Op­po­si­tion Leader Kam­la Per­sad-Bisses­sar has called on cit­i­zens to re­flect on the chal­lenges of 2024 and take de­ci­sive ac­tion to cre­ate a bet­ter fu­ture in 2025.

“New Year’s Day is a time to look back on the past year, take stock, and com­mit to mov­ing for­ward. 2024 brought se­vere chal­lenges, but we have the pow­er to make 2025 a turn­ing point,” Per­sad-Bisses­sar said in her mes­sage.

Per­sad-Bisses­sar de­scribed 2024 as a year of sig­nif­i­cant hard­ship for Trinidad and To­ba­go. She cit­ed the 623 mur­ders and wide­spread trau­ma from home in­va­sions, rob­beries, kid­nap­pings, and oth­er vi­o­lent crimes.

“Cit­i­zens faced im­mense loss and suf­fer­ing,” she said.

“The health sec­tor strug­gled, with over 20 new­born deaths, and many lacked ba­sic ser­vices like wa­ter. Flood­ing, un­em­ploy­ment, and ris­ing costs al­so cre­at­ed on­go­ing strug­gles.”

Per­sad-Bisses­sar em­pha­sised that the New Year of­fers an op­por­tu­ni­ty to re­build and im­prove the na­tion. She urged cit­i­zens to take re­spon­si­bil­i­ty for dri­ving pos­i­tive change.

“2025 brings a his­toric gen­er­al elec­tion,” she said.

“This is our chance to re­shape our re­al­i­ty and re­build the na­tion for fu­ture gen­er­a­tions.”

She en­cour­aged cit­i­zens to fo­cus on so­lu­tions and col­lec­tive ef­forts to ad­dress the coun­try’s prob­lems.

“We all hold the pow­er to cre­ate the change we want to see. To­geth­er, we can im­prove our so­cial and eco­nom­ic con­di­tions and se­cure a bet­ter fu­ture.”

She wished cit­i­zens and their fam­i­lies health, suc­cess, and peace in the com­ing year.

“Hap­py New Year 2025. May we all work to­geth­er to bring hope and progress to Trinidad and To­ba­go.”