Coup hostages blanked from Red House re-opening

WENDELL Eversley and Selby Wilson, two surviving hostages from the 1990 attempted coup, have jointly called on President Paula-Mae Weekes to do what her predecessors did not, and declare an annual day of recognition for all victims and their families.

The coup attempt began on July 27, 1990, and lasted for six days. Over 30 people are believed to have died, and the prime minister at the time, ANR Robinson, was shot in the leg. MPs, parliamentary staff and the staff of Trinidad and Tobago Television were held hostage by the Jamaat al Muslimeen insurrectionists.

The newly restored Red House, the original home of Parliament, will reopen with a gala ceremony on Friday. Eversley, as well as Wilson and Joseph Toney – NAR government ministers at the time – and other surviving hostages, have not received an invitation.

Eversley said this was testament to the lack of regard this and previous administrations have shown to the survivors.

An emotional Eversley told the media, "I am begging the President...that July 27, our 30th anniversary and years after, the 31st, 32nd, we must not forget it.

"Are we going to just have a formal ceremony and opening – and that's it? When July 27 (comes), 30 years, the government will just forget the day?...

"I want to take up the mantle and go to the head of the state, the President, and ask her to join with me so that we can have a day and recognise those who lost their lives, recognise that we must preserve our democracy. It must not be taken from us.

He said it was particularly striking that government and opposition MPs would attend a ceremony hosted by the US Embassy in honour of the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the US, but fail to consistently recognise the survivors and the victims of the 1990 coup attempt.

"(In) the US, the President, the Republicans, the Democrats, and the Independents – they all come together to let their people know there was an attack on the democracy. The families who lost their loved ones – over 3,000 – were well taken care of by the government afterwards.

As he has done for several years, Eversley, also criticised the present and previous government's failure to implement the recommendations of the commission of enquiry into the insurrection.

"It took after 20 years to have a commission of enquiry – and because of my constant one-man protest – where the commissioner sit for two years, where a report was presented to the former president Anthony Carmona (in 2014), where a sitting former prime minister said to the nation at large that she will make sure that every chapter in the commissioner's report will be implemented.

"I must say, ten years after, no one has seen it fit to implement the report. They are finding money to do all kinds of things, all sort of big projects, billions of dollars spent. We're hearing who take taxpayers' money.He contrasted this with the inertia in response to "the darkest day in our history, where our democracy was under threat, where we had a former prime minister and former president (Robinson) stand up for the rule of law and was willing, along with his other cabinet ministers and other parliamentarians...and he said, 'Attack with full force.'"

He said at present the country faces an even greater threat. "We are living in jail," he said. "We are living in fear.

"I always say, TT got worse after 1990."