste outlined that every core stage of the retrenchment process — from initial layoff planning to final severance payout — will be restructured under the new framework.

One of the bill’s most financially impactful adjustments comes via Clause 16, which revises the tiered minimum severance payment structure to deliver higher compensation for displaced workers. For non-monthly paid (hourly, daily or weekly) workers with one to fewer than five years of service, the minimum payout rises to three weeks’ pay per year of employment, while monthly-rated workers in the same tenure bracket will receive one month’s pay per year. For workers with five or more years of service, non-monthly workers get four weeks’ pay per year for the first four years, jumping to six weeks’ pay per year for each year starting from the fifth. Monthly-rated workers in this longer tenure group will receive one and a quarter months’ pay per year for the first four years, increasing to one and three-quarter months per year from the fifth year onward.

Clause 9 of the bill introduces a formal, regulated framework for temporary layoffs, a provision missing from the current outdated law. The new rule caps unagreed temporary layoffs at 90 calendar days; if a worker remains off the job beyond this window, they are automatically classified as redundant starting on the 91st day, triggering the employer’s legal requirement to issue full severance benefits. The legislation does build in limited flexibility: employers can extend the 90-day period if they reach a written agreement with either a recognized majority union representing the worker or the affected employee directly.

Another key mandate comes via Clause 10, which requires mandatory consultation with recognized majority unions before employers can issue formal redundancy notices. The mandatory consultation period is capped at 21 days unless both parties agree to an extension, and the bill mandates that discussions must be “meaningful and genuine” covering six critical areas: the justifications for proposed layoffs, strategies to avoid or reduce the number of job cuts, criteria for selecting which workers will be terminated, measures to ease the impact on displaced staff, paid time off for job searching, and alternative arrangements such as redeployment, reduced working hours, or temporary layoffs. Employers are also required to disclose all relevant information to facilitate these talks, with a narrow exception for information that would cause material harm to the business if released.

Additional worker-focused provisions include Clause 12, which requires employers that fail to meet the new 45-day minimum notice period for layoffs to pay the equivalent of wages for the full missed notice period. Clause 13 enshrines a new right for workers facing redundancy to take reasonable paid time off to seek new employment. Clause 14 adds a rehiring preference mandate: if an employer looks to fill a role identical or substantially similar to one made redundant within the previous six months, they must prioritize offering the position to the previously retrenched worker, and are required to make reasonable efforts to notify former staff of the opening.

Addressing the Senate during debate on the legislation, Baptiste framed the bill as one of the most consequential overhauls to the nation’s labour legal framework in a generation, saying it carries profound social, economic and moral significance for working people across the country. The reform directly addresses the lived experiences of workers who have faced job displacement due to corporate restructuring, insolvency, receivership and business collapse, he added.

Baptiste also used the speech to criticize the previous People’s National Movement (PNM) administration, saying the public was misled into believing comprehensive labour reform was a top PNM priority, yet the update languished for years without decisive action. He noted that the existing retrenchment law has not been updated since 1985, calling the outdated framework one of the country’s “greatest injustices” against workers, pointing to the 2016 closure of ArcelorMittal as a glaring example of the law’s failures. That sudden shuttering displaced roughly 1,400 workers including contract staff, and laid bare the gaps in the country’s outdated employment protection rules, Baptiste said.

On April 23, the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) approved the landmark Tobago Marine Parks Bill 2026 during a special sitting held at the Assembly Chamber in Scarborough. The date of the vote carried profound symbolic weight: it marked the eighth birthday that Angelica Saydee Jogie, a young child killed in a high-profile jet ski collision off Tobago’s Pigeon Point beach in April, would have celebrated.

Angelica lost her life on April 8 when an out-of-bounds jet ski collided with her and her family during what was meant to be a pre-birthday getaway. Speaking ahead of the vote, THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, who sponsored the bill, reflected on the tragedy that pushed forward this long-stalled legislation. The family had traveled to Tobago specifically because the island represented joy, peace and natural beauty to their children, Augustine noted. What should have been a celebratory trip turned into an unthinkable nightmare for the Jogie family, he added, joining their call for urgent regulation of unregulated recreational watercraft after the incident. Angelica’s mother Salisha Jogie has repeatedly called for a full ban on jet skis across Tobago’s public swimming beaches in the wake of her daughter’s death.

