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  Intl. & NRI News |
| India's High Commission To Trinidad Apologizes For Shah Rukh Khan |
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Intl. & NRI News |
| India's High Commission To Trinidad Apologizes For Shah Rukh Khan |
By: D.Parsuram Maharaj
Source: Trinidad Bureaue; Aug. 15, 1999
It is indeed extremely unfortunate that on the eve of India’s Independence celebrations by the local Indian High Commission that the newly appointed Indian High Commissioner, Professor P.Kumar Das, felt compelled to apologize to the nation for a comment made by Shah Rukh Khan. As a major Indian artiste Khan made an insignificant political joke about the Opposition Leader. The joke failed to capture the mainstream media attention but caught and enrapted the opinion and comments of the radio-talk show circuit on Power 102 FM and 91.1FM. The band of loyal listeners launched a searing attack on Khan’s joke that generated an equal response from Khan’s local fans. Fortunately the debate was confined to these two stations, but it was enough to prompt both the promoter of the show, Ms. Salisha Baksh, and the Indian High Commission to issue a public apology.
The apology of both Baksh and Prof. Das is a magnanimous gesture to quell a potential political and racial situation. Baksh as the promoter was logically expected to make a statement on the incident, she went further and apologized. The High Commissioner apology,however, was surprising and unexpected as Khan came to Trinidad as a private entertainer and not as an official representative of the government of India. Can we now expect the Indian High Commission to get involve into private issues where Indian nationals are involved ?
The American Embassy did not involve itself when Pentecostal retailer Benny Hinn after spending one day in Trinidad, stated to an international audience that Trinidad & Tobago was a land of devils and voodoo. Similarly the US Embassy did not involve itself when rapper DMX was arrested for using profanity at a recent concert. Additionally each year at the Caribbean Comedy Festival comedians from all over the Caribbean poke fun at the Trinidad & Tobago politicians without any comment from their respective governments. Khan got the attention and generated the apology merely because he was Indian.
Commentators with tribal mooring such as Dr.Selwyn R. Cudjoe seized this opportunity to comment that the Khan’s statement [and indeed treatment given to Khan by the State] was indicative of the contemptuous view in which the African community were held by the Indian dominated government and Indians in general. Of course Cudjoe conveniently ignores the massive attention the Panday Administration has been giving the African community [at the expense of his Indian support base] in order to widen the UNC’s electoral net.
The apology by both Baksh and the High Commission has to be seen as a continuation of the UNC appeasement strategy to win African votes. This type appeasement tactic employed by the Indian High Commission will no doubt appeal to Muslim apologist and UNC sycophant MF Rahaman. Rahman recently lambasted a Maha Sabha column, as the column denounced the appeasement strategy employed by Prime Minister Panday. Rahman adds this tirade to pervious articles that have denigrated Hinduism. Rahman in his article advises Panday not be ‘blackmailed’ by Hindus who are complaining that they are being ignored by the Panday Administration. Rahaman forgets that the Muslim vote has traditionally been counted in the PNM camp while the Sanatanist Hindus have stood faithfully by the UNC and all its reincarnations. The influence of PNM MP Kamal Mohammed in the Muslim community in San Juan / Barataria is still being felt today by the UNC as it continuously battles to secure this constituency. Even today the PNM is represented in San Juan / Barataria area by a member of the Mohammed clan.
Rahman’s advice appears to be in the same vein as the advice given to Prime Minister Panday on how to approach the local government elections. In the Rahman article he states that the agenda is to have the Prime Minister ‘revert to Hindu centric policies’. Rahman has to note that the Panday Administration has never employed Hindu centric policies to revert to. Rahman is evidently far removed from the realities of the core support base of the UNC. Activists nationally are openly expressing disenchantment and disgust with the strategy of appeasement. Rahman prefers to tell the Emperor of the beauty of the new clothes rather that he is naked.
The distortions presented by Rahman as fact is predicable as it continues where his creative construction of a benevolent Indian Islamic history ended. Rahman has used the most impotent articles written from a Hindu perspective to deride Hinduism and Hindus in Trinidad. Of course he has forgotten that all Indian Muslims [including himself] were kidnapped from the Hindu fold by Arab invaders and State sanctioned terror tactics.
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 Intl. & NRI News |