How many Trinis . . . okay fuhget about any exact number . . . do Trinis care dat de report from de Commission ah Enquiry into Abu Bakr coup attempt in 1990 finally out?

Ah was watchin de news when Sir David present de president wid ah nice lookin binder wid de findings. Ah listen close when he say dat just because Abu blank dem eh mean de inquiry was compromised. He say ting would ah be more complete eef he did testify, dat was all.

Ah remember during de inquiry when Bakr say eef dey wanted he tuh buss he own files dey had tuh pay money. He say de commissioners gettin paid an since was he actions dat give dem jobs, den he had tuh get paid fuh he testimony. At first ah tort dat was just balls buh den ah realize Abu like so many Trinis wasn’t studyin no commission ah enquiry so he could tork shit. What was balls was what he do after de coup when he geh release from jail on de technicality an he tun rong an sue de state fuh mashin up he compound. An win too!

Why de govahment didn’t do de maths an subtract he winnings from all de damage he cause when tong geh looted an bun dong den send he winnin tail de blasted bill?

Anyways, ah keep listenin as Sir David in he slow buh crisp Bajan-accented English say de report had like 44 recommendations buh some might impact national security an was in ah next document. Ah watch an listen tuh Kamla say dat she was goin an deliver de report tuh parliament de next day. Dat was yesterday, Friday.

Wid all due respects tuh people who lorse loved ones, right den ah say tuh mihself, “waste ah time”.

As soon as ah say dat ah realize now ah cyar get vex when someting I want tuh see happen geh call ah waste time by ah next Trini. Actually ah still go get vex cause in mih own mine, my reasons valid fuh callin what Kamla say, ah waste ah time.

Mih logic simple simple.

Nineteen ninety was 24 years ago. Two generations ah Trinbagonians wasn’t even gleams in dey fadder eyes when Bakr try he ting. I never hear Manning or Panday pushin fuh no post mortem so it safe tuh say dey wasn’t interested in “knowin why or how what happen, happen”. Ah wonder why?

Eef I geh ask I would say one ah de reasons Kamla call fuh it was tuh show de two ah dem who have de biggest balls.

It didn’t look like it had deep interest in de hearings once dey start. Not wid so many Trinis who only know about 1990 from what dey hear along wid de Trini tendency tuh not hold orn tuh nuttin fuh long even when dey should.

Besides, is dat how commissions does always wuk? Meet two times next week, den meet one time next month. Meet again every udder day fuh ah week de month after dat. Den only meet when people expectin yuh tuh meet? Continuity not important fuh dem witnesses who eh lookin tuh geh paid fuh testifyin?

Before 1990, it had 1970. Forty-four years ago.

Even more Trinis eh know nuttin about 1970. Let me tell all ah dem dis: Tings dat normal fuh dem in de larse ten years had dey origins in 1970 an 1990.

I mightn’t be able tuh prove it buh is common-sense, not so? Who tink different could bring dey common-sense arguments an show mih.

Two times in recent history Trinidad an Tobago’s leaders fail tuh take decisive action when de country was under siege. De first time was 1970. Guess when was de next time?

Raffique Shah does write interestin articles; mih pardnah like him. When I read anyting from he is only one ting does be in mih head: Eric Williams supposedly sayin he go show dem ‘real black power’ an gorn quite Nigeria tuh find Col. Danjuma an in Ghana fuh Achampong tuh be part ah de court martial fuh dem solders.

Today, Raffique name should be ah question on ah history test: name one ah de soldiers who lead de Regiment mutiny an was executed fuh he trouble.

Full points fuh sayin Raffique Shah or Rex Lasalle.

Now me eh takin no side on eef what dey do was right or wrong. Mih focus is on de usual big picture. It say tings have consequences. Certain consequences fatal, like eef you try tuh overthrow yuh elected govahment an fail. Yuh could dress up yuh actions how ever yuh want, buh failure is failure an dat mean death. Dem two lieutenants had tuh learn dat in Sandhurst.

It too late tuh ask Achampong. He went back home after de court martial in T&T, overthrow he govahment den geh executed when de next overthrower overthrow he.

Not in T&T. Overthrow de govahment an yuh could become de leader. Yuh could still become ah thoughtful writer or yuh could open up ah spa eef yuh fail. Doh mind dat people geh kill in yuh attempt. In Bakr case yuh could sue de govahment fuh mashin up yuh place.

When yuh have ah country dat sorf at de wrong time I would argue all dem who wasn’t born go know yuh eh have no backbone. Just like wid some chirren an dey parents.

So all dat is why ah say tuh mihself dat Kamla wastin she time.

What could be in dem recommendations dat go get Trinis excited or dat de govahment go enact tuh protect citizens anyway? Is not like is carnival time so dey go put up a police cordon arong de country like dey does do in tong so people could wine widout fear.

Ah try an eh read nuttin in de report because ah didn’t want nuttin cloudin mih judgment buh ah have tuh admit, ah did see something about ah day ah reflection an honorin de people from 1990. Mih judgment safe den.

Buh fuh kicks, leh we say it have recommendation dat de poleece have tuh do ah better job at how it does collect Intel. De TTPS know how tuh do dat? Long time ah hearin dat it have too much intelligence agencies an dey doh share information. Who givin up dey fiefdom? What eef ah recommendation is dat it have too much skylarkin when it come tuh national security? Who go stop dem jokers? What about eef it recommend better screenin at de ports so crates ah guns cyar come een de country from say . . . Florida?

Shouldn’t all dem tings be already happenin so people could feel safe? Hundreds ah Trinis eh geh kill since 1990 in non coup killings?

Until dat bleedin stop, who really care what happen before dey was born?