From cowsheds to success

SANATAN Dharma Maha Sabha Secretary General Satnarayan Maharaj said, in the year 1952 when the East Indian community opened their schools, they were described as cowsheds. Maharaj said, today, those same cowsheds had been transformed into learning institutions with success stories.

Maharaj was speaking at an Indian Arrival Day celebrations ceremony at Francis Sepaul Debe Recreational Grounds yesterday.

“All that you see here today, this has not been done by me or the executive of the Maha Sabha. This is a manifestation of the teachers in our school. They have done this, the principals, teachers and the supporting parents and the community.”

He said people had been speculating as to the successes of their schools, but he was sure that one of the critical aspects in any learning institution is discipline.

“It is, for this reason, we have embraced the scouting movement because this is a disciplined institution. It is there to help the children, help the teachers and even to help the parents. The parents have also become disciplined.”

Maharaj said teachers of the Maha Sabha schools spend their own money to host events.

“They don't come to the Maha Sabha because they know we have no money so I want to congratulate them.”

Maharaj said he took pride in the fact that the Hindu community had transformed itself.

“Nobody has transformed the Hindu community. We have done it on our own, self-transformation. So if we have transformed ourselves, you and I, all of us, have gotten together and transformed ourselves.”

In April, police of the Special Investigation Unit went to the Radio Jaagriti with a search warrant to get a copy of a programme which has been shared on social media and was cause for inquiry.

Speaking on this issue, Maharaj said, “The decedents of O’Halloran had to pay back the state $4 million dollars. Boysie Prevatt had to run to Nicaragua and he died in Nicaragua. Nobody is complaining about these people who rape the State.

"But when I voice dissent, nine police officers raid the radio station and they have instructions to charge me for sedition.”

He said, “ Well let the sedition come because I owe it to my children and my grandchildren that we leave to them a striving democracy called Trinidad and Tobago where you can speak out and where you can disagree and yet we move forward.”

Maharaj said TT did not belong to any single group of people. Making reference to the arrest of former prime minister Basdeo Panday, he said only certain people had been arrested.

“The speaker of the house Occah Seepaul, attorney at law, she was held prisoner by declaring a state of emergency on her street so she couldn’t come out because there was a tie in Parliament and there was fear that she would vote against.” And the most recent arrest he said was of former attorney general Anand Ramlogan and former senator Gerald Ramdeen.

“You see the pattern in the arrests? Have you noticed the pattern in the arrests? Don’t let me speak it out, one group of people, only one group of people.”

Also speaking at the celebrations Oropouche East MP Roodal Moonilal said the rule of law was under threat and as TT had to depend essentially on “White man and White woman in London to tell them how to conduct themselves in Trinidad is a shame, it is a disgrace.

“ I felt personally disgraced when I looked at these clips on the Privy Council and hear what they were saying about TT and the conduct of our business.”