There is a God who will protect people like Shirlina Nageer and crush those who want to strip her
Dear Editor,
My head hangs in shame, my heart bleeds calling myself a Guyanese. The incident on Monday (April 20th, 2015), wherein a Minister of the PPP Government attacked a woman in broad daylight in Whim, Corentyne (the heartland of the AFC) has shaken my conscience and I am sure hundreds, if not thousands of Guyanese like me? What was her fault? For questioning the untruth being peddled by a Minister with a deceptive agenda? The victim only raised her voice against the poor state of the health-care system, his primary responsibility. Rather than address the merit or demerit of the issues she raised, the Minister launched into a personal attack on this good woman with an armory of high-tech and low-tech verbal assaults that created the conditions for the physical stripping of this woman; a real possibility if the media was not there. He has learnt well from Bharat.
Hinduism has taught me one critical lesson that forms the basis of the scriptures of the Bhagavad Gita; unrighteous and demonic behavior will always be conquered by righteousness; good will always overcome evil. In the Bhagavad Gita, there is a particular chapter of the scriptures dealing with Draupadi’s honor. For those who do not know about Draupadi, she was Queen of the Pandavas family. In that family, the mentally corrupted King Yudhisthir gambled his wife at a game of dice causing the demonic King Duryodhana to leverage his victory to seize Draupadi and instruct for her to be stripped naked. Similar to the wishes of Minister Bheri; isn’t it? Duryodhana called on his brother Dushana to “Strip Draupadi and don’t stop until she kneels naked before us men in this hall of dice”. As Dushana stepped forward to do this evil deed, Draupadi dropped on her knees and in despair prayed “OH LORD KRISHNA … spare me this shame …. give justice to my prayers”.
After hearing Draupadi’s fervent prayers, the good Lord went into action. As soon as Dushana removed a yard of her sari, the good Lord replaced it with new material thus securing the honor of Draupadi. As Draupadi continued her prayers, her face streaked by grateful tears, Lord Krishna whispered in her ears “Never think that I am far from your distress. If the wicked oppress you … or try to expose your innocence, know this truth, they will only expose themselves. Know this ancient truth – those moved by greed and envy come to the gates of hell, where they shall testify against themselves.”
I have seen with my own eyes, when a man or a woman has reached the end of the road and they dropped to their knees and prayed with sincerity, solutions always come out of the thin air. I have seen my grandmother do it, I have seen my mother do it and on every occasion they waded on to firmer and more secured grounds. This is not a mystery, there is a God who will protect people like Shirlina Nageer and who will crush the demons like who will want to strip her naked.
I want every Guyanese woman to think carefully on this issue. The PPP thinks it has a transport over you and your daughters. If we make that dastardly mistake of voting for these political charlatans in the PPP again and they win, we shall be condemned to even worst acts of oppression than what Ms. Nageer faced at the hand of Bheri Ramsarran. The PPP is an old boy’s club of a few bigoted men, widow dressed with a sprinkling of women and Afro-Guyanese here and there.
I would also take this opportunity to take to task the custodians of the Hindu culture on the PPP list of candidates. I particularly single out my Hindu sister Ms. Vindhya Vasini Persaud, daughter of the iconic Hindu leader Reepu Demand Persaud, Indra Chanderpaul, wife of a gentleman politician – Navin Chanderpaul and the first lady of Guyana for a few more days, Ms. Deolatchmie Ramotar. Even when there is a whisker of religious blasphemy, they hit roads agitating, however, when a woman is threatened with very un-Hindu actions by their communist colleagues on the PPP list; they remain mute spectators. What a Guyana? This must end.
It is now over 72 hours after the act and to date the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha which Ms. Persaud heads has lost its voice on this most evil and un-Hindu of acts. Where are the voices of the Pandits of Guyana? The Jagmohans; the Sharmas; the Persauds and the Tiwaris. Why this indifference towards this demonic act from a serving Minister of Health in a country that produced a woman President?
Sase Singh
