On a quiet and largely uneventful Sunday, government, opposition lawmakers, and relatives of those who died commemorated one of the deadliest attempted coups in the Caribbean Community (Caricom) by laying wreaths and recalling events of July 2, 1990.
Back then, more than 100 radicalized members of a Trinidadian Islamic sect decided that life was much too difficult for people in the federation with Tobago and made an ill-fated move to topple the then-government of Prime Minister Ray Robinson. More than 20 people were killed in the mayhem, stores and other entities in parts of commercial Port of Spain were burned and looted, and a curfew was imposed on Trinidad while security forces battled to restore order. Opposition Leader Beckles says such must never be repeated.
On the afternoon of Friday, July 27, 1990, while parliament was in session and locals were preparing for a normal weekend of social and other activities, rebels from the Jamaat al Muslimeen sect stormed parliament, the state television station, and other assets. They shot Robinson in the leg, killed a parliamentary clerk and a police sentry, and basically held the nation of 1.3 million to ransom for six consecutive days before they were allowed to walk free on a legal technicality.
That attempt to topple an elected administration had paled in significance only to the successful removal, in February of 1980, of the then-elected Surinamese government by the military and the overthrow of the Maurice Bishop administration in Grenada in 1983 that eventually led to the U.S. invasion of the island, allegedly to restore public order. The Surinamese military repeated the 1980 effort 10 years later, again deposing a freely elected government. Democracy has been the norm in Suriname ever since.
The years between 1990 and 2025 have come and gone without any chatter of extra parliamentary power to change a government in Trinidad or in any other parts of the 15-nation bloc, so Sunday’s ceremony, although solemn in nature, passed with little fanfare and an unsurprising level of muted reporting by local media.
Ceremonial President Christine Kangaloo, Senate President Wade Mark, Opposition leader Penny Beckles, and other high officials laid wreaths at the commemorative site on Sunday as the nation marked 35 years since the rebels made their move. “This dark chapter in our history deserves a permanent memorial, a museum-quality display capturing the horror and chaos of those six days, replete with poignant images, heartfelt testimonials, and historical context,” said Beckles, noting that “such a tribute would serve to educate current and future generations about the events, causes, and consequences of the attempted coup d’état. The distressing scenes of 27th July 1990 undermined the very foundations of our democracy and threatened our sovereignty. We must, therefore, engage in difficult yet necessary conversations to prevent any recurrence of such a brazen violation of our national security and freedoms. Together, let us ensure that we never forget the lessons that history has so starkly etched into our collective memory.”
Today, the Jamaat Al Muslimeen is not as active and as radical as it was three and a half decades ago. Still, security forces say they continuously monitor activities of the group, but expect no radical move as in the past.
In the lead-up to Sunday, former hostage and social activist Wendell Eversley had complained publicly about the insignificant and lackluster commemoration of July 1990, noting the lack of compensation for traumatized survivors and relatives of those who died while on duty.
“I call on them to treat with the concerned hostage that is alive today and the families of those who were murdered,” Eversley told reporters at a streetside press conference this week. “I cry ‘shame’ on the authorities where 1990 is concerned. I was used as a human shield. Lorraine Caballero, a parliamentary clerk, was shot in the stomach and dragged in front of me. I watched her bleed to death. I thought I was going to die.”
Eversley added, “This was an attack on parliament. The speaker’s chamber is still scarred by bullets. A clerk was killed doing her job. Why is there no national remembrance? Today, gangs are in control of entire communities. Judges and police officers are under threat. Corruption is rampant. And no one wants to say how it all started — on July 27, 1990.”
He drew parallels with the way 911 victims are honored in the U.S. “This country (USA) remembers 9/11 in America. I went to Manhattan last year and saw how they honor every life lost, but here in Trinidad and Tobago, 24 of our own died, and we say nothing,” Eversley said.
He wasted little time in linking the events of 1990 to runaway crime in the country, with authorities forced to impose two states of emergency to curb violent crime in the past seven months. “What we are witnessing in our country is because of 1990,” Eversley said. “This is because we didn’t treat and get rid of the cancer, because when those people were set free, it was like a carnival at the royal jail on Frederick Street. Today, we’re hearing about extortion, kidnapping, businesses having to close early. I call on [government] to treat with the concerned hostage that is alive today and the families of those who were murdered.”