SDMS ready for war with Pentecostals
Shastri Boodan
Published: 10 Nov 2009
LEFT: Ian Alleyne and his sister, Dana Alleyne, in this 2007 Guardian file photo. RIGHT: Sat Maharaj
Shastri Boodan
The Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha is ready for any battle with the Pentecostal movement, says Sat Maharaj, secretary general of T&T’s largest Hindu body. Maharaj’s comments follows Saturday’s fracas at the Dow Village Hindu Temple in California, Central Trinidad. The dispute, apparently, erupted over an issue of who should control the facility. The Maha Sabha maintained that the temple was its property. Head of T&T Crime Watch and Pentecostal pastor, Ian Allen, who said he was invited by temple officials to witness a meeting that afternoon, claimed he was physically assaulted by a senior member of the Maha Sabha, while recording video images.
In a release, the Maha Sabha said the mandir’s management committee failed to hand in financial reports. The Maha Sabha said it had received complaints from members of the community that villagers were essentially driven out of the mandir by a family unit that had hijacked the temple. The Maha Sabha temple’s committee set last Saturday as the date for new elections. However, when the Maha Sabha team showed up, a meeting was already in progress, the release stated. The Maha Sabha said the majority of people attending that meeting were outsiders “and fundamentalist Pentecostal Christians, who were preventing the SDMS (Maha Sabha) from conducting the election.
The controversial temple at Dow Village. Photo: Shastri Boodan
It stated that the Maha Sabha planned legal action. Speaking over Radio Jagriti 102.7 FM, yesterday, Maharaj, 78, said the Pentecostal movement was creating disparity among the Hindus in Dow Village, and by extension T&T. Maharaj said the area already had nine Pentecostal churches in what was a predominantly Hindu community, with only one temple. He said Alleyne was an instigator in the Pentecostal drive to convert the Hindu community to Christianity. Maharaj, on his radio show, hit out at Dana Alleyne, sister of Ian Alleyne, who shot to fame when she partied at Zen Night-Club with singer Akon in 2007, when she was 14 years old.
He said he also wanted the Government to investigate the finances at the Temple In The Sea at Waterloo. Maharaj said that temple belonged to the State, but was being controlled by one man. Maharaj said $2 million was spent on the initial renovation of the temple, and grants were given to the temple for infrastructure development as a tourist attraction. “Where the money gone? The public is yet to get an account from the Temple In The Sea, which is funded and owned by the State.” Maharaj said members of the family of Siewdass Sadhu, the man who built the Temple In The Sea, were nowhere to be seen.
Ian Alleyne responds:
Alleyne said he was deeply hurt that Maharaj resurrected the incident involving his sister, who graduated from Couva Government Secondary School last year. A licensed marriage officer, Alleyne said he believed Maharaj had taken a Pentecostal “spin” to detract from the real issues at the temple. He said he would never disrespect the temple, and was open and welcoming to all religions. Alleyne said the matter was being handled by his lawyer, Om Lalla.
