Righting the Wrong

The Komagata Maru steamship carrying 376 passengers mostly the Sikhs reached Canada's West Coast on May 23, 1914, anchoring in Vancouver's coal harbour. Beyond doubt Sikhs are well known for their hard work and fighting skills. Some of those who fought for the British (WW I) were trying to claim the right to land in Canada despite the absence of any favourable legal provisions. Obviously, that was a direct challenge to Canada's discriminatory immigration rules at the time. The immigration officials refused to let the boat people step on the Canadian soil. The ship, however, ended up being escorted out to sea for returning to Calcutta.  Approximately 20 passengers lost their lives while clashing with police on the Indian soil.

Unlike the recent (government-sponsored) heavy influx of genuine refugees from Syria, the East Indian passengers attempted an illegal entry into Canada. Not more than twenty passengers were permitted entry as permanent residents. Those Sikhs hadn’t faced any genocide like environment back in India; they were simply opportunists trying to find a better economic life in Canada. Nevertheless, they were denied entry because of gross illegality on their part. Quite shockingly, there was a great deal of discrimination at play as well.

The long overdue legislated apology: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has formally apologized in the House of Commons as passengers went through a highly painful experience, denied entry to Canada and were forced to return to violent fate in India. "First and foremost, to the victims of the incident, no words can erase the pain and suffering they experienced," Trudeau said. "Regrettably, the passage of time means that none are alive to hear our apology today, still, we offer it, fully and sincerely, for our indifference to your plight, for our failure to recognize all that you had to offer.”For the laws that discriminated against you so senselessly, and for not apologizing sooner. For all these things, we are truly sorry." Trudeau said. He also apologized directly to the passengers' descendants, some of whom, he noted, were gathered in the House of Commons visitors' gallery to hear the apology. "We can never know what your lives would have been like had your relatives been welcome to Canada," Trudeau said. "The ways in which your lives would have been different, the ways in which Canada would have been enriched. Those possibilities are lost to history, for that, and to you, we apologize." The prime minister said Canada must now commit itself to positive action, to learning from mistakes and to make sure that we never repeat the errors of the past. 

Trudeau ended his remarks with a tip of the hat to his Sikh Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, who Trudeau said worked hard to bring the Komagata Maru incident to national attention.  The prime minister noted that before entering politics Sajjan was the commanding officer of the British Columbia Regiment Duke of Connaught's Own, the regiment that forced the British Komagata Maru out of Canada in 1914. "The minister's family might well have been turned away from Canada, today the minister is an essential member of this government and sits here in this House," Trudeau said. NDP Leader Tom Mulcair also rose in the House to offer his apologies, beginning by echoing remarks by Ambrose when she noted Harper's earlier efforts to express regret for the incident.

"Now here in this House today, we are making that act official, this act of contrition, from all Canadians for this historic tragedy," he said in French.

"It was racism pure and simple that put our fellow human beings at such risk," Mulcair said. "It was a horrific chapter in the history of a country that has come to recognize diversity and tolerance as great strengths."

Better late than never:

Surely, the legislated apology is a welcome step as it has fulfilled the long standing demand of the people of India including Canadians of Indian origin.
Excellent: Sikhs are finally successful in extracting an apology through Canadian parliament for an incident that happened more than 100 years ago.

Does anybody know if there was any apology to the families of those who lost lives due to Air India tragedy?

 Conveniently overlooked:

The militant Sikhs blew up a jumbo jet (Air India flight 182) while in flight from Toronto to India with 329 passengers onboard; 268 passengers of the ill fated flight were Canadians. Question: Would the government address this historic wrong within the century?

Conclusion: In the modern time, the elected leaders must acknowledge that the world has changed for the better; they must accept accountability and be apologetic for all mistakes regardless of their age or magnitude.

We are proud that Canada under the leadership of Justin Trudeau has set an example of superior form of humanitarianism on the planet. That should take care of the racism, as all are equal.

Sources:

http://www.arts.ubc.ca/arts-profesors-discuss-komagata-marus-legacy-and-pm-trudeaus-upcoming-apology/

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/komagata-maru-live-apology-1.3587827

The Mandatory Census-Time for Urdu Recognition

A census is said to be one of the most important surveys and record keeping tools that Canada does have; it provides the most accurate and up to date information about the population. In addition to making policymakers aware about population issues, it is also an important tool for identifying forms of social, demographic or economic exclusions, such as inequalities relating to race, ethics and religion as well as disadvantaged people such as those with disabilities and poverty.

