As in the words of Martin Luther King Jr" FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST, THANK GOD ALMIGHTY, WE ARE FREE AT LAST"
Were they really free?, or did they think they were.
Still not even physical freedom they had. Every where they went they had an escort, Special Branch(Police Intelligence unit) would be known to follow them, keeping a close eye on their daily activities.
I know of incidents where, certain of the brothers who were freed, would be pulled aside and their vehicles searched randomly.
Other times their houses would be raided, and thoroughly searched looking for arms or ammunition or just to harass them.
This became a norm, with the Imam and the Jamaat Al Muslimeen.
Now part of the Privy Council's ruling was that $700,000 were awarded to the Jamaat for damages to their physical structure.
The Government which had changed by now back to the P.N.M under the leadership of Mr Patrick Manning wasnt having non of it. They were not going to honour the ruling.
But they did still pressure the Jamaat in other ways. They were no different from the last regime.
Five years came and left, it was election time again this time with promises of help they decided to campaign for the U.N.C( United National Congress) under the leadership of Mr Basdeo Pandey who I mentioned in an earlier chapter.
To win this election as well the U.N.C formed a colalition with the now disgraced N.A.R for their two strong hold seats Tobago West and East, as the election ended in a tie.
True to form and still some what in control of the streets, the U.N.C won the elections and for the first time in the history of my sweet T&T we had a predominantly East Indian Government.
One important fact to note was the new Attorney General was non other than The Jamaat Al Muslimeen now ex Lawyer, Mr Ramesh L Maharaj .
He now proved himself to be a snake in the grass.
Straight out the starters box the first thing this turncoat did was to erect a fence on the land he once defended. Claiming that part of land still belonged to the state. Who better to know than him.
I remember the Saturday very well I was now 13 years old and was glued to the tv watching as the brothers and Police faced off.
The brothers formed a human chain as the Police also formed a chain, as the workmen from the Port of Spain Corporation erected the fence on the western side of the compound.
They were again doubled crossed, when will they learn.