Twice now, a group of priests have called a press conference to speak out against social ills, poor governance and the lack of law and order. After Patrick Assirvaden reacted violently – in what capacity one wonders? – and asked the priests to mind their church business, Prime minister Ramgoolam also chose to have a dig at the priests – although in a slightly more elegant way than Assirvaden – at Labour’s last week’s youth rally.

The Prime minister didn’t take kindly to the priests drawing attention to the many ills of society and basically said that he couldn’t do everything. “God can’t get everything right so how am I supposed to do that?” he asked.

Well, if I may, that was a rather facile way of dodging the matter. I don’t propose to get into a debate of our very different conceptions of “god” and what she can or cannot do or what her purpose is for I believe we need to leave “god” out of our businesses.

Were the priests wrong in trying to draw attention to what’s happening in our society? In the absolute, as long as they’re not trying to impact on public policy, how can this be wrong? Priests already exert a strong influence on a significant number of our people so expressing their concern publicly is nothing more than what they have always done. Moreover, unlike politicians, they don’t need to lie, to camouflage facts and figures so that they look good.

The problem with the priests and their coming out is government’s allergy to criticism. If you criticize, then it must mean that you have an agenda, that you are an agent for the opposition or that you’re frustrated. And they should have known that government’s allergy (and this is not limited to the Labour government; the MSM and the MMM when they are in government are as allergic to disapproval as anything) to being criticized can take dangerous forms. Assirvaden’s outburst is a point in case. For the subtext then takes on a darker meaning; priests from the catholic church can’t express themselves on matters of national importance but the omnipotent Somduth Dulthumun can. Notwithstanding the fact that Dulthumun is not a pandit and that he only takes a stand to manipulate public opinion and to communalize debates. The police enquiry in the matter, by the way, is still “ongoing”.

Now here’s an appeal to government; you’re here to govern, so do it, for crying out loud. We’re not an autocracy so you will have to learn and live with the criticisms. Wise statesmen take them into account; others disregard them and become paranoid. This is the choice that government has; they will do as they please, obviously but maybe, just maybe, they should ponder on the following: why is it that a government that had such goodwill is now being criticized right, left and centre? But that refl ection can only be done when the paranoia is well and truly gone! And good governance restored.