Every five years there comes a national census to update statistical portrait of residents of Canada including the landed immigrants, refugee claimants, and those holding a work permit or study-permit.

Purpose in nutshell: The Canadian census has a purpose for the well-being of its country and citizens; it’s enforced as a compulsory law without any excuses or exemptions. The census allows the government to budget for healthcare, shortage of labourers, higher education needs, technology development, and career markets for revenue and the well-being of all ages. The information produced by the census can be divided into a number of main fields; in each field questions are asked which provide a picture of the population in this field. The information collected makes it possible to received data on socio-economic characteristics of the population and households. Questioning on demographics makes it possible to learn about the age, gender, and the marital status.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census_in_Canada.

 In addition to providing a demographic and statistical data for use in planning public services including health care, education, and transportation,  It does determine federal transfer payments,^[1] and determine the number of Members of Parliament for each province and territory.

One may complete a census questionnaire online by the deadline of May 10 or request paper copy of the form.

Assured Confidentiality: The submitted information is subject to use by “Statistics Canada” in support of other surveys or analysis. There is a guarantee that no one outside of Statistics Canada is able to access the information that identifies individuals. The Statistics A ct ensures that the census information is kept confidential.

Uniqueness:  “The unique advantage of the census is that it represents the entire statistical universe, down to the smallest geographical units, of a country or region. Planners need this information for all kinds of development work, including: assessing demographic trends; analysing socio-economic conditions; designing evidence-based poverty-reduction strategies; monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of policies; and tracking progress toward national and internationally agreed development goals.”

Seriousness: After May 10 deadline, Statistics Canada may be coming after those who haven’t submitted their questionnaire; those who refuse may face a fine of up to $500 or up to three months in jail.

These cases can make headlines, depending on the circumstances. http://globalnews.ca/news/2689125/procrastinating-on-the-2016-census-heres-what-might-happen/

An accurate census can empower local communities by providing them with the necessary information to participate in local decision-making and ensuring they are represented. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census

Thought provoking: Pakistanis are deprived of enjoying Urdu in Canada because of the naivety of many Pakistanis; they keep ignoring the power of their “say” at the time of census. They continue to fail to realise what is good for them when it comes to declare what language they speak at home. The fact is most of the immigrants from Pakistan tend to mention Punjabi as their mother tongue despite the fact that their Punjabi is actually based on Urdu alphabets. An appropriate choice is Urdu for all Pakistanis.

On the other hand Sikhs take advantage of our choosing of Punjabi as our mother tongue which is miles away from the reality.

Caution: Remember!  We speak Urdu at home, so do our children.

Therefore, it must be recognised at par with other ethnic languages (mother tongues spoken in Canada). As most of the Pakistanis belonging to the province of the Punjab speak Punjabi, but that is in Urdu alphabets. Pakistanis need to be educated that post Indo Pak partition of 1947, Mr Jinnah declared Urdu as the national language to eliminate all ethnic friction. This made a little change in the way the kids in all households are raised in Pakistan. All are taught Urdu leading to the erosion of provincial languages and mother tongues. That is why, Urdu speaking is in fashion almost in all Canadian households of Pakistan origin.

Almost four generations have adopted Urdu in Pakistan to make inter communication easier.

Special advice to the Canadian residents of Pakistan origin:

Wake up!  Showing Punjabi as mother tongue deprives you of official recognition of your Urdu. Instead, this attitude of carelessly declaring Punjabi as your spoken language at home, ONLY benefits the East Indian Punjabi community.

The fact is we the Pakistanis don’t have a clue about the ABC of Indian Punjabi, as Pakistani Punjabi is only written in Urdu alphabets.

Since most of the Pakistani community speaks Urdu at home, it must be recognised as one of the most spoken language at home. Indian punjabi cannot be understood in the written form at all, while Urdu is well understood both verbally and in writing by each Pakistani. Thus, all Pakistanis must be mentioning Urdu while answering on the census form to derive the greatest advantage attached to it.

 Certainly, the importance of Urdu cannot be undermined as its popularity is high in Canada.

SOURCES:

google.com,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census_in_Canada, . http://globalnews.ca/news/2689125/procrastinating-on-the-2016-census-heres-what-might-happen/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census, Statistics Canada.

