Former NAR member of Parliament Rawle Raphael has told the commission of enquiry into the July 1990 attempted coup that former prime ministers Basdeo Panday and Patrick Manning were aware of the planned insurrection by the Jamaat al Muslimeen before it took place.Raphael, the former MP for Arouca North, was testifying before the commission for the second day yesterday, at the Caribbean Court of Justice in Port-of-Spain.
Questioned by lead counsel for the commission, Avory Sinanan, SC, Raphael said it was because of their prior knowledge of the event that both Panday and Manning were absent from the Chamber during the post tea session of Parliament on that day.In response to another question, Raphael said he felt Panday supported the coup because of his infamous statement about waking him up when it was all over.Panday later told the Guardian that his comment was made in the context of the entire incident being a joke.
Another witness to appear before the Commission yesterday was Pius Mason, an employee of Trinidad Broadcasting Company, which operated from 11b Maraval Road in 1990.Mason was shot in the back by insurgents and said he faced death.He appealed for the victims of the attempted coup to be compensated.He told the commission of an attempt to seek the assistance of former National Security minister Joseph Toney in that regard. Mason said during that meeting, Toney told him to get out of his face and that only government officials were being assisted.