EDGAR D'SOUZA (Warrant of arrest)

Mr Heng Chiang Meng asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether a warrant of arrest has been issued against Father Edgar D'Souza which is the impression had by many groups in Australia and New Zealand; (b) whether Father Edgar D'Souza was involved in the Marxist conspiracy; and (c) whether his Ministry has received any complaints concerning the conduct of Father Edgar D'Souza.

The Minister for Home Affairs (Prof. S. Jayakumar): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, in respect of the first part of the question: no warrant of arrest has been issued against Father Edgar D'Souza.

In respect of the second part of the question, he was under investigation for some time by the ISD for his role in the Marxist conspiracy. He was closely associated with Vincent Cheng, a central figure in the Marxist conspiracy, and several others were arrested, like Kevin De Souza, Tan Tee Seng and Ng Bee Leng. Edgar D'Souza was one of the members of the so-called Ad hoc Group formed in November 1986 to expand the influence of the "social- oriented" Catholic groups which would later form part of a political pressure group to mount agitation against the Government. Other members of the Ad hoc Group included Vincent Cheng and Kevin De Souza. Edgar D'Souza was one of those who undertook to edit papers on the rights and responsibility of Christians to participate in politics drafted by members of the Ad hoc Group for subsequent publication and distribution.

Edgar D'Souza has been trying to turn Church groups into a political pressure group. Evidence of this appeared after 1985. When he was the Associate Editor of the Catholic News, a fortnightly church publication, he had manipulated it to radicalize Catholics and embroil the Church in political issues which would put the Church on a collision course with the Government.

He had published articles criticizing multi-national corporations, the amendments to the citizenship laws and the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act, and Government policies on TV3, foreign workers and several other issues which did not concern the Catholic faith or any other religion. He was also a member of the Church and Society Study Group which published political booklets attacking the Government on various secular issues.

Though a priest, Edgar D'Souza had involved himself in partisan politics. He had conducted a three-day course on news writing in November 1985 for Kenneth Tsang, Tan Tee Seng and a few others, knowing full well that the purpose was to improve their writings in the Workers' Party organ, the "Hammer".

When Vincent Cheng and his group of conspirators were arrested on 21st May 1987, Edgar D'Souza immediately mounted a campaign to stir up local and international opposition against the arrests. Without authority of the the Archbishop or any superior of the Church, he made statements to the local and foreign media to discredit ISD's investigations. He assisted radicals from the Singapore Polytechnic Students' Union to edit an open letter demanding unconditional release or open trial of the 16 Marxist conspirators. He published articles in the 14th June 1987 issue of the Catholic News claiming that those arrested were not involved in subversive activities. This issue was withdrawn from circulation by his superior in the Church.

Edgar D'Souza resigned from the Catholic News on 4th June 1987 and was, one day later, suspended by the Archbishop from preaching and from having anything to do with the Catholic News. Three other priests were also suspended from preaching and the Archbishop ordered all his priests not to mix religion and politics in their sermons.

He left for Australia on 5th June 1987, the day he was suspended. So far as the Government can ascertain, he left without the permission of the Archbishop or any of his superiors in the Church. He was subsequently granted leave. But he failed to return upon the expiry of his leave on 31st October 1987. In Australia and in New Zealand, he has made wild accusations against the Government and derogatory statements running down his Archbishop. He presented the activities of the Marxist conspirators as innocuous on the basis that he himself was closely associated with some of the conspirators and personally involved in some of their activities.

As to the conduct of Edgar D'Souza, my Ministry did receive a complaint. Soon after the arrests of the Marxist group and suspension of Edgar D'Souza and three other priests from preaching, my Ministry received a letter from a Catholic who signed his name and gave his address. In the letter dated 5th June 1987, the writer supported the Government's action and he referred to the four priests who had resigned and disclosed that since 1984 he had questioned the integrity of Edgar D'Souza because of his illicit relationship with his youngest sister, a lawyer. He enclosed copies of his correspondence with the Chairman, Senate of Priests of the Catholic Church, expressing his outrage over what he called the "questionable", "unhealthy" and "scandalous" behaviour of Edgar D'Souza. He enclosed his letter dated three years ago, 19th January 1984, to the Chairman, Senate of Priests, in which he had set out the facts that Edgar D'Souza had been going out together very often with his sister and had gone on an overseas trip to Europe together. He complained that their relationship had been the talk of the town and the subject of considerable gossip,particularly among the parishioners. He also wrote that another priest, whom he named, had told him that Edgar D'Souza had involved other women in this way. He argued that since Edgar D'Souza had taken a vow of celibacy, he should either end the relationship or renounce his priesthood and marry his sister. The writer pleaded with the Chairman, Senate of Priests, to solve the problem. He wrote a second letter to the Chairman, Senate of Priests, in February 1984. The Church acknowledged receipt of the complaint and promised to take steps to solve this problem. But the problem was not resolved. Edgar D'Souza continued his affair with this woman.

In the course of investigations into Edgar D'Souza's connection with Vincent Cheng and the other Marxist conspirators, the ISD discovered that Edgar D'Souza was having such an affair with a woman lawyer. Whilst he was under surveillance, as recently as June 1987, he was observed often to be in the company of this woman, visiting her on four consecutive occasions at an apartment where she stayed alone. On 1st June, Edgar D'Souza was still in the woman's apartment when the surveillance terminated at midnight. On 2nd and 4th June, he left the apartment after midnight. On 3rd June, he stayed overnight at the apartment and left only at 8.15 the next morning. The couple also travelled abroad together on a number of occasions in October and December 1986 and February 1987.

Sir, Father Edgar D'Souza's amorous activities and his relationship with women are not offences against the criminal law and as such do not concern the Government. Whether they are offences against Canon law, I cannot say. We have left it to the Church to control and discipline its own errant priests.

But when Father Edgar D'Souza embarks on a campaign against the Government in Australia and in New Zealand instigating foreigners to interfere in our internal affairs, his standing and credibility is a matter of importance to us. He has projected himself as a pious and devout priest, a man of God, ever obedient to the Church - thereby winning a certain respectability which is accorded to priests by the media and the unsuspecting public in New Zealand and Australia. It is therefore necessary to expose his moral duplicity so that people everywhere, including Australia and New Zealand, can judge his worth as a witness and a protagonist. The question is: is he a pious and devout priest or a renegade who dishonours his holy orders and is a disgrace to his Church?