President slams Bakr’s ‘apology’

President Paula-Mae Weekes -
President Paula-Mae Weekes -

PRESIDENT Paula-Mae Weekes has rejected Jamaat-al-Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr’s “apology” for the July 27, 1990, attempted coup.

In her message on the 30th anniversary of the coup, Weekes observed that in a recent affidavit Bakr said, “For all the pain I caused the nation I am sorry. Now it is time for closure.”

The President said, “Some thought that his words amounted to an apology and were a welcome, though belated step towards reconciliation.” She added that Bakr later strongly denied that he had ever apologised to the nation for 1990.

Weekes declared, “It is an affront to the victims and the country as a whole that in his affidavit, Abu Bakr attempted to determine the ‘when’ for closure, especially having abjured any remorse or regret for the attempted coup d’état and the consequent events.”

While the country may never get an unequivocal apology from Bakr, Weekes said, “We citizens must be the drivers of effecting our own reconciliation.”

She was heartened to see religious leaders call for a day of prayer “to commemorate this dark chapter of our nation’s history and to show gratitude for the democracy we enjoy today.”

Yasin Abu Bakr -

But Weekes said, “Our prayers must however be accompanied by deliberate steps to entrench respect and value for democracy, eternal vigilance and the empowering of our security forces to withstand any attempt at a repeat. “

The 2014 commission of enquiry into the attempted coup recommended July 27 should be recognised as “a day of national significance.” Weekes observed, “It is disappointing to note that there is still no official commemoration of the attempted coup d’état," saying, “I suspect that it is this very lack of attention that has us in the shameful position of not being able to name all 24 of our citizens acknowledged to have died as a result of the insurrection.”

Saying all citizens should honour the victims of the attempted coup, Weekes urged the population to remember that “July 27 is an annual opportunity to be reminded of the value of our democratic freedoms and the need to ensure that such an egregious violation of our citizens’ rights and dignity can never again befall our nation.”

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