Gene Miles (activist)

Miles has secured a place in the national lore of Trinidad and Tobago as a whistle-blower and a symbol of resistance. In 2011 she was the subject of a one-woman theatrical production entitled Gene Miles – the Woman of the World starring Cecilia Salazar. The play was authored and directed by playwright Tony Hall. It tells Miles’ life story while exploring contemporary themes of governance and corruption. The play also draws parallels between Gene and her father Ranny Miles, an Ministry of Works accountant who was instrumental in uncovering the Caura Dam Racket. Miles' name has become synonymous with anti-corruption efforts. More specifically, she is associated closely with those whose suffer characters assassination, social ostracism, depression and death as a result of the stand they take against government level impropriety.

Her actions and legacy have been interpreted less favourably by others. During the attempted coup of 1990, insurrectionist Yasin Abu Bakr seized control of the national Trinidad and Tobago Television Station during the 7 pm newscast. During his speech he mentioned plans by then Prime Minister A.N.R. Robinson to immortalize Miles with a statue, as a primary impetus for the overthrow of the government.

Gene Miles (1930 - 8 December 1972) was a political activist from Trinidad and Tobago. She is recognized for her testimony in the 1967 Commission of Enquiry into the corruption surrounding the granting of gas station licenses. Miles' testimony resulted in the firing of the Senior Factory Inspector. She is considered to be a strong figure of the resistance to governmental corruption and the Commission at which she testified is seen as one of the most significant in the history of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Commission of Enquiry into the Circumstances Surrounding the Sales, Leases and Other Transfers of Gasolene Stations or Sites for Gasolene Stations since 1961 and the Procedure Followed in the Granting of Licenses for the Operation of Such Stations was appointed on 23 June 1966. The Commission was headed by Mr. Justice Karl de la Bastide and tasked with investigating the sales and leases of gasolene stations.

The Factory Inspectorate assumed responsibility for the administration of the Petroleum Ordinance 26 No. 2 in 1948. At the time of the expiration of licenses at the end of the calendar year, regulations required that applications, including a fee, be made to the Senior Factory Inspector. Between 1961 and 1963 there was an uncontrolled increase in the number of gasolene station licenses issued that resulted in the unsafe clustering of gasolene stations. During the same period the Senior Factory Inspector, Mr. Kenneth Tam, adopted a new policy of approving licenses by site rather than applicant name. As a result, several individuals applied for and received approval to operate on the same site. The new policy also did not require that applicant to hold legal titles to the site before applying.

Gene Miles was born in Port of Spain in 1930 to Ruby and Randolph Miles. In 1947 the family moved to Glencoe, a quiet middle-class neighbourhood on the North Western Peninsula of Trinidad. Gene attended Sacred Heart primary school before attending high school at St. Joseph's Convent, Port of Spain. After graduating from high school, Gene joined the civil service at the Ministry of Education and Culture. In 1962 she was transferred to the Ministry of Petroleum and Mines, and then to the Factory Inspectorate under the Labour Department as First Class Clerk.