• Announcements
  • Contact
  • Documents
  • Events
  • UNC Councillors
  • Video Gallery
  • Volunteer
  • Home
  • News
    • Commentary
    • Letters
    • Press Releases
    • Speeches
    • Testimonies
  • About UNC
    • Political Leader
    • UNC Founder
    • UNC Natex
    • Meet The Candidates
  • Gallery
    • Video Gallery
  • Link
  • Live Stream
  • Youth Arm
  • The Checklist.
  • UNC Local Government Candidates 2023
HEADLINES
OPPOSITION LEADER: Banks Should Reconsider Diverting Business Clients to ATMS
Moonilal: Fire Failed Hinds Now
Kamla calls on government to remove the 7% online Tax
Kamla: FIU Director Must Resign
MP Lee: PM should ensure Niquan repays millions owed to taxpayers
MP Paray: Imbert Must Engage SMEs in Forex Discussion
Kamla once again calls for the removal of Hinds
Kamla: Rowley should stop complaining about needing support to fight crime
MP Charles: Fire Service in Shambles
Tancoo to Gonzales: Water Crisis is no laughing matter

Political Leader

// Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar. SC
Name: Kamla Persad-Bissessar, SC, MP
Position: Political Leader

BIO:

An attorney-at-Law, served as the Seventh Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago for the period May 24, 2010 through September 7, 2015. She is currently in her twenty-seventh year of consecutive service as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Constituency of Siparia in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Mrs. Persad-Bissessar is currently the Political Leader of the United National Congress (UNC) political party and the Leader of the Opposition.

She was the first woman to serve as Attorney General, Minister of Legal Affairs, Prime Minister, and Leader of the Opposition in Trinidad and Tobago as well as being the first woman to serve as Chair-in-Office of the Commonwealth. She was elected Political Leader of the UNC in January 2010 and was re-elected in December 2015. Many members of the general public and her close associates affectionately refer to her as Aunty Kamla.

Personal Life and Education

Mrs. Persad-Bissessar, the great granddaughter of an indentured labourer, was born on April 22, 1952, in Siparia, a rural village in Trinidad, at a time when the country was still under the control of the British Crown. Her father was of Brahmin Hindu origin and she grew up together with her family following the traditions of this religion. As a child her entire family was baptized in the Shouter Baptist faith and so she also grew up in the traditions of this religion. Whilst growing up, she was an avid reader which she remains to date. Her hard-working, dedicated parents made education the central focus of their children’s upbringing. One of Mrs. Persad-Bissessar’s most well- known mantras is education is the only passport out of poverty.

Mrs. Persad-Bissessar began her education at the Mohess Road Hindu School followed by the Erin Road Presbyterian School and the Siparia Union Presbyterian School. Her secondary education took place at the first and only Presbyterian co-ed institution at the time in Trinidad, Iere High School in Siparia.

She then broke tradition by pursuing her education at the Norwood Technical College in the United Kingdom, where she married her husband, Dr. Gregory Bissessar to whom she has been married for nearly forty years. While in England pursuing studies, she worked with the Church of England Children’s Society in London.

She thereafter continued her education at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree (Hons.), a Diploma in Education and, pursued studies for a Master’s in Education.

On completion of her studies in Jamaica, Mrs. Persad-Bissessar entered the teaching profession. Her career history can be described as people-centered and one that has always focused her energy within the public’s eye. She taught as a high school teacher, both in Jamaica (at St. Andrew High School) and Trinidad and Tobago (at Lakshmi Girls College).

At the age of twenty-five, she became one of the youngest university lecturers at UWI, Mona Campus and also lectured at the Jamaica College of Insurance. She later taught at the UWI campus in St. Augustine, Trinidad. She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to attend New York’s Columbia University to pursue doctoral research but opted, instead, to study law.

Her experiences of racial discrimination and social inequity of minority women in the United Kingdom and the black power movement raging through the Jamaican and the wider Caribbean led her to pursue a career in law inspired to achieve social justice and equality for all. She earned a Bachelor of Laws (Hons.) from the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies in Barbados and it was during the time of her studies there that her only child, Kris, was born. Thereafter she earned a Legal Education Certificate (LEC) from Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad where she won prizes for the Most Outstanding Student and for Best Overall Performance.

In continuance of her lifelong pursuit of education, Mrs. Persad-Bissessar earned an Executive Master’s in Business Administration with distinction from the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business in 2006. She is the proud grandmother of two, Kristiano and Sophie.

