There has been overwhelming support by various sectors of the society for Government's initiative to establish a commission of enquiry into the attempted coup of July 27 1990.
Gregory Aboud, president of the Downtown Merchant's Association (DOMA), reminisced yesterday that during the mayhem those badly affected were proprietors in Downtown Port-of-Spain. Describing the bloodshed and chaos as a "spectacular attack on T&T," Aboud said events of 1990 were "filled with certain unexplained occurrences and these have the potential to change the course of our country's history."
He said DOMA always had been in support of an enquiry, adding: "It will set the record straight. "We have no interest in a vendetta or in exploring any grudge. We simply want to know as much truth as possible about those dark days." An enquiry would also result in "closure," recommended Senior Counsel Dana Seetahal and Israel Khan. Seetahal said the attempted coup was embedded in the minds of most people.
"It's a good idea because people have been calling for an enquiry for a long time. It would bring closure to many unresolved feelings," Seetahal added. Khan, however, called for the enquiry to be public and demanded answers to several probing questions. "Where did the guns come from? How come certain citizens knew the Red House was going to be burnt and the law enforcement agencies did not?" Khan asked.
He claimed because of the coup, the current tide of illegal guns and ammunition had been difficult to curb. "How come certain politicians were absent from Parliament and who wanted the then Prime Minister Arthur NR Robinson dead?" Khan also asked. He said the enquiry would "clean out a can of worms" which have been plaguing the society.
