Madeira says Bakr wanted to be national security minister

Jones P. Madeira said Wednesday Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr told a group of people during the failed coup in 1990 he wanted to be national security minister.

The fomer Head of News and Current Affairs at Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT) at the time was giving evidence before the Commission of Enquiry into the uprising.

He said Bakr asked Canon Knolly Clarke abut the matter. He said at around lunchtime on August 1, 1990 the rebels convened a meeting which he attended. He was one of dozens of hostages being held at the state television station.

“I was invited to the meeting and told I was a part of this thing,” Madeira said. “Bakr told Canon Clarke, let we form this government. I want to be minister of national security. Canon Clarke told Bakr that he has to be elected. Bakr said what you talking about canon? Bring me through the Senate and I could sit in the Cabinet.”

He said Bakr eventually suggested to Clarke the religious leader become national security minister.

The former news executive said that was a signal that the rebels truly trusted Clarke, was a member of a small anti-establishment organisation called Summit of the People’s Organisation (SOPO). Bakr was a part of that group.

Madeira suggested that the NAR administration knew that trouble was brewing since his newsroom ran a story before the uprising in which an American Muslim man visiting Trinidad said "blood would flow" if the Muslimeen’s land issue was not settled. The land about which he spoke was at Mucurapo, where the Muslimeen had a mosque and other buildings.
 
Madeira said Bakr was in "complete control" of everything and made him the messenger to convey "good and bad news" to the hostages and other parties.

He said when the rebels learned that soldiers were heading to TTT some of them pledged to fight to the death. He said he did not eat for six days and tried to keep staff calm. Some of them were under intense stress, he said, adding that they were hallucinating and delirious.

“We prayed, Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy. We prayed loud and hard and hoped we would ride through. We found peace in our prayers,” Madeira testified.

Madeira told commissioners he decided to give evidence only because of what the TTT workers suffered. He also said several workers were fired by TTT because it was suspected they were involved with SOPO.

Former NAR finance minister Selby Wilson giving evidence is expected to give evidence Thursday.