OPPOSITION Leader Pennelope Beckles has taken aim at Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, accusing the Government of using “punitive” traffic fines as a desperate revenue-raising tactic to cover a massive shortfall in the national budget.

In a statement issued via her Facebook page yesterday, Beckles responded to the increased traffic penalties which will take effect from January 1, 2026, with some fines being doubled. She characterised the Government’s recent policy shift as a betrayal of the electorate and a “calculated attempt to gaslight” the population.

Her remarks came in response to comments made by the Prime Minister in yesterday’s Express where the PM reportedly condemned “sub-par intelligence” and lawlessness among citizens.