Leaders must accept "service to society, not ourselves": Kamla

Kamla Persad-Bissessar told members of the Chinmaya Mission in Couva Wednesday night a society that is built on selfless dedication to service can withstand all other pressures, because it embraces all that is good.

The Siparia MP was speaking at the organization's fund raising dinner. The organization runs an Ashram and a school that takes children from preschool to high school.

She commended the mission's work, noting that the combination of religious instruction and secular activities is "an excellent model" that ensures that education is more than book-knowledge.

"Here in this Ashram you have created that sense of community that nurtures and builds a child’s character in a learning experience that incorporates all the virtues of a good citizen who emerges to continue building a society based on unity and harmony through their foundation of spirituality and morality," she said.

Persad-Bissessar seized the opportunity to take the lessons of Hindu scriptures to talk about leadership and nation buildings.

She spoke about the eternal struggle between good and evil in the conflict between Rama and Ravana in the Ramayan.

"Ravana, the embodiment of evil was once a noble and god fearing king. But power corrupted him absolutely and he became his own worst enemy when he sought to glorify himself and ignore his leadership duties to his subjects.

"The Ramayan teaches that even those who are Godly can lose their way when they believe that they are invincible and immortal," she said.

She also commented on the Gita that provided inspiration to some of the world’s greatest thinkers and leaders – people like Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore, and westerners like Emerson, Thoreau and Einstein.

"Its universal message transcends religion and offers a formula for order in society by first settling the issues of our very existence as mortals," she said.

She said she has always been guided by the profound teachings of the scriptures and the main tenets of the Hindu religion, its reliance on Dharma and its dedication to truth, duty, compassion and charity.

"On reflection these must and should always be universally accepted in any society because they transcend religion," she said.

Without getting directly into politics she used the Gita to justify her own struggle for leadership and her opposition to her leader.

"The Gita teaches us that in defence of what is righteous, we sometimes have to fight our own kin. And in the end, the righteous always wins," she said, adding: "Today, our nation is facing its darkest moments and we pray for God’s intervention to deal with the menace that has engulfed this land."

She said, "Those of us who lead or wish to be leaders in our society must accept that leadership means service – service to society, not to ourselves. It is that selfless devotion that is demonstrated in the work you have been doing here at the Chinmaya mission.

"All of us who aspire for leadership need to pay attention to the teachings of the Gita and remind ourselves that we lead not to gain power or material comforts but to lead the way and help build a society based on service in which all of us are seen only as children of God.

"If at the national level we follow your example, we will live the dream of unity in spite of our diversity and create a just society where there is a brilliant future for all of us and for generations to come."