Mayor Anthony Chircop said that the Sliema local council is considering removing the recently installed statue of Indian spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy from the promenade.
The real reason why 500 people have signed a petition to have the statue removed is not because of Sri Chinmoy's private life but because the person who initiated the petition resents having a statue of an Indian guru on the Sliema promenade.
If the Sliema local council decides to remove Sri Chinmoy's statue, they should also consider removing the doll-like statue of Mary in nearby Independence Garden. God knows there is no shortage of religious shrines in Malta! The last place I expect to come across religious kitsch is in a public garden.
As if this were not enough, the devotees of this statue have taken over several public benches for their own use, with the approval of the local council. In summer, these benches are the only refuge, in the whole garden, from the fierce afternoon sun. The non-praying general public cannot use these benches while the devotees are sitting on these benches and reciting their monotonous rosary.
If these devotees wish to pray, let them do so in their own homes or at the nearby Balluta church.
If the church is too large for their needs, they can go to the so-called "adoration chapel" next to the same church. There, they can "adore" to their hearts' content!
John Guillaumier
St Julian's