RC priest objects to Indian symbol in murals at Waterfront Complex

One of the murals at the Waterfront complex depicting the first nations of Trinidad & Tobago

Roman Catholic priest Father Kenneth Assing considers the new sculptures at the front of Tower D at the International Waterfront Centre in Port-of-Spain an insult to the people of Trinidad and Tobago.

Assing is the administrator of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. He made his comments during Sunday Mass at the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Port-of-Spain.

He said the murals to the front of the building, which temporarily houses the Parliament, are “a distillation of society”. The first set of the murals went up in 2009 to coincide with the Summit of the Americas.

Another mural depicts the African presence

The priest said the murals do no represent Trinidad and Tobago's  cosmopolitan identity and asked why steel pans are not in them. He said the murals "should be redone to represent the people” instead of "seeking to segregate the people of Trinidad and Tobago".

Assign objected to the elephants in the mural depicting the Indian presence, saying the elephant is not an animal that is native to Trinidad. 

The mural that offended Assign is the one depicting the Indian presence in Trinidad & Tobago

The elephant represents the Hindu deity Ganesh, the God of intellect and wisdom. It is also of significance to Islam since the Prophet Muhammad was born in the Year of the Elephant.

The Tourism Minister has said this is a work in progress and people should wait until it is completed before condemning it.