Trinity Cross confusion

Last week’s column ‘The Burden of the Cross’ prompted a rejoinder from Pundit Prakash Persad, Chairman of the normally reticent SWAHA Inc, ‘Setting The Record Straight’ (Newsday Saturday  May 3, 2003) that is deserving of a reply.

The column Persad labelled as ‘a continuation and vicious attack on a sister organisation.’ The ‘Burden of the Cross’ was entirely dedicated to the debate surrounding the inappropriateness of The Trinity Cross — and not to ‘attack’ any organisation. In the process of this discussion SWAHA’s PNM Senator Manideo Persad played a role and such role demanded scrutiny. SWAHA’s Chairman Persad is obviously uncomfortable with the results of that scrutiny. Chairman Persad makes the unfounded claim that there is some ‘continuation’ of attacks on SWAHA by this column. Save one previous column (‘Trinidad’s Fake Shankrarcharya’) that exposed the lowering of the highest Hindu title by SWAHA, neither this column nor the SDMS ever paid any attention to SWAHA. This claim is a mere figment of the imagination of the Chairman. The organisation that Chairman Persad represents is a going family concern that does not engage in national and thus unworthy of ‘attacks’ of any kind.

There is also the ludicrous claim that SWAHA “revitalised the practice of Hinduism in Trinidad and Tobago.” Was Hinduism ever dying in Trinidad and Tobago? Did this family-run Hindu organisation single handedly save Hinduism in Trinidad?  This flight of fancy is what Chairman Persad would have the nation believe. Such arrogance is an insult to all Hindus who have kept their faith alive singularly or with the assistance of the myriad of Hindu groups that each makes a contribution to Hindu Trinidad.

The Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha remains on the national landscape as the only legitimate Hindu voice and this bothers Chairman Persad. This legitimacy does not come with the SDMS conducting numerous religious and cultural functions, operating mandirs, training pundits, and operating Hindu Schools. This is expected of all Hindu groups. What separates the Maha Sabha from other Hindu groups is its ideology of active engagement with the non-Hindu society. The Maha Sabha is conscious that Hindus and Indians are equal partners in Trinidad and Tobago’s society and as such it is incumbent to actively participate in all aspects of national life articulating a Hindu viewpoint. For this participatory relationship the Maha Sabha has been branded. The Maha Sabha does not hide for having a Hindu position.

Other Hindu organisations are content to merely react constantly as exhibited by Chairman Persad. The fact that SWAHA has made its position known on the Trinity Cross, as stated to Chairman Persad, and yet those positions remain virtually unknown reveals the inconsequential weight attributed to those statements by not only Hindus but also by the nation. Returning to the issue of the inappropriateness of the Trinity Cross as the national award, Chairman Persad bemoaned that when SWAHA PNM’s Senator Manideo Persad first raised the Trinity Cross in Parliament no support came from the SDMS. Chairman Persad conveniently fails to remember that the SDMS has singularly championed the name change for the Trinity Cross for a number of years. As the United States prosecuted its policy in Iraq regardless of the lack of UN support so too the SDMS does not depend on other weak external groups in its decision-making policies.

Chairman Persad perhaps should concentrate his lobby for the name change from SWAHA’s PNM Senator before extending outside the family. After having raised the inappropriateness of the Trinity Cross in the Senate, SWAHA PNM’s Senator Manideo Persad in an about turn stated, “We can’t expect change overnight because there are so many other pressing matters” and called for “less confrontation and more dialogue”. SWAHA PNM’s Senator even gave a rationale for not changing the name claiming that the PNM “were not sure of the mechanisms required to effect this change”. Given this about face by SWAHA PNM’s Senator the Hindu community must ask about the relationship between SWAHA and the ruling PNM. Why is the Prime Minister favouring SWAHA over all other Hindu organisations? Even the Arya Samaj whose President Jules Jugmohan was a previous PNM Senator did not enjoy similar levels of patronage.

Recently SWAHA PNM’s Senator Manideo Persad has been appointed as Trinidad and Tobago’s Ambassador to India in order to make way for Christine Sahadeo. It is widely suspected that Sahadeo will be soon appointed a Senator and ultimately a Minister in the Ministry of Finance by Prime Minister Manning. What is interesting is that Christine Sahadeo is also an Executive Member of SWAHA. Ms Sahadeo is closely aligned to SWAHA’s Pasea Mandir and was in fact instrumental in obtaining the land that the mandir was later built on. Ms Sahadeo’s husband also played a critical role in the construction of the mandir.  From this latest appointment it is clear that there is a clear political alignment between the leadership of SWAHA and the ruling party. It must be noted that Chairman Persad did not refute or comment upon the public statement that a lucrative CEPEP contract was given to one Prakash Persad.

CEPEP since its inception has been viewed a tool to repay party faithful and supporters. CEPEP may have contributed to the Chairman’s confusion in the Trinity Cross debate. Chairman Persad correctly raised the issue that two SDMS Executives were part of the Panday Administration and yet the Trinity Cross remained. The Maha Sabha’s conscience and silence were never hidden during the Panday Administration with these appointments. The Maha Saha’s objections to the Trinity Cross were articulated to the Panday Administration strongly in many ways including via the media, and National Awards Committee, chaired by Trinidad and Tobago’s Chief Justice Michael de la Bastide. Unlike SWAHA PNM’s Senator Manideo Persad, the Maha Sabha’s objection to the Trinity Cross never wavered or altered no matter who was in government.