Prime Minister Stephen Harper is DESPERATE to win seats in the metro areas of Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, for without those seats he can never form a majority government.
It is apparently that desperation that resulted in the mind-boggling blunder of a last-minute apology for the Komagata Maru incident of 1914 at a public function in Surrey last Sunday, thus losing whatever gains Harper and the Conservatives had made in the Indo-Canadian community by agreeing to an apology which was expected to be formally delivered in Parliament – something that the federal Liberals had failed to do when they were in power.
Who on earth was advising Harper?
Instead of an apology in Parliament – which was the right and dignified procedure – Harper delivered an apology that was lost in the shabby manner in which the whole affair went down.
And in the process, he not only ended up insulting the community – as though we can be taken for granted and would pick up any crumbs offered to us – he also belittled Parliament itself.
In fact, this fiasco will only give racists yet another excuse to attack the Indo-Canadian community.
Did Harper and his advisors really imagine that his HURRIED apology would impress or honour the large gathering of Indo-Canadians in Surrey at the Mela Gadri Babian Da. If they are so naïve, then they sure do NOT deserve our support.
What the organizers and others expected was an announcement that the formal apology would finally take place in Parliament, since the Conservatives were evidently dithering about it.
Instead, they made an ass of the organizers even after Conservative MP Jim Abbott was clearly told by members of the Professor Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation, the Komagata Maru Foundation and Surrey’s Dashmesh Darbar Gurdwara that such an apology would be unacceptable at a meeting on Saturday at a Richmond hotel, according to members who were present there.
Of course, there are some Indo-Canadians who will still vote for the Conservatives, just as there are those who will always vote for the federal Liberals or the federal NDP. But what Harper was trying to do was sway those who are not diehard Liberals or NDPers. And in that, he has blundered miserably.
Harper was warned about the consequences in emails sent by Sahib Thind and Jasbir Sandhu of Prof. Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation of Canada, one of which, dated Friday, August 1, read, in part:
“We have been involved in the community for the last 15 years and we understand the pulse of the community with respect to Komagata Maru. We have started to hear rumblings from the community members as well as the opposition parties. We strongly advise that the PM should announce a date at the Mela for an official apology for Komagata Maru in the House of Commons. ... We respect the PM and appreciate his sincere initiative as well as his gesture to build new bridges with the Indo-Canadian community. We do not want to cause any embarrassment to our good leader , the Right Honorable Stephan Harper. I hope you take our recommendation very seriously.”
Of course, after this fiasco, Harper may decide to offer a formal apology in Parliament.
The Khalsa Diwan Society of Vancouver seemed to be the lone organization supporting such a LAME apology. It does NOT represent the views of the majority of Indo-Canadians, no matter what they claim.
The view that the Komagata Maru incident cannot be compared to the Chinese head tax because it involved just a few hundred people is not only INSULTING, but shows a complete lack of understanding of the strong symbolism of that incident.
But then, that is to be expected of a party whose members from Alberta and B.C. – remember the Reform Party? - once openly MOCKED THE SIKH TURBAN. It seems that open racism has merely become hidden racism.
REACTIONS
JASON KENNEY: Jason Kenney, Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity, issued the following statement after Harper’s apology:
“On Sunday, Prime Minister Harper delivered a sincere apology for the Komogata Maru incident.
“This moment of solemnity and commemoration was interrupted, however, by the activities of Jaswinder Toor (president of the Descendants of Komagata Maru Society), who took to the stage and tried to reject the apology on behalf of all Indo-Canadians.
“But Mr Toor is no ordinary, non-partisan observer, and he certainly doesn't speak for his entire community. In 2004, he sought the Liberal nomination in Fleetwood-Port Kells, and was a Liberal riding president. Why would a partisan Liberal try to sabotage a Komagata Maru apology? Maybe because Mr Toor is embarrassed that for 13 years—including when he sought the Liberal nomination—Liberals were refusing to apologise for the Komagata Maru incident.
“Liberal leader Stephane Dion needs today to assure Indo-Canadians that none of his party activists or MPs had advanced knowledge of Mr Toor's PR stunt, and condemn the disruptive, partisan actions of Mr Toor immediately.””
CHARAN GILL: Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society’s CEO Charan Gill in a letter to Harper said: “While the apology that was made at Bear Creek Park is sincerely appreciated by the community, at PICS we agree that the apology should be made in the House of Commons. As other apologies to ethno-cultural groups have been made in the House of Commons it is important to the South Asian community that the apology with regards to Komagata Maru is not seen or regarded as less important. … It is sad and unfortunate that the South Asian community was made to understand that an apology would be made in the House of Commons, and now this is being revoked. The British Columbia government has publically apologized, and we feel that the Government of Canada should follow with an apology in the House of Commons.”
FEDERAL LIBERALS: Newton-North Delta MP Sukh Dhaliwal (Liberal) referring to Harper’s statement at the 2006 Mela Gadri Babian Da, noted: “From the very beginning, these consultations communicated one core message from a variety of stakeholders: if an apology is offered to the Sikh community, it should be done in the House of Commons so that it can be historically and officially recorded. In fact, recently released email correspondences with the Prime Minister's Office show that Mr. Harper was specifically warned that an apology at Bear Creek Park without a further apology in Parliament would not be welcome by those in attendance.To add insult to injury, it was just this past May when Conservative MPs joined all other parties in Parliament to unanimously support a Liberal motion that called for the government apologize for denying entry to 376 Indian immigrants on the ship Komagata Maru in 1914. In the words of Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity Jason Kenney, however, the Conservatives have refused to listen to the people: “The apology has been given and it won't be repeated.” This is a disgrace, particularly because it was Mr. Kenney himself who stood in a Surrey banquet hall on May 10th and personally declared on behalf on the Canadian government that the issue was going to be addressed in Parliament. The community has been used for cheap and deceitful political posturing by the Prime Minister, and strung along under false pretences for the past two years.”
Ontario MP Ruby Dhalla (Liberal) said: “The actions taken by the Conservative government are shameful and disrespectful to the Indo-Canadian community and the families impacted by the Komagata Maru injustice. Why is the Indo-Canadian community any less deserving of an official and respectful apology delivered in the House of Commons?” Referring to her Private Member’s Motion requesting the government to apologize that was originally introduced on April 2, 2008, she said: “At first the Conservative Government was opposed to supporting my motion requesting an apology, then after community pressure they were forced to change their position. Now, the Government has once again disrespected the Indo-Canadian community by making an apology at a cultural event for a tragedy that was a grave injustice and a black mark on our nation’s history.”
FEDERAL NDP: Surrey North MP Penny Priddy (NDP) said that Harper’s apology “was not a full apology and members of the community are outraged for the disrespect shown by the Conservative government. When we see this government apologize for wrongdoings against the Chinese and Aboriginals, we don’t understand why are they discriminating and neglecting the South Asian community. The South Asian community should be treated in a similar fashion to the Chinese, who received an apology in Parliament. In fairness and justice, it has to be carried out equally."
Federal NDP Leader Jack Layton said: “We join with the South Asian communities across Canada in urging the Prime Minister to issue a complete and sincere apology regarding the Komagata Maru incident of 1914.”
Punjabi NDP Advisory Committee Chairperson, Jagtar Shergill said: “When the Liberals were in power for 13 years, they ignored this issue and it seems like the Conservatives are just following their lead. What a shame - if the Liberals had taken care of this, we wouldn't be demanding action today from another government intent on ignoring a community."
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