Eversley: Rename Abercromby St

Eversley who was a hostage during the coup, was joined at the Red House by Congress of the People (COP) leadership contender Carolyn Seepersad- Bachan and Shernifa Gibbs, 18, a student who also walked from Arima with Eversley.

Alleging that Port of Spain Mayor Joel Martinez had wrong priorities to focus on renaming Queen Street after former miss universe Jannelle ‘Penny’ Commissiong, Eversley said, “I’m calling on the prime minister and the authorities to rename Abercromby Street the July 1990 Street.

This is our history too.” Eversley hailed former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar for her commission of inquiry into the coup, but he bemoaned the failure of successive governments to enact the inquiry’s recommendations, including victim compensation. He lamented many cases of disinterest shown by politicians in the coup’s aftermath, including their failure to attend yesterday’s event. Only Seepersad-Bachan had accepted his invitation.

Eversley hailed former prime minister, the late ANR Robinson, for defending the country’s Constitution and defying insurrectionists some 27 years ago. While Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley had said chapters 11 and 12 of the inquiry report will be dealt with, pertaining to national security, Eversley lamented that in the past year he had got no further word from Rowley.

Eversley said, “Right now our country is on the verge of another coup, if we don’t sit and take heed at what’s taking place.” He alleged that both sides of the political divide had used the services of the Jamaat al Muslimeen in their election campaigns over the years. “Today we are hearing of a lot of ‘cells’. Look at what’s going on in Enterprise. There is talk that it is a training grounds, over 200 people being recruited.” Scoffing that at the behest of the United States Embassy, local politicians will lay a wreath over the 9/11 attacks, but will avoid a July 1990 commemoration, Eversley said, “Charity begins at home.”