An Apology That is Not so Unreserved

An Apology That is Not so Unreserved
Last night, the Leader of the PNM issued an ‘unreserved apology’ to the Hindu community for the ‘hurt’ caused by the ‘sari skit’ at his party’s sport and family day last Sunday.
In making this apology, Dr. Rowley, claimed that he did not understand the implications of the skit because he did not know about the Mahabharata and beliefs of the Hindu religion.
He went on to suggest that his ‘ignorance’ of such matters was because in his growing up in Tobago, there were only a handful of Hindus or Muslims, and he, as a Christian, simply did not have much interaction with people of those religions.
But, as the author of ‘Mason Hall to Whitehall’ – his autobiography, Dr. Rowley has traced his growing up which also took place in Trinidad for significant periods of his life, apart from the fact that he is resident in Trinidad.
He also reminds in the same speech that the PNM has been in existence since 1955 and in power for many of those years as well as ‘represents every square centimeter of this country’.
However, as a national political figure for many years and leading member of this party which claims it represents everyone in this country, he expects us to believe that in all of these years and with a party that boasts of its organisation, the PNM has not educated him (and its candidates and members) about the cultures of the various groups of people who make up this ‘diverse population’.
Instead, he blamed the failure to promote such sensitivity and information on the education system. Incidentally, the same education which the PNM boasts they have created.
So, his explanation of his ‘ignorance’ is dubious particularly when he spoke, last night, about being involved in a meeting with the leader of the SDMS some years ago ‘about the need to know more about each other’.
This speaks volumes of the prejudices of the PNM which presents leaders to this country without them appreciating the culture and thinking of the various ethnic groups in the society.
While espousing the virtues of the PNM’s concern for women, the PNM Leader after relating the story of the Mahabharata, proceeded to deny that one of the implications of the ‘sari skit’ was that it was also insensitive to women.
So, his apology was limited only to Hindus, but not also to women.
While the PNM Leader must be congratulated for making an apology, even if after some time since the incident and with excuses for not understanding the significance of the the implications of the skit, we must note that it was equivocated by the ‘explanations’ offered.
More, the rest of the speech, last night was spent berating the Opposition for using the incident to ‘promote divisiveness’ and ‘saboteurs’ looking to create discord and destruction in the society’.
This speech, therefore, was crafted to extol the virtues of the PNM as ‘a force for unity’ and the UNC as a force for ‘division’.  Almost the entire Cabinet was present for this laying of the foundation of the next phase of PNM propaganda.
This was entirely self-serving to advance the interests of the PNM and its Leader in its strategy to hold on to power be ensuring that the opposition is defeated in its image and in elections in 2019 and 2020.
If we forget the history of the PNM and the boasts of its founding Leader that its “achievements” in the 1960’s with the passage of the ISA and in 1970 with the State of Emergency was to ‘keep the workers in sugar and oil’ and later the ‘Indians and Africans’ apart.
If we forget that in attempting to expand its support and influence in the 1958 Federal Election and the 1961 Elections, the PNM viciously attacked the then PDP on the basis of race and religion.  See some of the history here: http://clydeweatherheadsite.net/discussion/project-independence-after-56-years-part-1.
If we forget that the racist divisive activity of the PNM in the 1961 Elections had to be stopped by the declaration of a State of Emergency.
If we forget all of this history which we have lived then we will be closing our eyes to the PNM’s legacy of ‘looking to create discord and destruction in the society’ which its present Leader accused the UNC of last night.
The thinking people of this country must be conscious of the danger of divisiveness of the politics of both of the so-called major parties.
The people must defend and safeguard their unity against the promotion of divisiveness from any source.
Great attention must be paid to what the PNM Leader said last night and what he will say in Tunapuna next Saturday.
Safeguard the Unity of the People and reject the self-serving propaganda of the political parties!!
Clyde A Weatherhead
A Citizen Fighting for
Democratic Renewal of
Our Society
19 August 2018
 

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