"Right thinking people know the truth. The rest can't be convinced."
That's how Brian Manning, son of the late prime minister Patrick Manning, responded in a Facebook message to the T&T Guardian yesterday about Sat Maharaj's claims his father was a "racist."
But steering clear of the controversial issue, Manning (Brian) stated he preferred not to say anything further on the matter.
"I have no comment to make," he wrote.
Last Saturday at his father's funeral service, Brian had described his father as his hero and friend.
However, there were several citizens who yesterday came out vociferously in defence of the former PM.
Senior Counsel Israel Khan, in weighing in on the issue, said Maharaj's comments were totally out of place.
"Manning could be described as pig-headed, obstinate and arrogant but he was not a racist. Having known him over the years, if Manning was a racist, what is Sat Maharaj?" he asked.
In defending Manning, Khan said everything he did was to preserve his position as prime minister.
"And if whatever he did coincided with some benefit to certain sections of society or the country he would have done it. Anything that was not in his political interest he would not have done," he added.
Khan said Manning was against granting a licence to Maharaj "because he did not want the Opposition to have an avenue of propagating their views and ideologies and so on and just undermining him because they were East Indians."
Khan cautioned Maharaj against making such unwarranted claims.
"Sat should stop making a fool of himself. Whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad."
Khan said T&T celebrated religious events year-round and Maharaj should not try to divide the country.
Former Port-of-Spain mayor Louis Lee Sing accused Maharaj of trying to divide the country along racial lines. He said Maharaj was not part of the solution "but is the problem in this country."
In his claim against Manning, Maharaj had argued that while Lee Sing acquired with ease his radio licence under Manning's administration, the Maha Sabha had to go to the Privy Council to get theirs.
"Let me say to you that my licence might have been in there before Sat's licence. I am happy that he chose to raise it at this time because I have no reason to remain silent any longer," Lee Sing said, adding he submitted his application for a licence in 2000.
Divisive tactics wicked
Lee Sing said rather than use his influence among the Hindus and East Indian community to bring our fragile nation together, Maharaj instead chose to make utterances "as if there is no tomorrow."
"He is doing his utmost to keep the tribes apart. Well, if that is what Maharaj speaks, I have nothing but to refer to him with what is going on in Iraq, Afghanistan, India and Saudi Arabia. Maybe, it is in his genes to be divisive, vicious and wicked towards anything that does not look like him."
Lee Sing said at this time divisiveness was not what T&T needed.
In defending Manning's good name, Lee Sing said it took a dirty, vicious and a violent mind to put a scathing assault on Manning, who could not even defend himself.
Krishna Ramkumar, a friend of Manning for 20 years, also insisted he was no racist.
Speaking to the T&T Guardian by phone yesterday, Ramkumar said he felt hurt and betrayed by Maharaj's comments.
Ramkumar said he met Manning for the first time in 1996 while serving as the chairman of the National Commission for Self Help, a position he was appointed to by the then prime minister Basdeo Panday.
"Manning was Opposition Leader at the time when I was appointed but yet still we became very close friends over the years, which continued up until his death," Ramkumar said.
Ramkumar said during his friendship with Manning they met almost every Friday over dinner, where they would discuss politics and family life.
"Not one day did Manning show scorn towards the East Indian and Hindu community. Even at his wedding, Hazel's best man was an East Indian man. Manning was absolutely no racist," he said. (With reporting by Rhondor Dowlat)