Gonzales tells PM: Apologise for calling TT 'lawless dump'

Opposition chief whip Marvin Gonzales. - File photo

OPPOSITION Chief Whip and PNM chairman Marvin Gonzales has slammed Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar's description of Trinidad and Tobago as a "lawless dump."

Gonzales called on Persad-Bissessar to apologise for making this remark.

Persad-Bissessar made her comment on December 28 when asked about the issuance of a recent notice which increased penalties for certain traffic offences.

Persad-Bissessar claimed all the measures were presented in the 2025/2026 budget and the subsequent Finance Bill 2025.

"The country has no order, it’s become a lawless dump and it’s because of the entitled attitudes of some citizens who believe they can do whatever they want while inconveniencing others without consequences. And these entitled citizens span across all demographics and sectors of society."

In a Facebook post on December 29, Gonzales, who is also Arouca/Lopinot MP said, "The Prime Minister’s description of the country as a 'lawless dump' is an appalling betrayal of the office she holds."

Gonzales described this language as careless and contemptuous.

"A leader who publicly degrades the nation in this manner, forfeits moral authority and disrespects every citizen."

Gonzales said, "Such remarks reflect a profound failure of leadership, judgment, and responsibility, and they demand an unequivocal apology."

He added that while TT has similar challenges to other nations, "we are blessed and fortunate in ways far better than others."

Gonzales said, "Collectively, we must confront our challenges without being disrespectful and demeaning."

He said the role of the office of prime minister is to lead the nation with humility, morality and integrity.

"Any prime minister that describes his or her own country as a 'national dump', is unworthy of leading such country."

The PNM is scheduled to hold a news conference at the Opposition Leader's office, Charles Street on December 30 at 10 am to discuss several issues of national interest.

At a UNC cottage meeting in Princes Town on April 23, 2024, Persad-Bissessar said, “A UNC government will reduce traffic fines across the board and implement state-sponsored driver education programmes instead.”

She was opposition leader at the time. The UNC won the April 28 general election.

At the same meeting, she described the fines as “a scheme for government revenue collection.”

Persad-Bissessar has defended the revised framework, saying the government was forced to tackle persistent dangerous driving. She has argued that previous reforms, including the demerit points system, failed to sufficiently deter repeat offenders.

While the government has retained demerit points for some of the more serious traffic offences, it has scrapped most of the system in favour of significantly higher fixed penalties.

The new fines were formalised in Legal Notice No 471 of 2025, published on December 25, amending the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act.

Drivers caught failing to wear seatbelts, motorcyclists riding without helmets, drivers using mobile phones while driving, or vehicles parked improperly now face fines of $2,000, up from $1,000.

Speeding penalties are tiered, with drivers exceeding the limit by up to nine kilometres per hour fined $2,000, rising to $6,000 for speeds more than 31 km/h over the limit. The steepest increase applies to driving without valid motor insurance, where the penalty rises tenfold from $1,000 to $10,000.

The traffic fines, however, are only part of broader, unrelated cost increases approved through a series of legal notices published on Christmas Day.