On July 29, 1990, three days after Jamaat al Muslimeen members staged an attempted takeover of the government, insurgents at Trinidad and Tobago Television hugged one another and prepared for Paradise.Jamaat member Jamaal Shabazz, who led the takeover of Radio Trinidad, yesterday told the Commission of Enquiry into the attempted coup that they had heard late the Sunday night that the army was going to storm TTT (which the Muslimeen had seized).\"We knew we were going to die. We hugged and said we hoped to see each other in Paradise."Shabazz said a young Muslimeen insurgent who could not read brought a book with deceased president of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeni's face on it and asked what the title said.
"It was Paradise Postponed. It was around that time that we got a call from the Red House saying there was an amnesty agreement."The Imam (Yasin Abu Bakr) said it was a sign (the book). He said Paradise was postponed," Shabazz recalled.He went on to disclose, however, that he and other insurgents did not trust the amnesty signed by the Government ministers held hostage at the Red House and wanted to stage a second uprising, this time against their own leader, Bakr.Bakr had agreed to the terms of the amnesty.
"We said the Imam gone off. They should arrest him. Let us see how we could battle out this thing. We don't trust the amnesty."Shabazz said then Jamaat third in command Hasan Anyabwile was also incensed about Bakr's acceptance of the amnesty.He said Bakr, quoting the Koran, calmed his followers. He told them if a man makes peace with you, you should make peace with him. And if the man deceives you, God will protect you."History has shown that they tried to deceive us (by saying the amnesty was signed under duress and was not valid)."
His voice rising, Shabazz added emotionally, "That's why I am here today, because God has protected us."It was not Ramesh (Maharaj) or the Privy Council that brought us out of prison. It is God."Shabazz, conceding that the Muslimeen broke the laws of the land when they staged the uprising, said the amnesty was the idea of the Government ministers to bring the ordeal to an end."We later learnt that they did not want to honour it."He described the move as "deceitful, treacherous".
Cross examined by commission chairman Sir David Simmons about his actual takeover of Radio Trinidad, Shabazz said he handpicked 12 Muslimeen members and they left the Jamaat's Mucurapo compound in three vehicles on the afternoon of Friday July 27.He said he took them to the Queen's Park Savannah and told them to "take a little sweat".Shabazz, who was 24 at the time, said he told the men that they were awaiting a signal and when that happens they would go and take Radio Trinidad.Meanwhile, other Muslimeen "soldiers" had enclosed Radio Trinidad and TTT from the outside, Shabazz said. Shabazz will continue giving evidence at a date to be announced. (YB)
