The Congress of the People (COP) issued a statement Thursday saying it has no connection to the Jamaat al Muslimeen.
It was in response to testimony by one of the men involved in the failed 1990 Muslimeen coup Wednesday.
Football coach Jamaal Shabaaz told the commission probing the uprising all the main political parties in Trinidad and Tobago, including COP, have used the services of the Muslimeen since the 1980s to try to capture political power.
He said once the parties got into office each of them reneged on specific promises, "hoodwinking" and "double-crossing" the organisation.
He said in the 2007 election campaign his organisation worked with the COP, the People's National Movement (PNM) and the United National Congress (UNC).
"It was confusion in 2007, Muslimeen working with PNM, with UNC, with COP", he said and he challenged COP to dispute his claim, saying Allah mandated him to "tell the truth".
In a brief statement, COP chairman Joseph Toney said the party wishes to make it "pellucidly clear" that since its existence it has had no association with the Muslimeen.
Toney condemned the statements by Shahbaaz calling them "vicious lies and calculated mischief aimed at hurting the image of the Party."
Shahbaaz, who was one of the insurgents, also used his testimony to apologise publicly to the prime minister at the time, A.N.R. Robinson, who was shot while being held hostage inside Parliament.
"I want to publicly say to Mr Robinson—on behalf of the Muslimeen and the whole society, it also pains us now that it had to happen that way. Mr Robinson has been through a lot."
However, he did not apologise for what happened. "It does not absolve him from his part in the scenario," Shabazz said.
Shabaaz said when the Jamaat started to agitate against the PNM Government's attempt to stop construction of the mosque in 1985, politicians like Robinson and Karl Hudson-Phillips supported them.
"I remember them in particular, I swear by Almighty God, they said to us 'you are right, we can help defend you in this matter'." He said when the Muslimeen opened the mosque NAR ministers attended the function
"This is the thing with these politicians that does get me mad. They are so convenient...We attracted all these so-called lovers of human rights and when it was their turn to issue human rights, they forgot," he stated.
Shahbaaz said, "We were part of the one love campaign" and insisted that his organisation helped remove the PNM from office.
However he said the politicians of all stripes betrayed the Muslimeen. He said over the years politicians sought the assistance of the Jamaat and promised to settle the land issue and to bring the Jamaat school under the Concordat which would bring State financial assistance but they didn't do it.
He said the organisation provided security, handed out pamphlets or canvassed people directly on behalf of political parties and individual politicians.
He told commissioners he was present at a meeting with UNC politicians, including Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj. He said once the party got into office Maharaj, who became attorney general, publicly denied that there was ever any prior agreement on the land issue.
Shahbaaz also claimed that business people used Muslimeen members as "unofficial bailiffs" and bodyguards because after 1990 coup attempt the Muslimeen was seen as the "new badjohn". He said this was a popular form of employment from Muslimeen members when they were released from prison.
It was in response to testimony by one of the men involved in the failed 1990 Muslimeen coup Wednesday.
Football coach Jamaal Shabaaz told the commission probing the uprising all the main political parties in Trinidad and Tobago, including COP, have used the services of the Muslimeen since the 1980s to try to capture political power.
He said once the parties got into office each of them reneged on specific promises, "hoodwinking" and "double-crossing" the organisation.
He said in the 2007 election campaign his organisation worked with the COP, the People's National Movement (PNM) and the United National Congress (UNC).
"It was confusion in 2007, Muslimeen working with PNM, with UNC, with COP", he said and he challenged COP to dispute his claim, saying Allah mandated him to "tell the truth".
In a brief statement, COP chairman Joseph Toney said the party wishes to make it "pellucidly clear" that since its existence it has had no association with the Muslimeen.
Toney condemned the statements by Shahbaaz calling them "vicious lies and calculated mischief aimed at hurting the image of the Party."
Shahbaaz, who was one of the insurgents, also used his testimony to apologise publicly to the prime minister at the time, A.N.R. Robinson, who was shot while being held hostage inside Parliament.
"I want to publicly say to Mr Robinson—on behalf of the Muslimeen and the whole society, it also pains us now that it had to happen that way. Mr Robinson has been through a lot."
However, he did not apologise for what happened. "It does not absolve him from his part in the scenario," Shabazz said.
Shabaaz said when the Jamaat started to agitate against the PNM Government's attempt to stop construction of the mosque in 1985, politicians like Robinson and Karl Hudson-Phillips supported them.
"I remember them in particular, I swear by Almighty God, they said to us 'you are right, we can help defend you in this matter'." He said when the Muslimeen opened the mosque NAR ministers attended the function
"This is the thing with these politicians that does get me mad. They are so convenient...We attracted all these so-called lovers of human rights and when it was their turn to issue human rights, they forgot," he stated.
Shahbaaz said, "We were part of the one love campaign" and insisted that his organisation helped remove the PNM from office.
However he said the politicians of all stripes betrayed the Muslimeen. He said over the years politicians sought the assistance of the Jamaat and promised to settle the land issue and to bring the Jamaat school under the Concordat which would bring State financial assistance but they didn't do it.
He said the organisation provided security, handed out pamphlets or canvassed people directly on behalf of political parties and individual politicians.
He told commissioners he was present at a meeting with UNC politicians, including Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj. He said once the party got into office Maharaj, who became attorney general, publicly denied that there was ever any prior agreement on the land issue.
Shahbaaz also claimed that business people used Muslimeen members as "unofficial bailiffs" and bodyguards because after 1990 coup attempt the Muslimeen was seen as the "new badjohn". He said this was a popular form of employment from Muslimeen members when they were released from prison.
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