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ISRAEL B RAJAH-KHAN SC

YASIN ABU BAKR, the terrorist who attempted to overthrow the constitutionally elected government on July 27, 1990, is now dead: he died at age 80 on October 21. And I would have said to him if he were alive today – begone, for you have beguiled a certain section of the present generation into believing that it was impossible for them to gain control of their lives/destiny via the present system of government and thus lift themselves out of their abject poverty and depravity through the pursuit of education and/or training with the legitimate expectation of obtaining honest and gainful employment to live a somewhat decent life.
Thus the dispossessed and downtrodden section of this generation who saw no salvation in the civil system of government which governs the citizenry of this country resorted to live by the gun and die by the gun via gangstarism with all the attendant criminal activities.
In the presentation of a motion as an alderman at the East St George County Council on November 1, 1990, I called on council members and all law-abiding citizens to condemn Bark’s vicious, brutal, evil and barbaric attack on our Parliament and pointed out that his attempt to violently overthrow the elected government had absolutely nothing to do with the dispossessed and downtrodden “suffering masses of Trinidad and Tobago.”
Be that as it may, soon after the 114 terrorists were freed by the court on what eventually was deemed an invalid amnesty by the Privy Council, I wrote a commentary for the Daily Express in which I stated, inter alia, the following:
“Many people are expressing the view that while the decision to free the Muslimeen terrorists may be legally acceptable, it is morally wrong. I strongly disagree. I am of the view that morally they should be freed because what the Muslimeen did was to exchange the lives of the Prime Minister and all other hostages for their right to live.
“However, I hasten to point out that Imam Abu Bakr and his cohorts should be categorically condemned by every right-thinking and God-fearing person in this country for their barbaric, wicked, evil and atrocious acts of murder and treason.
“I urge every man, woman and child to tell them that our democracy, our way of life and the rule of law in this country are more important to us than hanging them for their atrocities and that is why we are all going to support the judge’s decision to free them.
“The imam’s first wife, Anisa Abu Bakr, said on TV that there are a lot of wounds to be healed and she, more than the imam, could understand because I saw that woman in pain giving evidence at the Tunapuna court in the inquest of her son’s shooting to death by the police during the attempted coup.
“Personally, I have forgiven the Muslimeen for their vicious and uncivilised acts, and maybe God (whoever it is – Allah, Bhagvan or Jesus) has forgiven them – because I have an uncanny feeling that Iman Abu Bakr is alive today because the Almighty has plans for him.
“That ‘amnesty’ came about by pure accident – or did it? – when Winston Dookeran said ‘let’s negotiate’ and John Humphrey advised that it should be in writing. Only history will tell us whether the imam is more akin to a dragon than a dove.”
Following the court’s judgment that the 114 terrorists be freed, many citizens expressed their outrage in the print media, on radio, talk shows and TV interviews.
Thirty-one years have gone since this barbaric and savage attack on our country and Abu Bakr never said he was contrite/sorry and begged our pardon. He never really explained why he committed the crimes of murder, arson and treason. He hinted on many occasions that in the fullness of time he would give a full explanation to the nation. Many people believed he was mentally unbalanced, if not deranged. Others believed he was a megalomaniac.
What we do know is over the last 30 years gangstarism and all the attendant criminal activities have snowballed phenomenally: kidnapping for ransom, demands and payments of large sums of money in order to negotiate the release of kidnapped victims, extortion of monthly paid sums of money for businessmen to receive protection from being harassed out of business, paid killings of several citizens for whatever reasons, coldblooded execution of gang rivals for turf, executions of youngsters who refused to join particular criminal gangs, execution of prominent citizens like Dana Seetahal, etc.
I thus return to the statement I made 30 years ago upon the release of the 114 terrorists: “Only history will tell us whether Iman Abu Bakr is more akin to a dragon than a dove”
I leave that issue of the dragon or the dove vis-à-vis the dead Abu Bakr to Michael the Archangel who would have interrogated him and called upon him to account for his deeds on the third day of his death while he sat on the board which was placed inside of his grave.
In any event we will not know the confession of his sins and wrong deeds to Michael the Archangel.
Abu Bakr’s legacy to the section of the present dispossessed generation who lives in abject poverty and depravity is nothing but a blot and blight upon them and I surely hope the new leadership of the Muslimeen will redirect and encourage this section to move towards education and training as a way out of their poverty and depravity. A good example to emulate is Fuad Abu Bakr, son of the dead Abu Bakr.
Thus I conclude with the utterance of a youth which was published in the print media upon the release of Abu Bakr and the other terrorists: “The system sure stinks.”
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