...Beckles warns of ‘gerrymandering’

OPPOSITION Leader Pennelope Beckles has responded to the Government’s proposal to establish three new boroughs and accused Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of trying to “gerrymander” the local government system.

She was responding to the Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Bill, 2026 which was announced by the Prime Minister on Sunday and laid in Parliament yesterday. The bill proposes three new municipalities, namely the Boroughs of Barataria, St Augustine and Couva.

Beckles, in a statement, said the words “rolling dictator” have become synonymous with the Prime Minister, “when she proposes to gerrymander our Constitution to bolster the UNC”.