By Tahna Weston
As the government looks at making the National Day of Prayer an annual event, there is another suggestion being put forward that it be held on a more frequent basis.
Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle is of the opinion that every quarter would be appropriate given the current state of affairs in the country, particularly as it relates to criminal activity.
During last Thursday’s National Day of Prayer organized by the Ecclesiastical Commission, Sir Molwyn Joseph said that the government has decided to make the occasion an annual event held on the second Thursday in September.
While Pringle agrees that a Day of Prayer is necessary, he said the frequency in which it is held should be reconsidered, and the date as well.
“For me I was looking at it a little (differently) because sometimes we wait until the situation is at a [crisis] point. I would suggest not that it’s a holiday, but my thinking was at least once per quarter, because situations are always happening and prayers are needed.
“So for me if it’s even once per quarter, or you can choose a Sunday afternoon that doesn’t interrupt the workday and the school day, but if it’s going to be once per year, I can agree with the public holiday for the Day of Prayer,” Pringle said.
Pringle, in the meanwhile, said he was disappointed with the attendance of parliamentarians at the event.
Speaking for two United Progressive Party (UPP) MPs, Kelvin Simon and Algernon Watts who were not present, the Opposition Leader said they were both off-island.
However, he said that the MPs were pleased to find out that members of the opposition were taking part in the occasion.
Some people spoke about the poor turnout of fathers and the low turnout by some members of the public, which Pringle said could be attributed to some seeing it as political, but he said he did not see it that way.
“So I just want to make that clear to the public, it wasn’t a situation in which they boycotted the National Day of Prayer. It baffles me though because one of the persons who spoke that the opposition should attend the National Day of Prayer was MP Anthony Smith, and he wasn’t there.
“These are things that we have to be serious about. We have to show support and solidarity with our churches. We have to come together on issues that are affecting all of us,” Pringle said.
The Opposition Leader said that if we do not seek divine intervention, then the country would be in peril and several sectors could be impacted, including the tourism sector.
“Our tourism product is at risk here and we have to ensure that we do whatever it takes to protect it, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s ABLP in office or the UPP, once there is a crime situation it’s going to affect the whole country.
“I could not have been a hypocritical person by not attending when we (the UPP) would have applied to the police for permission two weeks ago to have a similar event where we march and have a vigil and stop and pray at certain points. So it would be hypocritical of me not to attend when we were actually trying to get it done,” Pringle said.
