This speech was given by Dr Vijay Naraynsingh, at Maha Sabha Headquarters on Saturday 11th August.
Are the following events just accidental?
- The Chief Justice, Sat Sharma is removed from Office because of a mere allegation, but the Chief Magistrate, proven guilty of an offence, remains in office?
- Dr. Bhoendradatt Tewarie is removed as Principal from U. W. I. -can no longer sit on Appointments, Promotions, Assessment Committees etc. -though he was a most outstanding Principal.
- Devant Maharaj- victimised by the National Lotteries Board- proven in court.
- The Maha Sabha discriminated against by the State- a position clearly stated by the Privy Council.
- The dismissal of outstanding achievers from State Enterprises such as Kansham Kanhai, Tota Maharaj, Donald Baldeosingh.
- The charge against Swami Kripalu Maharaj- published worldwide - and then withdrawn months later because there is no evidence - but after the damage is done.
- The charge of Basdeo Panday and Finbar Ganga for failing to declare accounts when some 390 others, including Government Ministers, did not declare their assets.
- Hindu women from Princess Town, handcuffed and paraded on the streets, charged for Voter padding but never proven guilty, while two women from Morvant charged and proven guilty were not handcuffed when taken to court. And I mention this specifically because when my wife, Seeromani, a Hindu woman was taken to court, she was always handcuffed. A policeman, one day, explained to me that it is not usual to routinely handcuff women prisoners unless they are unruly or a great risk, but they have instructions from high office, that whenever Seeromani Maraj is in public she must be handcuffed and that is why your television and newspaper pictures always looked like that.
- Then the assault on the Murtis in Waterloo and the attempt to burn down the Siewdass Sadhu mandir. Six men arrive in a car at midnight, put on masks, jump the fence, vandalise the place and the police arrive at the amazing conclusion that it is because of rum drinking.
And Hindus are still looking on at all these events as our loved ones are kidnapped, our businesses looted and our children shipped abroad – often never to return.
In my view, these events are not accidental and they will increase in numbers, hostility and wanton injustice if Hindus do not take charge of their political destiny. These events are occurring because, at political and administrative levels, Hindus are discriminated against and the Privy Council stated that in two rulings so far; they are not just my view.
Politics has determined the fate of Hindus and the future of Hinduism in most countries where Hindus live. The Uganda oppression of Hindus was political, so was Fiji, so Kenya and so Guyana. Do we really think that we are so unique that this is not happening to us?
Who are the victims of kidnapping? Who are migrating? Who are sending their children abroad?
When Eric Williams referred to the Hindu schools as ‘cowsheds’ and the ‘recalcitrant minority’ opposition, he was describing a people who had a firm loyalty to their then leader, Bhadase Sagan Maraj. That group of people has remained steadfast in their loyalty to Basdeo Panday for almost 40 years. That group of people has followed faithfully, unwaveringly, even blindly their leader. Loyalty to a leader, a teacher, a Guru is part of our creed; it is strength but it is also potentially our greatest weakness.
After following so faithfully for some 40 years, the Hindus are now Caroni-less, landless, jobless, penniless and almost hopeless. We are dragged through Courts, dismissed from strategic positions and denied opportunities using State resources. The Presbyterians have adjusted their political loyalty as they saw fit, the Muslims did the same but the Hindus maintained a blind loyalty to their leader, no matter what. Yet we are today leaderless because this same leader destroyed or sidelined every potential leader that could have emerged in the last 40 years.
He started with Suren Capildeo and went on and on through Suruj Rambachan, Vishnu Ramlogan, Sahadeo Basdeo, Brinsley Samaroo, Amrika Tewarie, Bhoe Tewarie, Hulsie Bhagan, Kusha Harracksingh, Kelvin Ramnath, Ramesh Maharaj, Winston Dookeran, Roodal Moonilal and others. A few of these crawled back on bended knees to their master but most remain in the political graveyard. That’s the sorry state in which we Hindus find ourselves, all possible leaders executed by the leader himself. What is the answer?
I sometimes hear Hindus express concern about if the PNM gets a Constitutional majority. But I tell you, Patrick Manning does not need that, all he needs is a 21:20 victory to do whatever he wants. Right now he does not have a Constitutional majority but he could fire the Chief Justice, dismiss the Principal of the University, build a Brian Lara Stadium for 800 million dollars, get a monorail for 1.6 billion dollars, fix his home for 150 million dollars, build 4 smelter plants, shut down Caroni and send the workers home-all without a Constitutional majority.
The Hindus cannot risk further loss at this time. Any further loss is the beginning of a slow, painful death.
