The Red House and The 1990 Coup
The imposing neo-Renaissance Red House , at the edge of Woodford Square, derives its name from an earlier building on the site which was painted bright red to celebrate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee in 1897. The present structure, completed four years after its predecessor was destroyed in the 1903 water riots, was itself attacked in a coup in 1990, and bullet holes still scar the stonework. The coup led by Yasin Abu Bakr , leader of the fundamentalist revolutionary group Jamaat-al-Muslimeen , occurred on July 27, 1990. The group stormed the Red House and took the prime minister and other government officials hostage. A state of emergency was declared. Though many Trinidadians were discontented with the government at the time, due to harsh fiscal measures, few supported its violent overthrow. With little public support, the rebels surrendered, on condition of an amnesty, after a six-day siege. Bakr and 113 other Jamaat members were jailed for two years while the courts debated the amnesty's validity, and eventually set free after a ruling by the UK Privy Council. Many Trinidadians found it hard to believe that such events could take place in stable, democratic, fun-loving Trinidad. With characteristic humour, the crisis was turned into amusing stories, such as those told of wild " curfew parties " and the explanations given to the police for the five TVs found in a neighbour's house.
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