TTMA IN THE NEWS
PM: Budget in early October, expect creativity
PRIME Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says the 2025/2026 national budget will be read in early October. Persad-Bissessar was unable to give an exact date as she said revenue and expenditure proposals are still being examined. However, she said the budget is unlikely to be a balanced one. "We have inherited some really bad treasury stock. We've inherited a lot of borrowing as well. "I don't think we can have a balanced budget, so we may have expenditure outpacing revenues." Read more here
NEWS
Claxton Bay man's home flattened by weekend storm
KENNY "Harry" Koat, 55, is appealing for the public's assistance in rebuilding his Matura Street, Sookoo Trace, Claxton Bay home which collapsed after a battering by strong winds and heavy showers over the weekend while the country was under a Yellow Level adverse weather alert. The humble two-bedroom wooden structure Koat called home sweet home for the past 30 years gave way and was reduced to a pile of rubble. He said that over the past three decades, the house weathered storms and winds with all he had to do was maybe replace a galvanise sheet or two. But the thunder shower on Friday proved too much for the house which collapsed, exposing all of Koat's possessions to the elements. No one was in the house at the time. Read more here
POLITICS
Opposition: Citizenship Bill seriously flawed
Opposition leader Pennelope Beckles, in a lengthy social media post on September 13, outlined why she and the party could not and did not support Government’s Grandparents Citizen Law. One of its major reasons for voting against in the House last Friday, was that this could have serious consequences for voting in the future. She said this should be of concern to all citizens. “While people who attain citizenship without having parents or grandparents born in TT will not be eligible to represent the nation in international sports, they will have all the other rights of citizens, including free schooling, health care and most importantly – the right to vote,” she said. Read more here
PM vows to expose forex cartels; pushes for law to make Central Bank release allocation
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has delivered a scathing critique of the country’s foreign exchange system, saying the Government intends to bring legislation that will allow the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago to reveal all forex allocations. She also declared that EximBank (Export-Import Bank of Trinidad and Tobago) has “failed to function properly and fairly” and accused commercial banks of operating as forex cartels that are strangling local businesses. “There are tens of thousands of businesses in our country, but many are driven into failure and bankruptcy by the cartels at banking institutions,” Persad-Bissessar said. “The situation at the EximBank is bad enough, but what happens in the commercial banks is even worse.” The Prime Minister’s comments followed a daily newspaper article that published data from EximBank showing that pharmaceutical and chicken companies have dominated foreign exchange allocations over the past five years. Read more here
BUSINESS
Business groups insist: SMEs must get fair access to forex
All eyes are on the United National Congress (UNC) administration as it prepares to unveil its highly anticipated 2026 national budget—its first in a decade. Different sectors and groups have been making their voices heard, hoping their priorities would be reflected in this pivotal financial blueprint. At the forefront of national discourse is the issue of foreign exchange availability. Angie Jairam, President of the Fyzabad Chamber of Commerce, is calling for targeted policy measures to stimulate foreign exchange generation. Her appeal is echoed by Baldath Maharaj, President of the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CCIC) and Ramon Gregorio, President of the Greater Tunapuna Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Read more here
REGIONAL
New faces ready to achieve targets set by PPP/C gov’t
SIGNALLING strong intentions to engage the public, strengthen legal and institutional frameworks, and accelerate development in their respective sectors, the new and youthful faces of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Cabinet have outlined ambitious agendas aimed at meeting the needs of a rapidly changing Guyana. With an expanded portfolio of the Ministry of Labour, now renamed the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning, Keoma Griffth, a legal professional of almost a decade, is bringing agility, youth, and enthusiasm to his new role. “I bring with this portfolio a strong legal background; I bring with it agility, a strong drive, youth and happiness to serve the people,” Griffth told the Guyana Chronicle in an interview on Sunday. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Rubio meets Netanyahu to discuss fallout from Israel's Qatar strike
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, with the aftermath of Israel's strike in Qatar expected to be high on the agenda. Last week's strike, which targeted senior Hamas leaders on the close US ally's territory, drew international outrage and was criticised by President Donald Trump. Rubio earlier said: "Obviously we're not happy about it. The president was not happy about it. Now we need to move forward and figure out what comes next." The meeting comes as Arab leaders hold a summit in a show of support for Qatar. Its prime minister urged the international community to stop applying "double standards" and to punish Israel. Read more here
15th September 2025