Political Life

In 1987, Mrs. Persad-Bissessar entered the political arena at the local government level as an Alderman for the political party National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) in the St Patrick’s County Council, now the Siparia Regional Corporation, for the years 1987 through 1991. At the same time, she practiced law as a private attorney. She was moved by the great numbers of poor persons suffering from economic and social discrimination and especially moved by the plight of many women and children who bore the brunt of violence and poverty in the traditionally male dominated society.

In 1994, she became an Opposition Senator for the UNC and in the 1995 General Election she was elected as the MP for Siparia for the UNC who formed the then Government. In her first term in office as an MP, Mrs. Persad-Bissessar served as the country’s first female Attorney General and also served as the Minister of Legal Affairs, the Minister of Education and acted as Prime Minister.

During her two-year service as Minister of Education, Mrs. Persad-Bissessar was instrumental in establishing Universal Secondary Education, removing the dreaded Common Entrance Examination, replacing it with the more modern Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA), and establishing some thirty-two new secondary schools in the country, amongst other major achievements. Of these secondary schools, one was the first ever government assisted Hindu Boys College (Shiva Boys), another was the first ever Pentecostal High School.

While in Government, she achieved many other milestones in her other portfolios. Cabinet accepted her recommendation for the establishment of a Family Court in Trinidad and Tobago. She took part in writing Parliamentary papers and holding consultations to enact the Equal Opportunity and Integrity in Public Life Acts. Mrs. Persad-Bissessar was also responsible for the partial computerization and launch of the automated Companies Registry.

These are but a few of the accomplishments she achieved during her first incarnation in Government.

In 2002, the UNC went into Opposition and Mrs. Persad-Bissessar continued to be elected and serve as the MP for Siparia. In April 2006, she became the first female to serve as the Leader of the Opposition, a position she held until November 2007.

On January 24, 2010, Mrs. Persad-Bissessar was elected the Political Leader for the UNC and on February, 24, 2010 she became the Leader of the Opposition. On May 24, 2010 she was re-elected MP for Siparia and became the country’s seventh, and first female, Prime Minister. She led a coalition of five parties, the People’s Partnership, to victory in the 2010 General Election. In September 2010, she led her coalition to win eleven out of fourteen regional corporations in the Local Government Election, more corporations than any other political party in the modern era.

Mrs. Persad-Bissessar came into office with a vision to put people and country first, and to ensure that every citizen of Trinidad and Tobago was given the opportunity to achieve their dreams. During her term as Prime Minister, she engaged in people centered development and sought to make Government services available throughout the country, particularly in formerly neglected rural areas. Mrs. Persad-Bissessar served as the seventh Commonwealth Chair-in-Office of the Commonwealth of Nations from May 26, 2010 through October 28, 2011. She further served as Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM from July 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013.

Some of the most successful programmes and initiatives of Mrs. Persad-Bissessar’s term as Prime Minister include, the creation of the Children’s Life Fund to assist poor children to access life saving medical treatment in foreign countries, providing laptops to every single secondary school student, raising the pension and minimum wage, settling hundreds of government wage negotiations, the building and repair of hundreds of thousands of meters of roadway, the completion of nearly one hundred new schools, increasing the percentage of persons accessing tertiary education, providing running water to most of Trinidad and Tobago and passing legislation to prevent illegal spying, protect citizen’s privacy and legislation to protect children.

A book of Mrs. Persad-Bissessar’s speeches throughout the years, Through the Political Glass Ceiling was published in 2010 and a pictorial history of her political ascent, Kamla Trinidad and Tobago’s First Woman Prime Minister, was published in 2011.

She served as Prime Minister until September 7, 2015 after which date, she became the Leader of the Opposition.

UNC Natex

Deputy political leader

06 Mar 2014

Deputy Political Leader

06 Mar 2014

Deputy Political Leader

06 Mar 2014

Chairman

06 Mar 2014

Vice Chairman

06 Mar 2014

General Secretary

06 Mar 2014

Research Officer

06 Mar 2014

Election officer

06 Mar 2014

Treasurer

06 Mar 2014

Party Organiser

06 Mar 2014

International Relations Officer

06 Mar 2014

Women’s Arm Chairman

05 Mar 2014

Policy and Strategy Officer

05 Mar 2014

Education Officer

05 Mar 2014

Public Relations Officer

05 Mar 2014

Regional Representative - Central

05 Mar 2014

Regional Representative - Northwest

05 Mar 2014

Regional Representative - South

05 Mar 2014

Regional Representative - Northeast

05 Mar 2014

Regional Representative - Tobago

05 Mar 2014

Social Media Manager

05 Mar 2014

Legal Officer

05 Mar 2014

Commentary

Blighted WGTL Project continues to haunt PNM

That World Gas-to-Liquids project is another of the many PNM scandals and failed projects which has cost taxpayers billions of dollars! And it is
Posted On 22 Jun 2023
Off

Who financing Balisier House?

