In the run-up to the 2025 general election, the constituency of Moruga/Tableland was considered one to watch.
The results of the 2020 general election saw the UNC’s Michelle Benjamin securing 10,534 votes to the PNM’s Winston “Gypsy” Peters– a difference of just over 1,000 votes.
In 2025, Benjamin was again selected as the UNC’s candidate, while the PNM selected secondary school teacher Lisa Atwater.
At the polls on April 28, 2025, Benjamin was able to increase the margin of her 2020 victory, securing 11,083 votes to Atwater’s 7,983.
On the campaign trail, both women were intensely focused on the needs of their prospective constituents.
Benjamin, in a video titled ‘Water is a right, not a privilege’, posted to her Tik Tok account in March, 2025, could be seen holding a water line to fill containers, as Penal Rock Road residents assisted.
“I am here in Penal Rock Road, and of course, this is what my constituents have to endure,” Benjamin said in the video.
“Right now I can tell you the entire constituency do not have water, and this is what persons do whenever water is reported in a specific area, persons come and they fill at that particular area.
“But I’m gonna tell you when the United National Congress returns to power on April 28, this will be addressed, it will be water for all.”
But almost a year into Benjamin’s second term in office, Penal Rock Road residents say their lives have not improved.
In Part One- Promises Unmet: Penal Rock Road still waiting, residents complained of an unreliable water supply, bad roads causing them health issues and a lack of activities and opportunities for young people.
In a visit to the community on April 8, News 19 TT asked residents how they rated Benjamin’s performance as MP.
Manuelita Morales-Reviero, who has lived in the community for over four decades, said she would rate Benjamin’s performance six out of ten.
“I find she going good enough,” she added.
Darell Aping gave a rating of four out of ten.
“I believe she trying inno, but they could try a lil more harder, they could do a lil more better,” he said.
Olondo Sotio said he did not want to speak poorly of Benjamin. He rated her performance as five out of ten.
“I ent diss she, I say lemme give she the year to see what really going on. This month make the year, nothing ent really happen. We have no community centre, we have the best village in Moruga here, up to now, we ent get a community centre and that is the same since I is a lil boy.”
Morales-Reviero said Benjamin needs to do more to ensure the young people in the community become productive citizens.
“What she have to do is to do something for the youths because the youths going astray and all what they doing now is to hook on drugs. Sometimes, I does be in my kitchen and they sit down in the pavilion puffing this thing and making one set of smoke and they sit down in the pavilion dey only smoking whole night,” she said.
Aping said young people were disenchanted with politicians making promises but not delivering.
He said, many, like him, feel exercising their right to vote makes no difference in their everyday lives.
“Me ent feel I will vote (in 2030).. Plenty of the youths saying that already that they will not vote, because they not seeing anything happening, any development so plenty of them saying they will not vote next election.
“If you living in a community and it not developing, they not doing nothing for the community, these people who you putting in power, how you will feel?
“You will not want to put them in power because the promises they making, they not fulfilling it, you will feel like they ent have no time with you.”
Morales-Reviero, who shared she was considering becoming a shut-in owing to the toll travelling on the dilapidated roads takes on her health, was hopeful that a visit to community by Benjamin and Works and Infrastructure Minister Jearlean John early on April 8, would be fruit soon.
She said all she has to hold on to is hope.
News 19 TT called Benjamin, who requested that questions be sent to her via WhatsApp.
The questions were sent but up until publication time, there was no response.
It is unclear after Benjamin’s and John’s tour of the constituency what remedial roadwork will be done or when that work will start.