OPPOSITION Leader Pennelope Beckles has given the United National Congress (UNC) Government a “three”-out-of-ten rating for performance, citing a failure to arrest crime while generating mass unemployment.
Beckles was speaking at a news conference at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition in Port of Spain yesterday, where she was asked by media to give the Government a grade as the UNC administration approaches one year in office.
She issued a failing grade and scathing critique of the Government’s actions and inactions since assuming office following the April 28, 2025, general election.
Beckles pointed to violent crimes and murders, saying the ongoing state of emergency (SoE) was not showing an impact on crime.
She said the Government and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had failed to adequately face the population on issues affecting the people.
Beckles said Persad-Bissesar’s Government had promised jobs and housing, but delivered firings instead. Stating that the UNC administration was yet to build a house, Beckles said there was yet to be an increase in employment opportunities.
She recalled those fired from the Community-based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) and Unemployment Relief Programmes (URP).
Beckles claimed that when visiting markets, vendors were saying their goods were spoiling and rotting, as people were not buying.
Lamenting the state of the economy, Beckles said businesses were folding, especially small and medium businesses.
She recalled that Persad-Bissessar had bad-mouthed the former government’s Dragon gas deal with Venezuela, stating that the deal was now “dead”—and criticised the Government for now saying it wanted its fair share from the deal, after Persad-Bissessar had called Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez a “narco trafficker”.
Demand accountability
Beckles called on the population to demand accountability from the Government for its broken promises.
The Opposition Leader said the UNC was preparing for its fete in Couva tomorrow to celebrate its first year in office.
However, Beckles called on people not to be fooled.
She said the Government would attempt to tell the population that crime was down, that the construction sector was being revived, and that things were happening in the energy sector.
Instead, she said, thousands had been fired and went on to call the Government “heartless and wicked”.
Beckles said in reality, there has been a 41% decline in sales of cement, and Tobago had seen increased unemployment. Questioning what had become of the money collected for property tax under the previous government, she asked whether any citizens had been reimbursed as the UNC had claimed they would be.
Beckles accused the UNC Government of spending the past year “marketing and lying”, while claiming that everything was good in Trinidad.
She said the country was expecting a “Christmas present” from the Government, which turned out to be “tax, tax and more tax”. She cited increased road fines, as well as the landlord tax and increased duties on alcohol, under this Government.
Beckles also questioned the Government’s policies towards education, including its digital push, which she said has not worked for other countries. She said there has also been a public health sector crisis under the UNC Government.
“There are very few, if anything, that I can say that this Government has succeeded at,” Beckles stated.
