A feature article this week in the international publication The Jamestown Foundation focuses on Jaamaat al-Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr, describing the Islamist leader as a person who is "both reviled and feared by much of the Trinidadian public and his most bitter rivals." The author, Chris Zambelis, based his views on what he learned during a visit to Port of Spain, Trinidad between September and October 2007 during which he conducted interviews with a senior ranking member of the Muslimeen group.
He also interviewed members of the mainstream Muslim community and other local observers. In addition he cited Selwyn Ryan's book, "The Muslimeen Grab for Power: Race, Religion, and Revolution in Trinidad and Tobago."
Bakr has been the focus of an investigation involving former Prime Minister Patrick Manning and the People's National Movement. The Manning administration had obtained a judgment against Bakr for more than TT$30 million to settle a debt for the destruction of government property during the failed 1990 coup, which Bakr led.
But Bakr has refused to pay and the Manning government failed to act on the court order to sell Bakr's properties to settle the debt to the State. Bakr has argued in an affidavit that he owes nothing since he had a deal with Manning to help the PNM win the 2002 general election by recruiting young people to vote for the party and by reducing crime.
Related story: Bakr affidavit linked to judgment to sell Jamaat assets
Related: Judge orders probe of PM Manning; orders auction of Abu Bakr's properties
Though Manning has denied having a deal with Bakr, the Privy Council in London has noted that if such a deal was in fact made between Manning and Bakr then it would be a criminal offence under the country's anti-corruption laws.
That led to a police investigation that was just starting when the Manning government fell in April 2010.
Read the story: Privy Council rules against T&T's Muslimeen; slams alleged deal with Abu Bakr
Read the story: Police question PM Manning on Bakr affidavit
In his article on the Imam, Zambelis says Trinidad and Tobago holds "the dubious distinction of having endured the lone attempt by a Muslim militant group...to overthrow a sitting government in the Western Hemisphere through a violent coup d’etat on July 27, 1990.
"That bloody day in the country’s history continues to weigh heavily on Trinidadian society; legal proceedings against Abu Bakr for his role in leading the armed insurrection are still ongoing, a process that is beset by scandal and political intrigue."
No government has probed the 1990 events and there have been suggestions that Manning might have had some kind of connection.
Manning was opposition leader at the time and had left the Parliament building shortly before Bakr's insurrectionists stormed the legislature and took several MPs hostage, including the then Prime Minister Arthur N.R. Robinson. His comment on the incident was that it was "a family squabble".
The man who took charge of the government during the 1990 crisis is Winston Dookeran, now the country's finance minister of leader of the Congress of the People, one of the coalition partners in the People's Partnership government.
During the election campaign he promised that the new People's partnership government would establish a public inquiry to find out what happened in July 1990.
The Jamestown article delves into the mastermind of that uprising and states that "Abu Bakr is also widely regarded by many as a ruthless criminal kingpin who is only out to enrich himself and his followers.
"Based on his contacts in Trinidad’s dominant political parties—his ability to mobilize voters has also made him a crucial political ally during contentious election periods—and corrupt segments of the security forces...Abu Bakr remains one of the most polarizing figures in Trinidadian politics."
The article cites Bakr’s personal friendships with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and "the perpetual Third World agitator Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi". He said Bakr's relationship with the Libyan leader was forged during a period "when Tripoli actively supported radical revolutionary movements in the Caribbean".
Zambelis describes Bakr as a person who "has always seen himself as a revolutionary struggling on behalf of impoverished Afro-Trinidadians and other marginalized communities in Trinidad, including Muslims and non-Muslims...(but) Bakr’s critics paint a different picture of the militant leader that is reminiscent of a mafia don."
He adds, "Under the guise of his radical idealism and uplifting rhetoric is a man linked to drug trafficking, arms smuggling, extortion, money laundering, kidnapping for ransom, murder, and political corruption reaching the highest echelons of power in Trinidad."
The Jamaat, he says, "represents an organized crime syndicate operating under the guise of a revolutionary movement."
The article also notes the political intervention of Bakr and his son in the May 24 general election with the New National Vision (NNV) party fielding candidates in some key constituencies.
"The NNV’s participation in the election was not without scandal...authorities arrested 5 people on May 16 in Carenage who they claimed were part of a violent plot to disrupt the 2010 vote."
The article suggests that Bakr is not about to disappear any time soon.
"As he approaches septuagenarian status, Abu Bakr does not appear to be slowing down. At the very least, Abu Bakr appears keen on supporting a new generation of his epigones asserting themselves in Trinidad’s public life."
Read the complete article in The Jamestown Foundation
No comments:
Post a Comment