‘Respect sanctity of the dead’ – Minister Meriton |13 February 2014
The Minister for Social Affairs, Community Development and Sports, Vincent Meriton, who is also the chairman of the social renaissance committee, has deplored the incident where over 40 graves were badly damaged over the weekend in the Mont Fleuri cemetery, urging people to have respect for the sanctity of the dead.
In a statement Minister Meriton said the ministry and the social renaissance committee strongly support the ongoing National Youth Council’s ‘Valer pour Mwan, Valer pour Nou Tou’ campaign which is this month upholding the value of respect. It should be noted that respect, along with responsibility and hard work, is also one of the key principles of the social renaissance motto.
The cowardly act to vandalise the graves, undermining the long-standing deeply rooted value of honouring and respecting the dead in our culture, could not have come at a worst time, the Minister said.
“This is the month where the youth and all the citizens of Seychelles should be celebrating and honouring the value of respect. It is an inhuman act to desecrate the graves of the deceased and this must not go unpunished,” Minister Meriton added.
He said those responsible for causing these damages to the graves should themselves feel remorseful as under the cover of darkness they could have easily broken the headstones or crosses of their own parents, relatives or friends.
He launched an appeal on members of the public to help the police in their investigation to bring the culprits to justice.
“The cemetery is a sacred place for each one of us. A dear member of our family, friends or acquaintances is buried there. So, this matter concerns us all. Anyone with information about who could have done such a despicable act should come forward so that justice can be done,” he added.
In the meantime, the police have announced they are continuing their investigation into the incident. No arrests have been made so far, but the police said they are getting help from the public.