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  • 1 year ago
In the 35 years since the 1990 attempted coup, today was the first time a police commissioner commemorated the life of the insurrection's first victim with a parade and wreath laying ceremony in Princes Town.
That's according to Mc Leod's relatives who say they were grateful for Commissioner Guevarro's presence and recognition shown today.
On Sunday afternoon the commissioner and some of his officers marched to the Indian Walk cemetery gravesite of fallen police constable, Solomon Mc Leod.
Our reporter Cindy Raghubar-Teekersingh was there and tells us more.
Transcript
00:00A gun salute followed a street procession and re-delaying by Police Commissioner Alistair
00:13Guevara and members of the TTPS in Indian Walk Princess Town on Sunday. It marked the 35th
00:20anniversary of the 1990 attempted coup, where 24 people were killed at the hands of Yassin
00:26Abu Bakr's Jama'at al-Muslimin group. P.C. Solomon McLeod of Princess Town was the first to be killed
00:33while on duty outside the police headquarters building that day.
00:37He would have been preparing to leave his home, not too far from here, and journey to Porta
00:43Spain, where he made the ultimate sacrifice for Trader and Tobago. He became the first victim
00:48of the attempted coup of 1990. I do not wish that Trader and Tobago take that lightly, nor
00:55do I wish that they forget that sacrifice that he made. He could have chosen to stay at home,
00:59take a sick leave, but he went out that day. It was a Friday. He went out that day and he did
01:05what he was supposed to do. He did his duty to Trader and Tobago and lost his life in the process.
01:11The Commissioner thanked the McLeod family for allowing the TTPS to commemorate the day with them
01:16at P.C. McLeod's grave site and said Trinidad and Tobago is again going through similar turbulence
01:24as it did back then. We are again going through some trying times. We are under a state of emergency
01:30and it's called for specific reasons which can be akin to that of 1990. But know that God is with us,
01:39Trinidad and Tobago, and we shall fight and we shall be victorious in the end. McLeod's older brother
01:45says his brother died at 23 years old and so has been dead longer than the time he lived. And it was
01:53the first time a police commissioner chose to recognize his brother's contribution in person
01:59and on the day in this way. We really do appreciate it. We feel that the persons that are supposed to
02:09are actually remembering what took place and remembering the sacrifice of one of their own.
02:14And we thank God for them and they are taking the time off to come today.
02:18General salute! Present!
02:22Sendhi Ragubantika Singh, TV6 News.