Priest: Parents must care for children

He told the congregation, which included President George Maxwell Richards and junior Culture Minister Eddie Hart, that St Mary’s started as an orphanage for the children of indentured labourers who either died on the voyage to TT or shortly after their arrival in this country. He added that it was not unknown “to have babies abandoned by their mothers” on the steps of the home.

Observing that the church, government and judiciary have all played an integral part in keeping St Mary’s and other children’s homes operational over the years, Abdulah said many of these institutions need not exist if one was able to eliminate “factors that create parents who are unable to care for children.”

Recalling the findings of a recent study by Independent Senator Prof Ramesh Deosaran about children from single parent homes, Abdulah wondered what was being done to “create better parents” in TT. He said if this were done, boys would not spend their days liming on the block and girls would go looking for jobs that would make them easy prey for nefarious characters. He wondered whether employers in the public and private sectors were willing to undertake initiatives such as in-house day care or flexible working hours to allow workers who were single parents to spend more time with their children.

Abdulah also warned about the existence of groups in the society who claim to “have all the answers” and encourage their disciples display levels of fanaticism which were common in dictators and terrorists. He urged the congregation to ignore the false prophecies preached by these groups.

He also questioned the call by some in the society to “bring back the good ole days.” Abdulah said all changes bring challenges that must be dealt with and the question in those circumstances is how far back should the clock be turned.