Kublalsingh defying science

THE EDITOR: Dr Wayne Kublalsingh apparently has the ability to defy what is commonly known as “the rule of threes”: three minutes without air, three hours in severe cold, three days without water, and three weeks without food. That he has managed to convince most of this nation of his unique talent of starving himself to make a point speaks volumes of the intelligence level of our citizens who have been taken for many rides over the years by a number of “smartmen” (and women) who recognise our innate sense of gullibility.

While I hold no brief for the goodly gentleman, one way or the other, while recognising his unique position in a society where citizens do not stand for anything for any protracted period, his latest stand defies science. Furthermore, to be surrounded by a number of professional people, many calling themselves doctors, who lend support to his claim, also take for granted that they are dealing with an illiterate and superstitious population. Our superstitions are supported in theory by the view that “with God all things are possible.” We see the continuous prayers and candle vigils.

General information suggests that the human body can go for about one week without water. In a tropical environment, where the temperature and humidity are consistent, water is a crucial part of our survival. After all, water makes up a significant percentage of the body.

To go for the length of time as indicated by Kubs, without food is quite understandable and possible. However, to do so without water challenges his credibility and places his efforts and cause in a different view. What is even more frightening is that the entire medical fraternity in this land has refrained from pointing to the sheer impossibility of his “fast”.

Had he indicated that he was fasting during the daylight hours, similar to what Muslims do during the month of Ramadan, with the implication of breaking his fast in the evenings, one could understand and appreciate such. However, the distinct impression we got is that he is refraining from all food and water, and has been doing precisely so for a month. Yet after “passing out” on his way to the beach and being taken to a medical institution, we were told that his “vital signs” were alright. That he continues to speak to the media and others with no signs of dehydration further challenges his credibility.

To take a moral stand in this land is highly unusual. The few persons who do, like Kubs and “Sledge” (Ishael Samad), are seen on the fringes and often described by many as mad. Kubs’ position is well understood, especially in a society where citizens’ rights are trampled upon, where political parasites run roughshod over the population with their arrogance and Range Rovers, where no one is held accountable for the consistent faux pax after faux pax, be they verbal, economical, social or legal. In a society fed up by opportunists parading as leaders, who violate our personal space by the minute, it is easy to lend support and empathise with the unrepresented — the underdogs. One of the challenges Kubs faces is that he is not seen as an “underdog’? This makes his challenge to the power structure a bit difficult. The people who visit and lend reassurance are not members of the most oppressed and victimised. Thus his claim to go without food and water has not only to be genuine, but to also be seen as such.

To try and convince me and this society that he has gone for a month with no water defies scientific logic and insults my intelligence. A number of other persons have now joined his cause and are reducing his efforts to a “big joke”. What is frightening is that to many, this joke is serious. Thirty days without water in a tropical climate is a scientific impossibility, thereby discrediting all Kubs’ efforts.

Rudy Chato Paul, Sr

D’Abadie

NEWSDAY