Senior Reporter
kay-marie.fletcher
@guardian.co.tt
Two former national security ministers are confident that the country is better equipped to deal with a coup, three decades after the insurrection. And it all began with the leadership of retired Major General Ralph Brown.
Memories of the 1990 attempted coup were stirred up yesterday, as the man who led the military’s response, former Chief of Defence Staff Major General Brown, was laid to rest.
His funeral attracted some of the country’s leading figures, including President Christine Kangaloo, her predecessor Paula-Mae Weekes, acting Prime Minister and Finance Minister Colm Imbert, Energy and Energy Industries Minister Stuart Young, Public Administration Minister Allyson West, Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsy-Dolly, Housing and Urban Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis, and several other officials.
Speaking at the All Saints Anglican Church, Queen’s Park West, Port-of-Spain, following the military funeral service, former minister, retired Major General Edmund Dillon, said Brown’s counter-attack in 1990 paved the way for today. He said as such, the Defence Force is now prepared for anything.
Dillon said, “I believe we are. I believe my Defence Force is always prepared for any eventuality.”
Another former national security minister and senator, retired Brigadier General Carlton Alfonso, said some military men are ready to give their lives in service of their country.
“I think we’re better prepared and I think that a lot of youngsters, including my grandson, who don’t like what they heard about what happened in 1990, they weren’t born but they heard what some of those people did to our country, and to our prime minister and the government and so on, and they would not like to see that happen and they would give their lives trying to prevent that,” he said.
National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds refused to speak on that question. Instead, he praised General Brown for earning the respect of the entire country during the attempted coup. He added that Brown stood tall in service to the nation.
Hinds said, “He really contributed significantly to this land. I am proud of him … He has clearly earned the respect of the entire national community. What I heard since his passing and this morning at this service confirmed in my mind that Trinidad and Tobago produced men and women of extremely high quality in service to this nation and Major General Ralph Brown clearly was one of them.”
Paying tribute during the service, Retired Colonel Lyle Alexander said General Brown’s legacy of leadership and dedication to the country is permanently etched in the hearts of the men and women who served under him. He said General Brown’s physical presence and commitment to service have inspired generations of soldiers, sailors and airmen.
From a valiant soldier who rose through the ranks to become Commander, General Brown was said to have been the ultimate military administrator as he served as the seventh Chief of Defence Staff, established and was the first director of the Security and Intelligence Agency (SIA), chairman of the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority and deputy director of the National Emergency Management Agency. He also received the Chaconia Gold Medal, the country’s second highest award.
But his legacy was much more than his medals, as General Brown was said to have been a dedicated man in service of his God and his family.
He leaves behind his only son Gary, four grandchildren and other family members.
He died on March 29 at age 84.
Following the service, Brown was given a regimental parade with full military honours.