Friday 27th July, 1990: The peaceful, carefree existence of our tiny republic is rocked to its core as armed insurgents from a militant Islamic group storm the Red House during a sitting of the House of Representatives. The then Prime Minister, ANR Robinson, and fourteen other Members of Parliament are taken hostage. The insurgents also bomb the nearby Police Headquarters, and lay seige on the offices of the national television station, Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT).

I remember turning on the television and seeing the nightly news start right on schedule but with a twist. Next to the anchor, Jones Madeira was the leader of the coup attempt, announcing that he had “taken over the country”. Now that was news!

What followed in the next five days is certainly one of the darkest periods in the history of my beautiful country, as the government and the entire country was held hostage. Looting abounded in the capital city, and when it was over, thirty people had been killed, including eight at the Red House.

The Eternal Flame, erected on the eastern lawn of the Red House, marks the deaths of these people who died during this attempted coup and serves as a reminder of this horrific incident. But little else has been done. The leader of the coup still walks the streets, a free man, and a millionaire, free to consort with heads of government. There has never been an investigation into the lack of police intelligence (an oxymoron?) on the incident. With typical Trini doh-care-damn attitude, we've moved on.

But we shall never forget. Not when our country continues to suffer the aftershock effects to this day. No, we shall never forget.

Today — July 27, 2005 — marks the fifteenth anniversary of the coup.