Live by the sword (A look at Trinidad & Tobago in C21st)

In the Heat of the Battle

At 6 o'clock that evening a car rigged with explosives, drove through the gates of the Police Headquarters killing the Sentry in the process.  The driver detonating the bomb when the car came to a stop. Apart from the  driver who gave his life as a martyr the only other casualty. Was the sentry on duty.

And injuries to many to count.

Simultaneously the Lower House in our bi- carmel   system of democracy which was sitting at the time was invaded while the Minister of National Security  co- incidentally was  giving his contribution in a debate at the time.

He could be seen lying down along with the other Parliamentarians, as  the insurgents yelled " Get on the ground, where is your leader"! In between the firing of their guns.

All the while securing the hostages and locating the main hostage, the Prime Minister and bounding his hands and feet. The leader of this group was Bilal Abdullah.

As all this was taking place, the Imam went live on tv informing the country, that the government was overthrown and the Prime Minister and his Cabinet was under arrest. 

He also stated that the revolutionary forces are commanded to patrol the streets, there was also to be no looting.

He even asked " where is your leader tonight to address the nation". He went on to state that "God has removed him because no man including my self has any power, but temporary authority".

He then concluded the broadcast by assuring the citizenry that every thing will be alright and there will be a later broadcast.

This broadcast never came as the army would later go up to Cumberland hill and stopped the television transmission off the air from the television transmitter. After the shock of what was happening the army finally got their act together and did what they were suppose to do.

The Imam on learning that there would be no more broadcast, became very upset.

The only way that any news from the outside came to the insurrectionist, were from the only radio station at that time 730 am and the army radio communicator.

The army also were in communication with Bilal and the other insurgents. With a gun placed to his head to call off the army he repeated his infamous words " murderers, traitors attack with full force." After being shot in the foot.

That action of shooting the Prime Minister, was never an order passed down from either the Imam or Bilal, but a over zealous young insurgent with a short fuse.

Years after, it was said that when the Imam got the report of what happened in the Red House. He ordered that the other brothers tie up the young brother and give him a tranquilizer to clam him down.

Government Ministers of National Security and Environment Lincoln Mayers and Education Minister Clive Pantin appeared on tv from the army camp Ogden to clam the citizens and assure them that the Government did not fall.

Even second in command of the army
Colonel Ralph Brown came on after to assure the country that the army had  in no way collaborated with the insurgents.

True to form Trini's did the opposite of what they were told to do, which was to loot.

I was a child of seven years old, and i still remember my grand parents running out the bathroom and into my room to watch this broadcast in shock, as was the case with many of our country men.

As was customary on a Friday we would go pick up my mom from a church in Barataria and would drop her home and then they would drop me off by my great grand mother to spend some time with her.

My grand father who retired as an Acting Comptroller of Customs and Excise, immediately started to panic as they tried yo call family members only to realize that the phone lines were jammed.

We then left for the supermarket, which was a mess with everyone stocking up on the essentials.

After this we made our way to Barataria, at 7:00pm as we passed over the flyover, the smoke from the Police Headquarters was still visible in the sky.

Years later i heard from an insurgent family, that their mother who owned a business watched in shock as the events unfolded, even cursing her husband who was laying his life on the line at the time.