Mr. Edghill’s statement shot public trust straight to hell

Oct 31, 2011 Letters

---

Dear Editor,
Please refer to a letter which appeared in your newspaper a few days ago- Bishop Edghill’s open endorsement of the PPP/C slate is not unusual for this part of the world by Ms. Gail Teixeira, Presidential Adviser on Governance .I suspect that it was designed to justify Mr. Edghill’s endorsement of the PPP/C.
However, his endorsement and endearment to the PPP/C was never contested. No one could deny the right of an individual to join a political party of his own choice. Therefore, the letter turned out to be a short history lesson, not a good one, of religious leaders who supported different political parties and causes.
But if the Presidential Adviser on Governance thought that by just listing the names of respected priests, cardinals and bishops, who supported political parties she could appease the anger of many sincere Christians then she was very wrong. In fact she too erred by attempting to put Mr. Edghill in the same category with those trusted men of the cloth.
Ms. Teixeira’s letter has missed the source of public contention. It was not his endorsement of a political party, but his deliberate manipulating and crass utterance about Jesus the Christ, at a “cuss out” PPP/C political rally.
The bishop should apologize because what he said was as abominable as the silver, gold and garments taken by Achan from Jericho (Joshua 7: 1- 26). God had strictly instructed them not to take anything from that place but Achan did otherwise. Two points from this case study:
First, his behaviour illustrates how one or a few believers, when pursuing their own selfish desires and agendas, can negatively impact an entire group.
Second, such behaviour can create trouble for the rest. In the case of the church, it can negatively impact on public trust, so vital to the success of the work of this body. We must also be reminded of the fact that nothing escapes the omniscience of God (Psa. 139:1).
Interestingly, Ms. Teixeira’s history lesson on religious leaders who were involved in politics and allied activities failed to mention the enduring contributions made by two outstanding leaders- Dr. Martin Luther King and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.  These were men of integrity and good reputation who had and in the case of Archbishop Tutu still do have the trust of the people, and who were always on the side of justice and fairness.
It was Dr. Martin Luther King who said: “I am mindful that debilitating and grinding poverty afflicts my people and chains them to the lowest rung of the economic ladder … I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsam and jetsam in the river of life which surrounds him. I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood could never become a reality…”
In the years that Mr. Edghill has been with PPP/C (something that he recently announced at a political rally, he is also a candidate for that party) and in his capacity of Chairman of the Ethic Relations Commission, he has never spoken out publicly against the many injustices against the poor in this country.
A few examples: the young man whose testicles were badly burnt by policemen, the great deception of  President Jagedeo on this nation that he had tied the nuptial knot, the suspicious deaths of over 200 men, allegedly at the hands of phantom squads (a term first used by Dr. Roger Luncheon), sharing up of the nation’s lands by the government to PPP/C cronies, the discrimination and marginalization of people of African ancestry in a land which their slave ancestors helped to develop, corruption, and the relationship between criminal enterprise–Roger Khan-—and the state.
While these atrocities were committed, like Peter, in the Bible, when our Lord, Jesus the Christ was crucified, Mr. Edghill was warming himself by the fire of the cabal that has hijacked the PPP/C and destroyed the legacy of Dr. Cheddi Jagan.
He has never publicly rebuked President Jagedo for his deception on this nation– disrespecting a sacred religious institution– marriage. In fact, he has never publicly chided this government for anything. The public knows the reasons why Mr. Edghill cannot do that. They know that he is not genuine and that he continues to benefit from the largesse of the government. He has undermined his own authority to provide moral guidance to his friends in the government and the party which he endorsed.
Perhaps Mr. Edghill will do well to take a page from the book of Dr. King who travelled diverse paths. He went to different communities, to the urban ghettos, to the rural countryside, to the poor of all colour and asked why the affluent live in gated communities alongside the poor. He organised the poor of all colours and all kinds to demand economic justice and to seriously challenge the unfair distribution of wealth.
It was Archbishop Desmond Tutu who said: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”
One other thing, the church is among the trusted institutions in this country. Therefore, it is very important that its leaders make an unambiguous collective statement on this issue.
Mr. Edghill’s statement shot public trust straight to hell.  Yet, public trust is the most precious asset of the church. It is the glue that holds the faith of believers and the thread that binds relationships between leaders and their members. Once trust is betrayed, it is hard to regain. It must be nourished and protected at all times. Leaders are the guardians of the trust members have bestowed in them.
Given its importance in the body, the church could not allow one man in the person of Edghill, with his selfish ambition and pride, to destroy this trust.
It is not only for today or tomorrow, but for as long as the church endures on the earth. This issue needs to be dealt with honestly and decisively.
Let us all not have to go down to the “valley of Achor” because of Mr. Edghill.
Observing Pastor

---

---