"Trust me" is all it takes to convert "religious leaders" into wimps

Yesterday, members of South Africa's "National Religious Leaders' Forum" asked President Thabo Mbeki to establish a commission of enquiry into the relationship between Glenn Agliotti (arrested last week for the high-profile murder of mining magnate Brett Kebble) and National Police commissioner Jackie Selebi. A very laudable call from the "religious leaders".

Mbeki's response, according to Ashwin Trikamjee, the head of the NRLF, was: "Trust me, be assured I will take action if anything has been done wrong." Yawn, yawn. Most South Africans now cease to be surprised when ANC politicians go out of their way to protect their own. What caused me to stand up and take notice when I read the report about this, however, was the response of the "religious leaders".

Seems that is all it takes to make our "religious leaders" happy.

Trikamjee was convinced! "If the president says 'Trust me,' am I going to question him?" he asked.

Well, you should, Mr Trikamjee! And so should all those other "religious leaders"! What is it that makes the statement of the president of South Africa beyond question? Is he some kind of prophet that religious people have to explicitly and unquestionably accept whatever he says without even the thought to challenge it? What wimps?!

Have these "religious leaders" read the articles in the media about Agliotti's alleged crimes? Do they know that he has the media reputation of being known as the "Landlord" in the drug and smuggling world, that two wives dumped him for bigamy; a divorcée after two wives dumped him for bigamy; and a police informer? Does that matter to them at all? Does it matter that our Police Commissioner - whose responsbility it is to reduce crime and put criminals behind bars - has admitted to having a strnog friendship with this alleged criminal? I guess not. It's sufficient that the president said, "Trust me". That confession by Commissioner Jackie Selebi wasn't enough for Mbeki who, according to Trikamjee, found no reason to suspend Selebi with the information he had at his disposal. Disgusting!