Dear Editor,
Allows us a space within your newspaper to express the disappointment and disenchantment that we, the Hindus of this country, continue to face because of an uncaring Government.
We are positively sure that everyone throughout the length and breadth of this country is aware of the problems facing the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha. Over the last year, many Hindus from different parts of the country would’ve taken to your newspaper, via letters and other means, to highlight the issues facing the Maha Sabha, and ultimately the Hindu community at large. The Maha Sabha, being the oldest Hindu religious and cultural organisation in the country, holds a dear and special place in the hearts of many Hindus in Guyana, and therefore its problems and the turmoil it is currently facing have affected us all!
On many occasions, if not at all times Editor, calls were made by these persons to the Government, literally begging their attention and intervention in order to restore order and legitimacy to the Maha Sabha. All have since fallen on deaf ears!
Editor, there is a term that is quite popular among the older folks who are in touch with their Hindi – “Bilaway”. This term, Editor, refers to the wasteful or corrupt spending of one’s resources. The cabal that has been in charge of the Maha Sabha since the year 2000 has only sought to “bilaway” the resources of the Maha Sabha. For 22 years the Maha Sabha has not held an election to renew membership or to change office bearers, although its by-laws state this must happen at least every five years!
The treasurer of the Sabha is no longer a resident of Guyana, but has been signing cheques of the organisation and spending the organisation’s money as if it belongs to them! The organising Secretary has been serving in that capacity for years on end, and has also been paying a hefty sum to themselves every single month for the last five years! Tell me Editor, isn’t it time that the Government of Guyana look into this situation?
Many may argue that the Government has no business in the affairs of the Sabha, but at the same time, one must be cognisant of the fact that the Maha Sabha is incorporated as a parliamentary body under Act no. 42 of 1954! This in itself gives the Government of Guyana the prerogative to intervene for the betterment of the organisation. Very recently, we saw this happening at the Guyana Public Service Credit Union, where the Government installed an interim management committee (IMC) to bring order and to stamp out the corruption that had engulfed the GPSCU.
The question, Editor, is: Why hasn’t the same been done at the Maha Sabha? Why does the Government continue to overlook and ignore the situation facing the Maha Sabha despite numerous calls for Government to intervene? Has the Government of Guyana forsaken its Hindu populace?
These are questions that the Hindus of this country will remember come 2020, and should the Coalition Government fail to answer them by that time, then we will surely show the power of the ballot.
Editor, justice has to be served to those who have wreaked havoc at the Maha Sabha in the name of power and money, and it can only be done through the help and assistance of the Government of the day. We, the members of the Maha Sabha, therefore renew our call to the President and the Government of Guyana to look into the affairs of the Maha Sabha, and to do what is necessary in the eyes of the law to bring back the organisation to functionality and legitimacy!
We will no longer sit and allow our pleas to be ignored, nor do we plan to sit and allow the Maha Sabha to sail into oblivion. We will continue to fight until this prestigious organisation is rescued and returned to its rightful place in the heart of every Hindu!
Yours respectfully,
Vishnu B. Persaud – Centeral Georgetown
Shakti Arora – Leonora
Jeewan Singh – Charity
Tamesh Deodat – East Berbice
Raymond Sharma – West Berbice
