Beckles demands MiLAT reversal

Akash Samaroo

Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles is calling on the Government to reverse its decision to suspend the Military-Led Academic Training (MiLAT) Programme, describing the move as another major setback for youth development and crime prevention and questioning whether the country can afford to lose one of its longest-running social intervention initiatives.

In a statement sent to Guardian Media, Beckles said the suspension represented “another serious blow” to vulnerable young people and accused the Government of dismantling successful programmes established under previous People’s National Movement (PNM) administrations.

“The shutdown of the Military-Led Academic Training (MiLAT) Programme is a confirmation of the failures of this UNC Government and another serious blow to youth development and crime prevention in Trinidad and Tobago,” she said.

Her comments come a day after Defence Minister Wayne Sturge announced that MiLAT had been temporarily suspended while the Government reviews the programme’s financial viability and undertakes a restructuring exercise.  

Sturge said the programme was “not shut down” and that discussions were underway with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Reserves and the Ministry of Tertiary Education to determine its future. He said the Government hoped to complete the restructuring as quickly as possible but declined to say what form it would take, promising further details by the end of July.  

Beckles, however, questioned whether financial constraints were truly behind the decision.

She asked whether the Government’s decision reflected wider financial difficulties, suggesting the closure raised concerns about the State’s ability to continue funding essential programmes.

“It begs the question whether this is a sign that the Government has no money to address other matters of state. These closures show that the Government does not have money to pay for the basic amenities in the nation,” she said.

Sturge has defended the decision, saying the programme in its current form was “not economically viable” and required restructuring. He also rejected claims that suspending MiLAT would contribute to rising crime, arguing that the programme had existed during a period in which Trinidad and Tobago still experienced record murder rates.  

But Beckles insisted MiLAT’s value should not be measured solely by crime statistics.

She argued that the residential programme had transformed the lives of thousands of young men over the past two decades by providing education, behavioural development and employment opportunities.

According to Beckles, more than half of the 2024 intake obtained a full academic certificate through the programme, while many graduates had gone on to join the protective services, enter the workforce and become positive influences in their communities.

She also pointed to a recent United Kingdom report on gangs in Trinidad and Tobago, which identified vulnerable young people lacking education, employment and positive mentorship as prime targets for criminal recruitment.

“These are precisely the young people MiLAT was designed to reach,” she said.

The Opposition Leader also accused the Government of abandoning young people by shutting down programmes without putting alternatives in place.

She compared MiLAT’s suspension to the earlier suspension of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), arguing that both decisions had reduced opportunities for vulnerable youth.

“The Government’s continued failure to address rising unemployment, shrinking economic opportunities and increasing uncertainty for young people across Trinidad and Tobago is alarming,” Beckles said.

“At a time when opportunities are becoming more difficult to find, Government should be expanding programmes that equip young people with education, discipline and employable skills, not removing them.”

Beckles further claimed that workers attached to MiLAT had told her their contracts were not renewed and that a hiring freeze had been implemented since April 2025, months before Tuesday’s announcement. She said the closure had now left about 100 employees without work.

The Opposition Leader also criticised what she described as the Government’s lack of a broader strategy for youth development.

She questioned whether Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar was satisfied with the performance of the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, Phillip Watts, and said the ministry remained without a National Youth Policy despite being a year into the Government’s term.

Meanwhile Beckles called on the Defence Minister to explain what programmes would replace MiLAT and how the Government intended to support the hundreds of vulnerable young people who would have otherwise entered the initiative.

“Having allowed the CCC to be closed for an entire year, will MiLAT follow that same path?” she asked.

She urged the Government to reconsider what she described as an ill-conceived decision before more young people lose access to opportunities that could place them on a pathway to education, employment and rehabilitation.