Jamaat al Muslimeen coup attempt
Jamaat al Muslimeen coup attempt | |||||||
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Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
| Jamaat al Muslimeen | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
A. N. R. Robinson (Prime Minister) Winston Chandarbhan Dookeran (acting Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and Mobilization) Noor Mohamed Hassanali (President) Joseph Emmanuel Carter (acting President and Senate President) Col. Ralph Brown (Chief of Defence Staff) Jules Bernard (Commissioner of Police) Leonard Taylor (acting Commissioner of Police) Selwyn Richardson (Minister of National Security) Nizam Mohammed (House Speaker) Patrick Manning (Leader of the Opposition) |
Yasin Abu Bakr Bilaal Abdullah | ||||||
24 killed |
The Jamaat al Muslimeen coup d'état attempt was an attempt to overthrow the government of
Background
Conflict over No. 1 Mucurapo Road
The Jamaat al Muslimeen was founded in 1982 by Yasin Abu Bakr, a former policeman and convert to Islam, and established a compound at No. 1 Mucurapo Road in Port of Spain, on land owned by the Port of Spain City Corporation. In 1969, the property was granted to the Islamic Missionaries Guild (IMG) by the government of Trinidad and Tobago, but the transfer had never completed because the land belonged to the city, not the central government. In 1984 a court ordered the Muslimeen to vacate the property and demolish the buildings they had constructed without planning permission, including an incomplete mosque. Abu Bakr refused to comply and served a 21-day jail sentence for contempt of court in 1985.[1][2]
Anti-drug campaign
In the mid-1980s the Muslimeen launched a vigilante campaign against the illegal drug trade. Muslimeen members drove drug dealers out of "drug blocks" and seized cocaine, marijuana and weapons. They organised their members into a paramilitary force and used their reputation to recruit more members, especially among the disaffected Afro-Trinidadian youth of Port of Spain.[1][3]
Political and economic climate
After winning the
Dissent within the ruling party led to a split within the NAR government. Four former members of the United Labour Front who were expelled from Cabinet formed the Caucus for Love, Unity and Brotherhood (CLUB 88) in March 1988, and went on to form a new party, the United National Congress, on 16 March 1988.[5]: 436–470
In response to the government's economic austerity programmes, trade unions organised a one-day strike on 6 March 1989, and a March Against Hunger on 22 April. On 8 February 1990 a group of 16 trade unions and a variety of civil society organisations including the Jamaat al Muslimeen formed the Summit of People's Organisations (SOPO).[4] In the eight weeks preceding the coup attempt, nurses had engaged in ongoing street protests in Port of Spain.[6]
The government's Social Welfare Department and the public hospitals lacked the resources to handle the increase in demands for their services. The Muslimeen stepped in, offering food, eyeglass frames, and organising medical and dental appointments. For the unemployed and homeless, especially young men, they provided structure and belonging.[5]: 470–477
Escalation
In July 1985, former bank Auditor General and one of Abu Bakr’s chief lieutenants Abdul Kareem was murdered by an unknown assailant while in police custody. It was later ruled by the Court of Appeal that the officers involved concealed the identity of the killer suspected to be a member of the Police. With the case remaining unsolved, it is widely believed that this event was the genesis of the conflict between the Jamaat and the State.[7]
In 1988, police raided the Jamaat al Muslimeen commune, seizing weapons and ammunition and arresting 34 members. The members were charged with larceny, robbery, illegal possession of weapons, rape and murder. This event led members of Jamaat al Muslimeen to believe that the government was being oppressive and had illegally occupied their land. Before the coup d'état attempt, Abu Bakr was arrested several times on charges of contempt of court and illegal demonstrations.[8]
According to a 2014 interview by former minister of communications Gerald Hadeed, two days before the coup attempt, Prime Minister Robinson was warned that there might be an attempt to overthrow his government on that day and he was asked to have the scheduled sitting postponed. Robinson declined, however, claiming that he had taken an oath of office and he would not deviate from it in front of a potential threat.[9]
Coup d'état attempt
On Friday 27 July 1990 the Jamaat al Muslimeen attempted to stage a coup d'état against the government of Trinidad and Tobago. Their first act was the bombing of the Police Headquarters at around 5:50pm which by nightfall was completely gutted by fire. Almost simultaneously, forty-two insurgents led by Bilaal Abdullah stormed the Red House, the seat of Parliament, and took Robinson and most of his cabinet hostage, while seventy-two of their accomplices led by Yasin Abu Bakr attacked the offices of Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT), the only television station in the country at that time. The National Broadcasting Service (NBS Radio 610AM) and the Trinidad Broadcasting Company - Radio Trinidad 730AM, the only two radio stations in the country were also attacked. At 6.20 pm, Yasin Abu Bakr first appeared on television and announced that the government had been overthrown and that he was negotiating with the army. He called for calm and said that there should be no looting.[10]
Prime Minister Robinson was beaten, degraded and shot in the lower right leg when he tried to order the army to attack the militants. The army and the police responded by sealing off the area around the Red House. Widespread looting and arson took place in Port of Spain and other parts of the East–West Corridor, but the remainder of the country was calm. American Airlines and British Airways cancelled all flights to the capital city.[8] A state of emergency was declared by acting president Emmanuel Carter at 9:00am on Saturday 28th.
