It took a week for the Prime Minister to respond to MP Jack Warner's expressions of concern in the House of Representatives, in respect of the church being constructed in the Heights of Guanapo. When the PM did make his hour-long statement, it was not convincing. Referring to himself continually in the third person (a habit which he fails to appreciate could make him the subject of ridicule), the PM sought to attack the media, the Opposition and all those who criticised his relationship with the Lighthouse of the Lord Jesus Christ Church. Claiming that it was akin to religious persecution to challenge his association with the Full Gospel Movement, the PM maintained he had a right to consult whomever he wished for spiritual advice. He admitted that the "Prime Minister was consulting somebody who was an ordained pastor..."
Even in his obvious attempt at deflection, the PM still failed to address key concerns arising from his involvement with the Guanapo church, distorted several other matters, and raised new misgivings. The issue was never the grant of State funds to religious bodies. It is common knowledge that, time and again, religious bodies have moved governments of the day for lands or funding to facilitate provision of proper accommodation for their flock and, time and again, the State has positively responded. The issue is, to coin the new catchwords, one of accountability and transparency. If the former Opposition Leader (when he was PM) had been the head of a Cabinet that had approved lands to construct a temple run by his pundit, serious questions would have been asked.
The country is thus not asking Mr Manning the details of his relationship with Pastor Pena out of simple fastness. No one is even challenging his right to have that individual as a spiritual adviser. The time to do so or ask questions about this was a few years ago, when Benny Hinn, who was in T&T at the time, alleged that the PM brought to a meeting they were to have, a certain woman, who it was claimed had "gifts." It was reported that Hinn refused to have the woman lay her hands on his person, and in rejecting her dubbed the PM "a foolish man." The PM himself later expressed regret at Hinn's response, as far as I can recollect. The point is that the PM's association with a spiritual adviser has been in the public domain for some time.
What is different now is the allocation of State resources to build a church reportedly headed by the spiritual adviser (who it is said laid the foundation stone for the building). The matter came up before Cabinet twice. One wonders whether Cabinet would have burdened itself with this approval, not once, but twice, for such a very small church (what is the size of the flock?), were it not for the PM's connection to the leader. More significant is the revelation that the requisite approvals for construction have not been granted, but work continues apace. Even the PM, in his statement in Parliament, acknowledged that the Town and Country Planning Department had taken a decision not to approve the construction.
The head of Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation, under whose aegis Guanapo Heights falls, stated that they had also given no approval, and a quit notice would be issued to cease construction in a few days. This circumstance alone ought to have given the PM cause to pause, but instead he blithely states that he expects the T&CP to "conduct business properly," now that a Cabinet note, approved over three years ago, has been brought to their attention. Well! If this note is supposed to make such a difference, why didn't the owners bring it to the attention of T&CP three years ago? What is the PM's interest or business now, in seeing that the approval is given if this church is like any other church to whom the Government grants state resources?
This question of breaches of the law, which Cabinet may be accused of sanctioning, extends not only to the lack of approvals for construction, but to the bold continuation of such construction with the public knowledge that the construction is illegal. Further, no explanation has been offered as to how (as the PM acknowledged) is it that Chinese are building the church. Where did they come from?
Chinese labourers have been brought to T&T under group work permits issued by the Minister of National Security, to work on construction sites for state projects. If there are any other circumstances in which such work permits are issued, the Government owes it to the public to make it known. In short, were these Chinese who are building the church brought here to work on government projects?
One matter that the PM referred to in his assertion of religious unfairness was the fact that Government repaired and maintained assisted secondary and primary schools, "spending large quantities of money...on denominational bodies." In the context of his statement in Parliament last Friday, on gifts to religious bodies, this was a misleading statement. Assisted schools are public schools under Section 11 of the Education Act. They open their doors to children of whatever religion, and, as we all know, denominational secondary schools are considered the best in the country. Up until a few years ago, the majority of schools were denominational. It is, therefore, totally inappropriate for the PM or anyone else to compare funding denominational schools with giving grants of lands to private religious bodies.
Similarly, the PM was wrong to suggest that it is his private business whom he "consults" for spiritual advice. He is not a private citizen, but the head of our government. As such, he is head of the National Security Council. It is, therefore, an issue of national security as to whom he consults for advice, spiritual or otherwise. It can impact on the entire country.