GUEST COLUMN – Trinidad’s 1990 coup

It was, as I recall it a slightly overcast late Friday afternoon in Jamaica where I was attending a Heads of Government Conference. During our deliberations, the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Trinidad and Tobago received a phone call indicating that an attempted coup was taking place there. Later in the evening I reported to my Prime Minister (Sir) Lloyd Sandiford and said that I considered it my duty to go back to Trinidad and Tobago as soon as I could. Sir Lloyd agreed and respected my decision and wished me well. The next day, I was able to get a seat on a BWIA flight which was leaving Jamaica and terminating in Barbados as all BWIA flights around that time were doing.  Arriving in Barbados in the afternoon on Saturday I found out that there were no flights to Trinidad but learned that a private jet was likely to leave on Sunday to collect a high official whose company was sponsoring an activity in Trinidad at the time.   One could see that as the plane flew over Trinidad heading towards Piarco that there were some fires and smoke rising from more than one area, particularly from Port-of-Spain.  The embassy’s official car was instructed to be at the airport and our team, including a group from the Nation, was taken to the official residence. I then made the car available to them and they were taken to visit some locations including Mucurapo Road where the Muslimeen were located.  The Nation group I understand was challenged by an armed soldier and one esteemed reporter (whose name will never be revealed) had an unexpected wet moment.The following day there was an urgent meeting of the diplomatic corps and one matter discussed was the invitation from the Muslimeen for diplomats to visit the Parliament building.  Only two of us – Manuel Castro, the ambassador from the Vatican, and I – agreed to accept the invitation. We subsequently raised this with acting prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, the Honourable Winston Dookaran, who did an outstanding job at a difficult time. He declined our request on the grounds that as the host country he was responsible for our safety. However, I was able to argue successfully that police and army personnel from the Caribbean should come in as soon as possible, not to question the competency of the Trinidad Defence or Police Force but, to give assurance to the citizens of Trinidad. The group came in and performed very well indeed. The most important duty was to get all Barbadians out of Trinidad as soon as we could.  This we did.  There was even a daughter of a very good friend of mine who was in Tobago whom we managed to get out as well. The diplomats were invited to visit the Parliament in Trinidad one day after the insurgents surrendered. It should be noted that about 24 people were killed, and none of us who visited Red House will ever forget the outline on the floor of one those murdered, whose body was left lying on the floor until it started to decompose.  There were countless empty shells scattered throughout Parliament.   The information from a diplomat representing a country in Europe concerning two containers holding items which would not have been in Trinidad’s best interests, which were allegedly shipped to an address in Trinidad that missed their connection out of Britain, are among many issues which need to be addressed finally.  I would therefore, with complete conviction support the decision of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, even 20 years afterwards, to hold a commission of enquiry.•Frank da Silva is a member of the Democratic Labour Party and aformer high commissioner.