Have we no respect for God?

Tue Jul 22, 2014

SEARCHLIGHT condemns in the strongest terms the truly disgraceful behaviour of some people present at the funeral service of Elwardo G Lynch at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church last Saturday.{{more}}

We were present at the church, and witnessed firsthand what could arguably be described as a desecration of that historic place of worship.

Shame on those who organised, participated in, condoned or allowed what transpired on Saturday to take place. Have we as a people descended to such a level that no place is sacred? It is obvious that many of us have no respect for man, but have we also no respect for God?

For sure, those who participated in the booing and jeering of the Prime Minister did not attend the funeral service to pay last respects to Mr Lynch, or to support his family in their grief. Had that been their intention, it would not have been possible for them to completely ignore the entreaties of two of Lynch’s grieving children, for them to put aside political considerations for a few hours and bring the assembly to order. Instead, they were present in church to score political points of one type or the other, or witness the points being scored, at the expense of the bereaved. How selfish, how heartless!

It has been said that those who disrupted the funeral service did so because they were offended at the presence of Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves at the funeral of a man they say they loved. What they didn’t consider was that by engaging in their raucous behaviour, they shifted the focus away from E G on to themselves and to the Prime Minister. Protest by all means, but take it outside the church!

Saturday’s fiasco did not have to happen. It could have been stopped. The plan to boo the Prime Minister wasn’t hatched in secret; a call for participants was made on social media and on radio, and we are not aware that this call, at any time, was denounced by the leadership of the New Democratic Party (NDP).

Also disturbing is the fact that while the church was in an uproar, neither the chief celebrant nor any of the members of the leadership of the NDP condemned what was happening or asked people to quiet down. Of course, there was no guarantee that entreaties from the party leaders or the priest would have borne fruit, but their failure to act gave tacit approval to those intent on disruption.

One would also have thought that after having had some time to reflect, the leadership of the NDP would this week have at least apologised to the family of Elwardo Lynch and to the Anglican Church for what took place. Instead, to have the president and vice president of the NDP saying yesterday that they are not ashamed of what happened in the church, is downright appalling. That must be politics talking! We refuse to believe that these two men can find nothing in what transpired to be ashamed of. If what happened last Saturday is indicative of what is to come in the upcoming political season, heaven help us all!