By NEWSDAY REPORTER Monday, November 30 2009

MINISTER of Energy Conrad Enill owes an apology to the entire nation for his response, “So what!”, Rev Cyril Paul declared yesterday during his sermon on the first Sunday in Advent at the Aramalaya Presbyterian Church in Tunapuna.

During his sermon, based on the theme “Repentance” Rev Paul recalled Enill’s response recently

when asked why the “No Smelter Groups” had to wait four years to receive a cost-benefit analysis and detailed account of the Alutrint Smelter Plant costs. Enill’s response as reported was, “So what!”

Those two words, declared Rev Paul in his sermon, “epitomises the disdain and disrespect the Energy Minister is showing, not only to the ‘No Smelter Groups,’ but to every citizen of this country, who has the right to ask questions like the one the ‘No Smelter Groups’ are asking.”

Rev. Paul told his congregation “Mr Enill owes an apology to the whole nation.

“On this Advent Sunday as we emphasise Repentance, I call upon him to express some kind of remorse for his use of those words. We look forward for his response,” added Rev. Paul.

Emphasising “Repentance is the Gateway to the Gospel” Rev. Paul also had some stick for Minister of Sports, Gary Hunt.

He noted the minister’s responses to persons and groups asking legitimate questions about the $2 million flag. The Rev Paul branded Hunt’s responses as the “highlight of a kind of contempt and insensitivity that is certainly not helpful and wise. Minister Hunt needs to think again about the insensitivity he has shown to the national community.”

Rev. Paul told his congregation there were a few things for which we simply have to do something about in our public life. “There are concrete steps that we have to take, and remarkably,” he added, “ they are essentially the same as those people of old had to face; namely, we have to stop ripping people off. We just have too much of this. At every level of our national life people are getting ripped off.

“You just have to start building a house or some other construction and the ripping off is present at every phase of the project.

“Dishonesty, corruption, shoddy work, mediocrity, lying, cheating, cover-up have become some of our new national watch-words. We rip off each other without having any pangs of conscience.

“Visitors to our country do not stand a chance. They are trusting and vulnerable and become easy targets. We seem to become a society of rip-off artistes. “On this Advent Sunday I say to the whole national community,” declared Rev. Paul, “if you are involved in any way with the ripping off taking place, you are part of the deadwood of the society and you better change, you better repent,” added the clergyman.

When one thinks of big time spending in the country; the escalating cost of living, and especially rising food prices, Rev. Paul said it was incumbent for him to put in a word for the poor in our midst.

The whole country he noted was in danger of facing slow death. He cautioned “we cannot pass this responsibility on to the future generations or live off the achievements of past generations. We must act now.

“We must get our act together quickly. Whether we know it or not, as a nation we are at a time of decision. We need to wake up to the urgency before it is too late,” he warned.