The core purpose of the new bill is to establish a formal, enforceable legislative framework for the protection, adaptive management and sustainable use of all of Tobago’s marine protected areas. It aims to preserve fragile coastal biodiversity, secure marine ecosystems for future generations, and clarify enforcement powers to crack down on unsafe or illegal watercraft activity in designated swimming zones. Key enforcement provisions outline steep penalties for anyone who interferes with authorized inspectors – including police officers and Coast Guard personnel – carrying out their official duties under the law. Individuals convicted of obstructing enforcement face a maximum fine of $100,000 and up to 12 months of imprisonment, sending a clear signal about the seriousness of regulatory compliance.

Augustine confirmed that following the THA’s approval, the bill will move to Trinidad and Tobago’s national Parliament for final consideration within the next two to three weeks. He noted that while the legislation shares core foundations with a 2020 bill drafted when the People’s National Movement (PNM) controlled the THA, the previous PNM-led national government allowed the proposal to languish for years without action. He criticized former PNM Prime Minister Keith Rowley for publicly calling for a jet ski ban after leaving office, pointing out that Rowley’s own administration failed to advance the necessary legislation when it had the power to do so. Augustine emphasized that the THA can only set policy; enforceable national law is required to put that policy into practice, a point Rowley omitted in his post-office commentary.

The Chief Secretary also raised pointed concerns about ongoing enforcement gaps at the popular Buccoo Reef Marine Park, noting that just one week after Angelica’s death, jet ski operators were still found operating illegally in zones marked exclusively for swimmers. He accused the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) of failing to intervene against these trespassing operators, warning that if any future incident leads to legal action against the THA, his administration will direct its legal team to shift responsibility to the Attorney General and the national central government. Augustine argued that the THA has fulfilled its duty by creating policy, running public education campaigns and marking restricted zones, but it cannot enforce rules without the full backing of national law and active cooperation from national law enforcement agencies, which have left the THA unable to act effectively to date.

A major leadership transition is unfolding at the top of the Trinidad and Tobago Municipal Police Service (TTMPS), coming on the heels of a shocking on-duty murder and unfolding allegations of widespread illegal weapons diversion linked to serving officers. Senior police and government sources confirm that current Assistant Commissioner of Police Wayne Mystar has been tapped to replace outgoing TTMPS head Surrendra Sagramsingh, who was placed on immediate administrative leave earlier this week to facilitate the ongoing investigation.

As of Thursday evening, however, Mystar had not yet received formal written documentation of his appointment, multiple sources close to the process confirmed to local media. Discussions to finalize the leadership change have already been concluded at the highest levels of both the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, with Mystar the unanimous pick to take over the troubled municipal force.

Sagramsingh, who has led the TTMPS for the past six years, publicly confirmed this week that he had been placed on leave. In a phone interview with the Express, he acknowledged the administrative action, noting that the decision was framed as a necessary step to preserve the impartiality and transparency of the ongoing probe into the murder of 33-year-old corporal Anuska Eversley and the theft of government firearms and ammunition from the San Fernando Municipal Police Station.

“Because of the investigation ongoing; and they wouldn’t want you to be around performing duty; and to ensure transparency in case they see a connection,” Sagramsingh explained of the official rationale. The long-serving officer added that while he would have preferred to remain on active duty, he has fully complied with the government’s directive. “The fact is I am in my career as a police officer (and) have been bent on service. So, definitely you would have preferred to have served. But if the authorities feel that is the best thing to do at the time, I am compliant,” he said.

The formal administrative order placing Sagramsingh on leave is laid out in an April 21, 2026 letter from acting permanent secretary Peter Mitchell. The letter clarifies that the leave is a precautionary procedural measure, not a finding of wrongdoing or liability on Sagramsingh’s part. He has been ordered not to report for duty or exercise any of his former official powers until further notice, but is required to remain accessible to investigators and fully cooperate with all inquiries.

The crisis rocking the TTMPS began early Sunday morning, when Eversley — a mother of three — was found dead inside the San Fernando Municipal Police Station at approximately 4:40 a.m. A post-mortem examination conducted this week confirmed the 33-year-old officer suffered blunt force trauma before being strangled and stabbed to death. To date, police have taken 10 people into custody for questioning in connection with Eversley’s killing.

