RELIGION AND POLITICS

Jack’s comments raised a howl of frenzy from persons who seemed to consider that Hindus had been insulted, and worse, felt that the UNC was, indeed, “a Hindu party.” While I was disappointed at the reaction — I too always felt that the UNC (and its predecessors) was a “national party” given its membership of Sadiq Baksh, Dr Fuad Khan, Wade Mark, former deputy political leader Carlos John, and others — I was certainly not surprised at the venom directed at Jack Warner.

While I fully accept that many, if not most, of the UNC membership may be Hindu (although hardly devout — see later), I know that one is not required to be a Hindu in order to become a member.

It is also a fact that one does not have to be a Christian to be a member of the PNM, notwithstanding Benny Hinn and others of his ilk.

Now, imagine, if you will, that there was another challenge to Patrick Manning’s leadership (if we can use that word!) of the PNM. And imagine further, that Benny Hinn flew in on his private jet, and gathered all the Pentecostal “miracle pastors” together, and announced their support for Patrick. Then Manning’s challenger, or his supporters, would be quite in order to dismiss this “support” by announcing that the PNM was not “a Pentecostal party,” but a national one.

Such a statement should not raise the anger of Pentecostal PNMites, for it would be the simple truth. However, I have no doubt that it would, and the Pentecostals would call down the wrath of Benny Hinn (God and Jesus would ignore them) on the offenders.

Now, please do not assume that my commenting on this new, and silly issue in our politics suggests that I give any support to, or have any sympathy toward any faction of any existing political party with which we are cursed. Indeed, I beg the question: How can any person, of any religious denomination, claim sympathy or support for any of our political factions or parties? To support, or sympathise with, any existing political party in TT is contrary to the teachings of our major religions. So, while I accept that religions have the right to support, and encourage their members to vote for, our political parties, I am at a loss to understand how they rationalise this support with their religious teachings.

Which of the practising religions in Trinidad and Tobago can condone or support the fact that Basdeo Panday — the de-facto leader of his faction of the UNC — is convicted? Yet Panday, currently out of jail on bail, is held up by many as some sort of hero!

Which practising religions in Trinidad and Tobago can condone or support the fact that politicians on the other side of the UNC split are before the courts charged with corruption? Yet religious leaders “support” that faction. And which religious leader, of any faith, can condone the fact that the governing PNM, through its URP and Cepep programmes, actually sponsors most of the murders which occur daily?

Which religious leader can condone, or support a party in which two of its former senior ministers are before the courts on corruption charges? And which religious leader can support a party in a country where ministers and their supporters get very rich, and enjoy great privilege, but the poor get poorer, and die for want of simple medical procedures?

And how can it be that police officers, if charged with an offence, are suspended from duty, but Members of Parliament, before the courts on corruption charges, can sit in Parliament and legislate the law for you and me? Which religious leader can support that? And I know that you can tell me about “forgiveness,” and all religions preach and practise forgiveness. But which religion forgives chronic, ongoing corruption and incompetence, by persons who boast that they are proud of what they are doing? Our religious leaders would do well to stay far from the stain of the current political spectrum. They should shun the politicians and the political gatherings. Do not “bless” these gatherings with your prayers.

You are only being used to fool the foolish, and the gathering you “bless” is tainted with corruption and intolerance and hatred — all of the sins you stand against, or purport to stand against, and you know this. So pray in your church, or mosque, or temple, about the evil that lives in these politicians’ hearts and minds. Do not allow yourself, your church, or your religion to be used by the political sycophants who curse and vilify each other and pretend that there is now some religious basis for the hatred they spread.

These people, having failed to get the population to hate each other on the grounds of “race,” will now seek to use the religion you preach to poison the minds of the poor, the stupid and the opportunistic.

Our stupid politicians, who have tried and failed to foment hatred in our country by making statements alluding to “genocide,” “ethnic cleansing” and the like will no doubt be quick to use their hysterical sycophants to try to bring hatred via “Religion.”

However, we have no Christian, Pentecostal, Hindu, Islamic, Orisha, Spiritual Baptist or Irie political party in this country, and that is a simple fact. The day any of our religions decide that their beliefs must be the law of the land, that will be the day that TT will plummet into turmoil.

We have examples from places like Northern Ireland — all persons of one race, who have been at war with each other for years because of religion. And we saw the religious genocide in the former Yugoslavia, and the ongoing violence between religions, and between sects of the same religion, all through the Middle East and India, where genocide is real and tragic, not the spoken nonsense of some clown.

Let us ensure that all of our politics remain “national” in scope, even if slightly racially tainted. At least we know how to live with that.