If a week is long in politics, a year is an eternity. The United National Congress (UNC) decisively won 26 seats in the 2025 general election, while the new Tobago People’s Party took both Tobago seats. Yesterday, UNC supporters gathered to celebrate achievements during their first year in government.
The Cabinet approved the updated UNC Manifesto 2025 as official government policy in June 2025. The Manifesto committed the Government to building a diversified economy that will reduce Trinidad and Tobago’s reliance on oil and gas, with an emphasis on creating sustainable jobs, supporting small businesses and driving entrepreneurship, trade and connectivity. It also identified education as the most powerful tool for change and agriculture as the “cornerstone” of diversification, job creation and food sovereignty strategy.
To aid the implementation process, the Manifesto identified Artificial Intelligence, digital technology and new media to cut bureaucracy, create meaningful job opportunities, modernise public services and reposition Trinidad and Tobago. It also acknowledged that the criminal justice system as a “mess” which it will fix, and listed 36 steps to achieve this. It identified crime as a “crisis” which it would address with “intelligence competence and purpose.” To achieve this, it identified 60 steps which would together form the basis of the anti-crime plan.
These objectives are ambitious. Realistically, they are medium- to long-term and require diligence, discipline and an integrated approach by government agencies, even for partial achievement. The first year is critical, establishing the foundation for the next four years. The above forms the basis for evaluating progress toward these objectives.
As Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said, “a lot more needs to be done.” Crime, especially murders, remains a national priority. UK and US travel advisories warn of high violent crime, including gang attacks and shootings. While key laws have been enacted—such as the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) (Amendment) Bill, 2025; the Home Invasion (Self-Defence and Defence of Property) Act, 2025; and the Bail (Amendment) Bill, 2026—the State of Emergency remains the primary crime-fighting tool, which is unsustainable.
Even though the murder rate does fall during a State of Emergency, as former Acting top CoP Stephen Williams has noted, this is an emergency measure with limited effect. Moreover, the recent murders and the “betrayal” at the San Fernando Municipal Police Station expose a crisis undermining the social fabric and demanding institutional change. Similarly, aggressive rhetoric supporting US extrajudicial killing at sea is no substitute for stronger border protection.
On the economic front, unemployment and inflation rates have worsened. Promises to repeal the Revenue Authority Act, to abolish Property Tax, to make private pensions tax-free, and to award ten per cent wage settlements have been kept. But these measures neither improve economic performance nor reduce the fiscal deficit. VAT refunds are again delayed, and the foreign exchange reserves continue to fall.
On the foreign policy front, it is unclear whether fully endorsing US policy will benefit Trinidad and Tobago’s relationship with Venezuela and access to its gas reserves. Likewise, confronting and threatening Caricom offers little advantage.
Hostilities in the Middle East may benefit the country’s economy, but that is fortuitous and external to the UNC’s efforts. Still, as always, there is ample room for improvement.
