Today marks thirty-five years since armed insurgents stormed our Parliament, destroyed Police Headquarters, seized Trinidad and Tobago Television, and caused the deaths of 24 citizens on 27 July 1990.
They did more than sow fear, death and chaos — they launched an unprecedented assault on our Constitution, the rule of law, and the very soul of our democracy.
Let us be clear: the perpetrators of July 1990 were not patriots. The true patriots defended the Constitution and safeguarded our Republic, some at the cost of their lives, others bearing wounds and trauma to this day.
Today, we pause to honour:
· Those killed, including SRP Solomon McLeod, MP Leo des Vignes, ASP Roger George, security officers Mervyn Teague and Malcolm Basanta, and parliamentary clerk Lorraine Caballero.
· Members of the Protective Services, Defence Force, media, Parliament, and ordinary citizens who stood as a barrier between chaos and continuity.
· The late Prime Minister A.N.R. Robinson, Minister Selwyn Richardson, and all others who were held hostage in the Red House but never capitulated in the face of death.
For families who lost loved ones, know that Trinidad and Tobago has never forgotten your grief. For the survivors, we salute all who chose resilience over rage, unity over division, and hope over despair.
Notably, in 2010, my then Government historically empanelled the Commission of Enquiry chaired by Sir David Simmons, QC. On 14 March 2014, I laid its four-volume report in Parliament and waived confidentiality on its final chapter, because transparency is the path to closure.
Guided by its recommendations, we strengthened our national security architecture and integrated the key findings into study programmes at our schools and universities — work paused when we demitted office in 2015.
Today, three months after returning to office, I reaffirm my Government’s commitment to update that programme and consult on a fitting national memorial to the fallen, the injured, and the defenders.
Indeed, the last decade of unprecedented crime and violence under the previous regime has only sharpened the lessons of 1990: crisis leadership must be strong and coordinated; personal bias and rivalry must not eclipse accountability; and the rule of law remains our strongest shield.
Today’s deleterious national security threats — transnational crime, digital disinformation, economic strain — remind us that “the price of democracy is eternal vigilance.”
They require a powerful security ethos of transparency, trust and coordinated cooperation that produces intelligence, enables prevention and protects our people. Every citizen is a vital link in that chain.
Let this 35th anniversary of our darkest democratic hour, therefore, renew our commitment to those principles and the supremacy of law. Let its memory steel our resolve to ensure that in Trinidad and Tobago, power will always change hands by ballots, not bullets; debate may be fierce but will remain peaceful; diversity will always be our strength, not our fault line; and the love of liberty will forever guide us toward progress and prosperity.
May God eternally bless our nation and preserve our great democracy.