Preliminary findings from the ongoing investigation have uncovered disturbing ties between the murder and a wider alleged criminal ring operating within the municipal police force. Senior investigative sources told the Express that early probes point to a group of serving municipal officers who have allegedly been stealing police firearms and ammunition and selling the weapons to criminal gangs and underworld networks. Sources say the illegal trafficking operation is believed to have been active for between six and eight months, raising urgent questions about systemic oversight failures within the TTMPS that allowed the alleged scheme to continue undetected for months.

As the United National Congress (UNC) administration prepares to mark its first full year in power following the April 2025 general election, Trinidad and Tobago’s Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles has delivered a scathing assessment of the government’s tenure, awarding it a failing 3-out-of-10 performance score. Speaking at a press briefing hosted Tuesday at the Opposition Leader’s Office in Port of Spain, Beckles outlined a litany of unmet promises and policy failures that she said have left ordinary citizens worse off.

At the top of Beckles’ list of criticisms is the government’s ongoing failure to curb rising violent crime and homicide rates across the country. She noted that the current state of emergency implemented to tackle public safety has yielded no measurable improvements, leaving communities still vulnerable to violent offending. She added that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has refused to engage transparently and honestly with the public on the most pressing issues affecting daily life.

On economic and employment fronts, Beckles argued that the UNC has betrayed core campaign pledges to create new jobs and expand access to affordable housing. Instead of delivering on promises of growth, Beckles said the administration has overseen mass layoffs of workers from two major public job programs — the Community-based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) and the Unemployment Relief Programmes (URP). To date, she claimed, the government has not completed construction of a single new affordable housing unit, and no meaningful expansion of employment opportunities has materialized.

Beckles also pointed to widespread economic strain hitting local communities. During recent visits to public markets, she said, vendors reported that perishable goods are regularly going unsold and rotting, as cash-strapped consumers cut back on discretionary spending. She added that small and medium-sized businesses, the backbone of the local economy, are closing at alarming rates amid shrinking consumer demand.

A further point of contention is the government’s reversal on the Dragon natural gas deal negotiated with Venezuela by the previous administration. Beckles recalled that Persad-Bissessar had heavily criticized the agreement ahead of the election, even labeling Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez a narcotrafficker, and ultimately allowed the deal to collapse. Now, she said, the government claims it wants to secure its fair share of revenue from the deal, an incoherent shift that underscores the administration’s incoherent foreign and energy policy.

Turning to the government’s planned anniversary celebration — a public fete scheduled to take place Wednesday in Couva — Beckles warned Trinidad and Tobago residents not to accept the administration’s rosy narrative of progress. She said officials will likely attempt to claim crime is falling, the construction sector is growing, and the energy industry is attracting new investment, but none of these claims match on-the-ground reality.

In a fact check of the government’s construction claims, Beckles noted that domestic cement sales have dropped by 41% — a clear indicator that construction activity has not revived, contrary to official claims. She also pointed to rising unemployment in Tobago as further evidence of economic decline, and questioned what the administration has done with the property tax revenue collected by the previous government, breaking a campaign promise to reimburse those funds to eligible citizens.

Beckles also called out new tax measures implemented by the UNC, saying what citizens were promised would be a welcome “Christmas present” from the new administration turned out to be a slate of new and increased taxes: higher road traffic fines, a new landlord tax, and increased duties on alcohol, among other levies.

Beyond economic and public safety failures, Beckles highlighted crises in other key policy areas. She criticized the government’s push for full digitalization of the education system, noting that similar policies have failed to deliver improvements in other countries, and warned the shift is leaving disadvantaged students behind. She also confirmed the public health system is facing a severe ongoing crisis under the current administration, with reduced access to care for ordinary patients.

Concluding her assessment, Beckles said she could identify almost no policy areas where the one-year-old UNC administration has delivered meaningful success. She called on all Trinidad and Tobago residents to hold the government accountable for its broken promises and rejected the administration’s attempts to frame its first year in power as a success, labeling the government “heartless and wicked” for its treatment of unemployed and working-class citizens.