Letter: A measure of hypocrisy in Kublalsingh's fast

An elder relative of mine took his own life when I was a child aged five. They told me he couldn't bear the pains of many years of tumor-induced migraine, so he decided to take "the easy way out" when no one was looking. He was just twenty-four years old. 

The incident left a permanent scar on my psyche: to this day, I get tizzic whenever I get wind of anyone deliberately putting themselves in harm's way and always include in my prayers a special supplication for persons unknown who may have such tendencies.

Naturally, the current situation with Dr Wayne Kublalsingh triggered many invocations to the Almighty in his behalf. 

Sadly, I feel I now have to hold back from doing that in future, since it has now dawned on me he is not driven by any personal anguish, rather, megalomania, an affliction known to delude those so afflicted into doing anything to bring undeserved attention to themselves and degradation to undeserving others.

What could have caused my about-face you might ask? 

The answer is simple: the rash display Dr Kublalsingh put on in public when a medical doctor approached him to inquire about his health and offer professional assistance if needed. 

His atrocious behaviour was totally unbecoming of someone undertaking an exercise of self-mortification in order to accomplish a conscious objective. It is irrelevant that the medical doctor was a government Minister. If it was relevant, then it was inexcusable or unconscionable, since the medical doctor was the person officially responsible for the health of every citizen or visitor to Trinidad and Tobago: the Minister of Health, Dr Fuad Khan.

Interestingly, apart from his immediate family and circle of close friends, a number of persons are coming out of the woodwork to align themselves with Dr Kublalsingh as he "fasts" outside the Prime Minister's office. 

PNM MP Amery Browne embraces Kublalsingh

Some of these persons include the very persons who wanted to "kill" him when he and Dr Vine struggled against the smelter plant construction. Can I conclude those persons are hypocrites, or vultures looking to feed off a dying effort? 

I heard that a number of PNM officials are flocking to his side and singing his praise. They all acknowledge his health is rapidly deteriorating. Not one of them is pleading with him to call off his fast and promising to move heaven and earth in his support if and when he does though.

The reality is the works which have pushed Dr Kublalsingh into an extreme corner are works which the majority of citizens and local engineering sector welcome and approve without batting an eye. (The highway was promised more than forty years ago, so has been in the pipeline for more than four decades.) 

If it was genuinely objectionable, tens, hundreds of thousands of persons would have been rallying to his call and providing evidence of that massive support by being present in person wherever he is. Nothing like that is happening, so his cause is a waste of time, in fact it is a farce that needs to be stopped.

The only prayer I see myself offering about Dr Kublalsingh is that he doesn't go to His Maker before coming to his senses. Om shanti!

Omatie Rajpaul-Henderson | Circular Road, Sta. Margarita.