Ferdinand Ferreira, a founding member of the People’s National Movement (PNM), is quoted in the media as saying that the party has always
Posted On 03 Apr 2023

UNC SENATORS DEFENDED THE PARTY WELL TODAY

Today, the Opposition UNC Senators defended themselves and the Party well from the frivolous, anti-democratic motion by Senator Anthony Viera.
Posted On 22 Feb 2022

COVID WORKERS FIGHTING A WAR WITHOUT THEIR PROPER WEAPONS

We congratulate Kamla Persad-Bissessar on her success in forcing the Government to conduct an inquiry into the handling of covid. We take this
Posted On 20 Feb 2022

ROWLEY, WHERE ART THOU? WHY ARE YOU HIDING IN ST. ANN’S WHILE THE CITIZENS OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO SUFFERED 12 HOURS OF EXTENDED OUTAGE?

For 12 hours, and more in some places, the entire island of Trinidad experienced a power outage, beginning after lunch and plunging the entire
Posted On 17 Feb 2022

Letters

For fools rush in where angels fear to tread

The National Security Minister’s recent unrestrained language and conduct towards judges and unjustified criticisms of their judicial functions
Posted On 14 May 2023

Seek a fresh mandate

I recently read in one of the daily newspapers that Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds said that 70% of society wants to see him
Posted On 27 Dec 2022

Don’t Blame God for Rowley’s Dotishness

Prime Minister Keith Rowley at the PNM convention on December 4, 2022, announces a National Day of Prayer. He said the country must come together
Posted On 16 Dec 2022

Keith Rowley has betrayed the sanctity of Parliament

Dear Editor, The revelation by the Commissioner of Police that the emails which Keith Rowley, then Opposition Leader read in our nations
Posted On 19 Jul 2019

T&T owes Kamla a debt of gratitude

Kamla Persad-Bissessar did what many were not expecting… she and her MPs voted unanimously with the Government to ensure passage of the Civil
Posted On 09 Apr 2019

Press Releases

Off

PADARATH: Hits Back at Former Children’s Authority Chairman – Accuses Minister of Lying

MP for Princes Town, Barry Padarath has responded harshly to criticisms made by former Children’s Authority Chairman Hanif Benjamin saying
Posted On 17 May 2023
Off

MP Ameen calls on EMA to deal with noise pollution

Member of Parliament for St. Augustine, Khadijah Ameen drilled the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) on the matter of Noise Pollution at a
Posted On 09 Apr 2023
Off

MP Charles sets the record straight

Our international image is in shambles. Negative travel advisories abound.  Our children have for years been left unconscionably alone to fend
Posted On 09 Apr 2023
Off

PADARATH: WEBSTER ROY’S DEAFENING SILENCE IS HIGHLY IRRESPONSIBLE

On March 22nd, 2023 Shadow Minister for Child Affairs, MP Barry Padarath asked in Parliament whether the government had secured alternative
Posted On 01 Apr 2023
Off

PADARATH: DOMA’S PLIGHT NOT LIMITED TO PORT OF SPAIN

MP for Princes Town, Barry Padarath has responded to the statement made by the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) which sought to
Posted On 01 Apr 2023

Speeches

Tancoo: calls on Imbert to have a heart and indemnify the population

Today we come to you to shine some light on a very worrying development that has happened in the past few days. I am sure many of you saw or
Posted On 08 Sep 2021

Rowley’s Mad Power Grab in Tobago

My friends, we are seeing a government that is in freefall – in every single sector. Health, National Security, the business sector. And what
Posted On 16 Feb 2021

Presentation of UNC general election candidates 2020

T&T family! UNC family! It is my absolute pleasure to speak with you today, as we get ready for the sweeping victory that is to come on
Posted On 19 Jul 2020

Kamla: My vision is to build an intelligent nation

“ON THE BALLOT” UNC VIRTUAL MEETING (June 25, 2020) Introduction Good evening and thank you for joining us once again as we continue to set the
Posted On 26 Jun 2020

MNF – Kamla: There is hope

Introduction Good evening T&T! Good evening UNC family!  It is good to be back! 2020 we are ready to rumble! Are you ready? Even though it’s
Posted On 11 Mar 2020
Copyright © - 2023 United National Congress