Several cabinet members who had not been present in the Red House at the time of the attack set up office in the Trinidad
Aftermath
The Jamaat al Muslimeen members who surrendered were tried for treason, but the Court of Appeal upheld the amnesty offered to secure their surrender, and they were released. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council later invalidated the amnesty, but they were not re-arrested.[12]
About 24 people died during the coup attempt, with millions of Trinidad and Tobago dollars in property losses. Among the dead was the Member of Parliament for Diego Martin Central, Leo Des Vignes. Many people saw the coup attempt as the end of the power of the National Alliance for Reconstruction government.[12]
In the aftermath of the
In late July or early August 2010, the court ruled that many properties owned by the Jamaat would be sold to make up for the cost of the destruction of buildings in the coup attempt. A Commission of Enquiry was appointed to enquire into the events surrounding the attempted coup was formally launched in 2010. On 13 March 2014, the final report[14] was presented to President Anthony Carmona.[15]
The Enquiry found that the proximate cause of the attempted coup was the inadequate communication by Special Branch of the Police Service to inform national security with two years of intelligence that an insurrection by the Jamaat against the Republic was likely. Those within national security who did receive the intelligence either underestimated or discounted the threat which prevented counter-measures. The Enquiry also noted that losses due to arson and looting during the coup was estimated to be TTD $450,000,000.00. [16]
Books and media
Three documentaries were made with respect to the attempted coup:
- Kaiso For 27 July (1991) - A 22-minute documentary interspersed with Calypso discussing the aftermath one year later.
- SIEGE (2008) - A 28-minute documentary recounting the terror and courage of employees at TTT.
- 1990 (2009) - A 23-minute documentary produced by CCN TV6 reviewing the events and testimonies of some of the hostages.
Five books have been written about the attempted coup:
- "The Muslimeen grab for power: Race, religion, and revolution in Trinidad and Tobago" by political scientist Selwyn Ryan.
- "A society under siege: a study of political confusion and legal mysticism" by criminologist Professor Ramesh Deosaran both documenting the background, culmination and immediate aftermath of the attempted coup.
- "Days of Wrath: The 1990 Coup in Trinidad and Tobago" by journalist Raoul Pantin, gives an account of his experience as one of the hostages at TTT.
- "1990: The Personal Account of a Journalist Under Siege"[17] by journalist Dennis McComie who had the humanitarian task to inform the public throughout the ordeal via the lone functioning radio station – NBS Radio 610AM/100FM.
- "Attack With Full Force"[18] by Retired Brigadier General Ancil Wayne Antoine documenting his experiences during and after the attempted coup as a Major in the Trinidad & Tobago Regiment.
References
- ^ ISSN 0007-0955.
- ISSN 0306-3631.
- OCLC 172981523.
- ^ OCLC 51587787.
- ^ a b c d Report of the Commission of Enquiry appointed to enquire into the events surrounding the attempted coup d'état of 27th July 1990 (PDF). 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
- ISSN 0008-6495.
- ^ Heeralal, Darryl (11 July 2005). "Abdul Kareem's murder still a mystery after 20 years". The Daily Express. p. 1. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Attempted Coup in Trinidad". Terrorism Watch & Warning. terrorism.com. 23 April 2014. Archived from the original on 11 October 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
- ^ "Hadeed: I warned Robinson about 1990 coup attempt". Trinidad Express. 6 April 2014. Archived from the original on 10 April 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
- ^ "28 years later: 5 unforgettable moments of 1990 attempted coup". LoopTT.
- ^ "Trinidad marks 1990 coup attempt". BBC News. 27 July 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ a b Robert Walker (3 June 2007). "Profile: Jamaat al Muslimeen". BBC News. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
- ^ Angela Potter (1 November 2001). "Trinidad Muslims Being Closely Monitored". Canarsie Courier. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
- ^ "President gets final coup report today". Trinidad Guardian. 13 March 2014.
- ^ "Report of the Commission of Enquiry" (PDF). Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
- ^ "Report of the Commission of Enquiry into the 1990 attempted coup" (PDF). ttparliament.org. March 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ Quash, Car-ol. "McComie recalls 1990". www.guardian.co.tt. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ Superville, Shane (31 July 2022). "1990, through a soldier's eye". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
External links
- Report of the Commission of Enquiry into the 1990 attempted coup Archived 10 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine