In a controversial moment during her victory speech, newly elected Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar stunned the nation and ignited international headlines.
She gave a blunt directive to citizens confronting violent criminals:
“Load up your ’matic, light them up… and when you done knock it on them, knock it again, then call my name, Kamla. Kamla is here! Do not fear!”
The explosive statement was delivered to a roaring crowd on April 26, 2025, after Persad-Bissessar pledged to enact home invasion laws, stand-your-ground legislation, and legal firearm ownership as part of her government’s response to the island nation’s spiraling crime crisis.
The 73-year-old leader, returning to power after a decade, framed her victory as a mandate for aggressive self-defense policies—and didn’t hold back.
“This is not your niece… yet.”
Persad-Bissessar recounted a harrowing recent incident that has shaken the country: three young sisters, ages 19, 21, and 25, were raped, beaten, and robbed during a brutal home invasion. She challenged the nation to feel the weight of that violence, warning, “Today, the rain is falling on that family’s house; tomorrow, if the PNM remains, it will fall on your house.”
She accused the outgoing People’s National Movement (PNM) government, formerly led by Keith Rowley, of neglect, elitism, and corruption.
“They told you to survive on less while raising their own salaries… It is about making the eat-ah-food financiers richer while the hard-working, salt-of-the-earth people become poorer,” she said.
Persad-Bissessar doubled down on campaign promises to overhaul criminal law, increase sentencing for home invasions, and remove legal ambiguity around citizens using deadly force to defend their homes and families. Her position: “Make my day” laws, modeled after U.S. stand-your-ground statutes.
A Controversial, Clear-Cut Position
Her rallying cry—”Load up your ’matic”—a reference to automatic firearms, has drawn both widespread applause and criticism. Supporters praised her for speaking directly to citizens’ fears amid a wave of violent crime, while critics fear the rhetoric may encourage vigilantism, escalated gun violence, and extrajudicial killings.
Human rights observers and legal experts have called for clarity on how such policies would be implemented without undermining the rule of law and due process. Meanwhile, Persad-Bissessar insisted her vision aligns with justice, human dignity, and protection of the vulnerable.
Caribbean at a Crossroads
Her rise comes after former Prime Minister Rowley resigned amid public backlash over the high cost of living, surging gun crime, and growing distrust in the justice system. Rowley had positioned violence as a public health crisis, but many viewed his administration’s response as too soft.
Kamla, the first and only woman to lead the country, returns to the post with promises to create 50,000 jobs, reopen children’s hospitals, and deliver pension security for the elderly—but it is her crime-fighting posture, and particularly her now-viral quote, that may define her leadership from day one.
