By Prior Beharry
PRIME Minister Dr Keith Rowley agrees with Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar that the recent desecration of places of worship in Trinidad and Tobago is not religious intolerance but petty criminal conduct.
Speaking at the post-Cabinet press conference at Whitehall on Thursday, Dr Rowley said, “It is not very often that I agree with the opposition leader but on this occasion, I can’t take issue with much of what she said because what she is basically the facts.
“And I would want to discourage people who would want to use the instances of criminal activity against places of worship to portray that as the state of play in Trinidad and Tobago.
“But on this occasion, I think the opposition leader is quite correct, in saying that, we ought not to take that instance and say it is something against Hindus.”
In a statement on Wednesday, Persad-Bissessar said there was no evidence that the recent attacks on Hindu temples were fueled by religious hatred.
But the secretary general of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) Vijay Maharaj criticised Persad-Bissessar’s describing her comments as “bizarre, confused and insulting,” saying they downplayed the seriousness of recent attacks on Hindu temples.
On Thursday, Dr Rowley referred to other places of worship that were vandalised over the past few years.
He said, “We’ve had people interfering with mosques, we have had many Christian, places affected. So to say that what has happened, I think there were five or six instances of people interfering with places of worship and the opposition leader was right when she said that the criminals (were) either looking for opportunity and a soft target or people who are mentally disturbed or drug addicts, and I think that is what it is.”
The prime minister also referred to the robbery of Roman Catholic priest Father Clyde Harvey who in July 2017 was relieved of $1,000 and his cellphone by three bandits who broke into the presbytery at the St Martin de Porres church in Gonzales in Belmont. He was also hog-tied and the bandits also threatened to kidnap him. Four men were later held for his robbery.
Dr Rowley said, “And the proof is other religions have had criminals who have gone to places of worship, you all may recall, Father Harvey in St Joseph (sic) he was boarded by two criminals and he was almost physically armed.”
He said, “So on this occasion, I don’t have a problem with what the opposition leader has said, because that’s what it is, as far as I’m concerned and to say that, that in this country people are targeting other people because of their religion, I can’t say that because I don’t live that.
“And I grew up in this country, I mean I was a Methodist by baptism, I was raised by Seven-Day Adventists, I went to an Anglican school, I am married to a Catholic, and I manage Hindus and Muslims at work.
“And a lot of my friends, and I run a political party and I have friends across the board. So I cannot subscribe to this thing about one group attacking another group because of their religion.
“What we have are criminals and petty criminals carrying out criminal conduct at places of worship and that must stop.
“The police must make every effort to find out who is doing that and stop it. It must not label and stain our country.”
In the recent past there were robberies and vandalism at the Church of the Assumption parish office at Maraval, Mt St Benedict Monastery, San Rafael RC Church, St Francis of Assisi RC Church and the Claxton Bay SDA Church.
On Monday evening, the Pranavananda Ashram at Temple Drive in Couva was damaged with vandals throwing stones with a religious service was taking place. The Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh had lamented that all religions seemed to be under attack in the country.
On September 10, he said, the Williamsville Hindu Temple was attacked; on September 22, at the Lakrani Ganesh Mandir on Gopie Trace, Penal, murtis were demolished and on September 28 the Kali Mata Temple in Carli Bay, Couva was graffitied.
Indarsingh added, “Lamentably, all religions seem to be under attack; the Tableland ASJA Jamaat was vandalised in September 2022, the St Francis Roman Catholic Church in Belmont and the Claxton Bay Seventh Day Adventist Church were also subject to vandalism in 2022.”
