No witch hunt in coup inquiry: Sir David

The Commission of Inquiry into the July 1990 coup in Trinidad and Tobago will begin its work on November 2.

The announcement was made Tuesday by inquiry chair, Sir David Simmons, retired Chief Justice, Barbados, shortly after the commission was sworn-in by acting President Timothy Hamel Smith.

Sir David told reporters the mandate of the commission is to inquire into the events that led to the armed uprising against the democratically elected government in July 1990 and to make recommendations based on the evidence presented during the public hearings.

He was emphatic that the point of the inquiry is not a witch hunt but an attempt to find answers to puzzling questions and to bring closure to wounds inflicted more than 20 years ago.

The man who led the failed coup has said he is eager to testify before the commission to set the records right and to tell "the whole story".

Jamaat al-Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr claimed that he organised and led the rebellion to deal with the government's failure to address widespread poverty in the country. He also said the revolt was against government corruption and the involvement of top government officials the illegal drug trade.

Neither the PNM government of Patrick Manning, which took office in 1991, nor the Panday UNC administration that followed, bothered to appoint a commission to investigate what happened in 1990. Both of them have been accused of having prior knowledge of the coup, a charge that they have dismissed.

During the general election campaign in May the People's Partnership promised an investigation and within two months of taking office Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar made good on her promise, naming a six-member inquiry.

The original chairman, former Justice of Appeal Mustapha Ibrahim, asked to be excused from the assignment, explaining that it would be unethical for him to be involved in the inquiry since he adjudicated on the validity of the amnesty and pardon which was granted to the members of the Jamaat al Muslimeen.

The government subsequently named Sir David to head the probe. Other members of the commission are:

• Former Independent Senator Diana Mahabir-Wyatt
• Former Independent Senator Dr Eastlyn Mc Kenzie
• Barbadian jurist Sir Richard Cheltenham QC
• International security expert Dr H.A. Mohammed