Fighting a Lost War

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif faces a heavy grilling for he holds the position of trust of his people in the parliamentary democracy. According to the Panama leaks, Prime Minister Sharif’s children Maryam, Hasan and Hussain were owners or had the right to authorise transactions for several companies. The leaks revealed the financial wheeling and dealings of over 200 Pakistanis including prominent politicians and businessmen (Gulf News).

Serious allegation: Sharif has said his children have done nothing illegal, but opponents accuse the family of using the tax haven to launder stolen money and dodge taxes. (reuters.com)

 Surprisingly, the trail of his London properties goes all the way back to the early nineties when his children were still minors,  however the PM infers  that he cannot be blamed/accused of what belongs to his children.

 Objection: Chairman Imran Khan (PTI) said the government had set the terms of reference (ToRs) for the commission on its own without any consultation with the opposition and ignored the demand for authorities to hire an international forensic audit firm to assist in the probe. (Gulf News)

PM Sharif talks about his Pakistani-ism, his status as “son of the soil,” born, raised and educated there. He conveniently keeps forgetting that the Panama Papers are about his family’s extensive holdings which have been safely stashed abroad---just in case. The fact, Mayfair properties and the hidden offshore companies owned by his children, unveils his Pakistani-ism with utmost clarity.

Legally speaking, the onus of proof lies upon the prime minister to prove that the facts established by the Panama Papers do not violate the relevant laws. This means he will still need to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the highest judicial panel that the moral norms that attach to the highest executive office of public trust were not violated. He cannot be off the hook unless Pakistani public opinion is re-generated in his favour. Of course, the issues of morality and legality are of serious nature.

Although, the PM has not been named directly in the leaks, yet the opposition parties are in no mood to compromise.  Especially, a tussle between PML-N and the PTI has ensued, and it’s getting rough every hour.

In the meanwhile, “point scoring mode” is switched to “on” position, and the political wrangling among the other political parties is getting bad to worse already.

Naturally, time is ripe for the newly formed political party to jump on the band wagon: A break away from the MQM, Pakistan SarZameen Party (PSP) is already signalling to the opposition parties to get active. The PSP chief Mustafa Kamal while addressing a sizeable crowd at Bagh-e-Jinnah Karachi, called for overhauling the hierarchy of power in the city, stressing that security operations alone are not the solution to combating terrorism. Maybe, he is right for having some workable solution without involving the security forces.

Problem is the PTI hasn’t been able to establish its hold in Sindh and failed in Punjab as well.

Popularity graph is favourable for the PSP in the province of Sindh as MQM and the PPP are losing ground gradually.

Now, the civil society and its institutions are obligated to generate political, judicial and investigative activity appropriately with the help of military having to take an active role within the constitutional limits.

The prime minister must step down for a fairer enquiry: But, it’s up to the judicial-panel to decide, in the light of an investigative audit’s findings if any wrongful activity (illegality or immorality) has actually taken place, and whether or not they render the person concerned (PM Nawaz) disqualified from holding office of public trust.

In the light of developing scenario, mood of politicking is gaining ground, and the anti-PML-n momentum is progressing indeed:

But, MQM now is in no position to, violently or otherwise, obstruct Kamal’s rallies or stop people joining them, but his recent show did not do enough.

A considerable disillusionment with the MQM is noticeable; the PSP is yet to prove that it’s the one that offers a meaningful alternative. Technocratic Mustafa Kamal has tried to bring coverage to the PSP by staging a large press conference every time a new politician joins his party.

Caution: Again, the PSP can learn from the PTI, for it is unclear whether the scramble to get “Electables” as members would do any good in the long run.

Conclusion: There are a lot of allegations against the prime minister of Pakistan and corruption is at its peak, but developing the economic corridor and orange line projects are also a positive reality in the best interest of Pakistan.

Bitter reality is Pakistan has lost billions of dollars in lost revenue due to money transfer to the off shore companies unethically or illegally.

Certainly, the political parties are eyeing for an early election. Unfavourable time is ahead for Nawaz Sharif as trust-deficit continues to deteriorate his reputation; this progression of negative development is most likely to facilitate his ouster.

Consulted sources:

Dawn.com, Thenews.com.pk, nation.com.pk, Gulf News, Reuters