Monday July 27 of this year marked the 25th anniversary of the attempted coup d'�tat. I was barely out of primary school when it happened, but even now I vividly remember everything that transpired that day and the six that followed. At that young age I came to understand not only the meaning of the term, but also what it was to be truly afraid. Indeed there was a sense that my small part of the world was coming to an end.
It took me a minor in political science to accurately sum up what I learned from the whole experience; it came from the 16th century philosopher Thomas Hobbes who observed that, "Man is a wolf to man." If we take the statement to mean that we are our own worst enemy, then I believe that it accurately applies to everyone living in T&T.
At a recent PNM cottage meeting in Goodwood Park (July 13), when asked how his administration would deal with corruption, a refreshingly-subdued Dr Rowley answered that guilty parties must and will be held accountable. Though a simple and apt solution, he failed to provide any insight as to how he would go about enforcing it. Either way, we all know that such a concept hasn't been exercised here in our country for quite some time. It's been 25 years since the attempted coup, an act of treason, and not a person has ever been held accountable. Even worse, in a grotesque twist of fate, the leader of the insurrection claims that he is being unfairly persecuted by the state, and despite alleged ties to criminal elements, continues to elude justice. The coincidence that his recent detainment and subsequent release took place within a week of the before-mentioned anniversary is a profound reminder of this fact.
That moment in our history proved itself to be a watershed event–it set the precedent that here in T&T anyone could get away with anything. It's a theme that continues to this day. But the white-collar crimes send a troubling message to blue-collar society. One need only look through the newspapers for the last 12 months; there you'll find a veritable who's who of people in lofty positions accused of or linked to varying deeds of malfeasance. The list includes not only politicians, but doctors, lawyers, civic and religious leaders, and members of the protective services. For youths living in ghettos or gated communities who may be contemplating a life lacking morals, ethics, and principles, our so-called role models makes the maxim that "crime doesn't pay" laughable.
Perhaps the more unfortunate consequence is what this has done for the perception of authority figures. The average citizen thinks that they are self-serving individuals who are not to be trusted. And any rumour involving them, no matter how outrageous, is thought to be probably true. This then becomes a deterrent to honest people with a desire to get involved in public service. Who wants to risk their personal and profession reputation just to end up becoming a target for ridicule?
Instead of accountability, we have lengthy and costly Commissions of Enquiry that are legally worthless, and police investigations that are quickly forgotten and go cold. That is our taxpayer dollars at work. And what do we get out of it? Nothing. Neither justice nor closure. No one expects these things anymore; the system has broken down and our faith along with it. We are our own worst enemy because not only do the powerful prey on the powerless, but we have allowed our apathy to get the better of us.
For the generation that followed the events of July 1990, it might be hard for them to believe that such a thing occurred–the violent overthrow of the government, the looting and razing of the capital, and the panic and fear that gripped an entire nation. But for those of us who lived through those fateful days, the lessons we learned may not have been the right ones.