Raffique Shah
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Raffique Shah (born 1946)Raffique Shah
"Slaves to technology"
''Trinidad and Tobago News Blog'', 11 April 2018.
is a
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...
leader and political commentator. He is also a former
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
and mutineer, having led a mutiny of
Trinidad and Tobago Regiment The Trinidad and Tobago Regiment is the main ground force element of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. It has approximately 10,000 men and women organized into a Regiment Headquarters (located in Port of Spain) and four battalions. There is ...
in 1970.


Biography

Shah was born the son of a sugarcane worker and housewife in March 1946. His early education was at
Presentation College, Chaguanas Presentation College, Chaguanas is a Roman Catholic secondary school in Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago and is the brother school of Presentation College, San Fernando. History The Endeavour estates donated the land on which the school is. W ...
, where he gained a Grade I Cambridge School Certificate. He later won a cadetship to the prestigious
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst between 1964 and 1966. As a
lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
in the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment, he led an army mutiny in 1970. In the midst of Black Power riots, the
People's National Movement The People's National Movement (PNM) is the longest-serving and oldest active political party in Trinidad and Tobago. The party has dominated national and local politics for much of Trinidad and Tobago's history, contesting all elections sinc ...
government led by
Eric Williams Eric Eustace Williams (25 September 1911 – 29 March 1981) was a Trinidad and Tobago politician who is regarded by some as the " Father of the Nation", having led the then British Colony of Trinidad and Tobago to majority rule on 28 October ...
proclaimed a State of Emergency in April 1970 and arrested several Black Power leaders and
Trade Union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...
ists. In a move to prevent Williams from using the military against the masses, a portion of the Regiment stationed at Teteron (on the Chaguaramas Peninsula), led by
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
s Shah and
Rex Lassalle Reginald Andrew Lassalle (born 1945), better known as Rex Lassalle, is an alternative medicine practitioner and former lieutenant in the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment who was a leader of an army mutiny in April 1970 as part of the Black Power Revolu ...
mutinied. In response, the
Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard The Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) is the military organization responsible for the defence of the twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It consists of the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment, the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, the ...
fired on the mutineers who returned to Teteron Barracks, abandoning their foray into Port of Spain. After 10 days, the mutineers surrendered. The leaders were court-martialed and Shah and Lasalle were jailed. They both went on to win their appeals at the local Court of Appeal, and judges at the Privy Council in London, England, ruled against the State's appeal in July 1972. Shah, Lassalle and all the other mutineers were freed within 24 hours of that ruling. After being released from prison Shah joined the Trade Union movement leading the ICFTU, a body of cane farmers who sought to displace the government-recognised organisation, TICFA (Trinidad Islandwide Cane Farmers' Association). Shah,
George Weekes George Arthur Weekes (b Clifton, Bristol 5 September 1869; d Cambridge 23 June 1953) was a 20th-century British academic. Weekes was educated at Bristol Grammar School and Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. He became a Fellow of Sidney Sussex in 189 ...
and
Basdeo Panday Basdeo Panday (; born 25 May 1933) is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian lawyer, politician, trade unionist, economist, actor, and former civil servant who served as the fifth Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 1995 to 2001. He was the first ...
went on to found the
United Labour Front The United Labour Front (ULF) was a political party in Trinidad and Tobago and the main opposition party between 1976 and 1986. It was a successor to the Democratic Labour Party and the Workers and Farmers Party. History The party was establishe ...
(ULF) in 1975 as a labour confederation and transformed it into a political party in 1976. During general election later that year, the ULF secured 10 of the 36 seats in
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
and became the official
Opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...
.
Basdeo Panday Basdeo Panday (; born 25 May 1933) is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian lawyer, politician, trade unionist, economist, actor, and former civil servant who served as the fifth Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 1995 to 2001. He was the first ...
was appointed Leader of the Opposition, but following a bitter row in the party, Shah was able to displace him, and served as Leader of the Opposition between August 9, 1977 and March 31, 1978 when Panday regained control of the party. Shah went on to lead the cane farmers and won an election to head the Trinidad Island-wide Cane Farmers' Association (TICFA), in 1998. He has been chairman of that organisation to date. Shah also served as editor of the ''Trinidad and Tobago Mirror'' newspaper for 17 years and went on to serve as an op-ed columnist in the ''
Trinidad and Tobago Express The ''Trinidad and Tobago Express'', better known as ''Daily Express'' (and the weekend editions ''Saturday Express'' and ''Sunday Express''), is one of three daily newspapers in Trinidad and Tobago. The ''Daily Express'' as per its masthead is p ...
'' newspaper. He is also known as the man who founded the prestigious annual Clico Trinidad & Tobago International Marathon, an event that spawned road-running throughout the Caribbean. He remained chairman of the organising committee until he stepped down in 2005. He served, too, as secretary of the local National Amateur Athletics Association and still holds a strong interest in sports in general and athletics in particular.


See also

*
Black Power Revolution Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have ...


References


External links


Raffique Shah's Homepage
- a collection of his op-ed columns dating back to 2000. {{DEFAULTSORT:Shah, Raffique 1946 births Living people Trinidad and Tobago male writers Trinidad and Tobago non-fiction writers Trinidad and Tobago trade unionists Trinidad and Tobago people of Indian descent Members of the House of Representatives (Trinidad and Tobago) Mutineers People who were court-martialed Trinidad and Tobago military personnel United Labour Front politicians Male non-fiction writers