wrong to "reach back into history"
It would be"wrong to reach back into history" said the British Prime Minister . Wrong to apologise.
The right thing, it seems, is to keep repeating History. Complete with all its wrongs.
No lessons will be learnt. Millions will keep dying. As colonialism becomes an unrepentant Neocolonialism.
If Cameron cannot bring himself to apologise for 300 odd (according to Brtish sources) people, how can he even acknowledge that the British Empire was responsible for the deaths of an estimated 50 million Indians alone. And that does not include the many Indian soldiers who died fighting for that murderous Empire.
But then, David Cameron's visit to Amritsar, the scene the Jalianwala massacre, was actually about winning the votes of British Sikhs in the UK for the next round of British elections.
Apologies for British History and its countless wrongdoings had nothing to do with why he was there.
And as for returning stolen cultural property , the colonial powers will continue to hang on to it. Despite what the UN has said about the necessity of returning it to the countries of origin, Despite the immorality of it hanging on to stolen wealth.
Sunil Kapoor's great-grandfather was among the dead at Amritsar
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/feb/20/david-cameron-amritsar-massacre-india
The right thing, it seems, is to keep repeating History. Complete with all its wrongs.
No lessons will be learnt. Millions will keep dying. As colonialism becomes an unrepentant Neocolonialism.
If Cameron cannot bring himself to apologise for 300 odd (according to Brtish sources) people, how can he even acknowledge that the British Empire was responsible for the deaths of an estimated 50 million Indians alone. And that does not include the many Indian soldiers who died fighting for that murderous Empire.
But then, David Cameron's visit to Amritsar, the scene the Jalianwala massacre, was actually about winning the votes of British Sikhs in the UK for the next round of British elections.
Apologies for British History and its countless wrongdoings had nothing to do with why he was there.
And as for returning stolen cultural property , the colonial powers will continue to hang on to it. Despite what the UN has said about the necessity of returning it to the countries of origin, Despite the immorality of it hanging on to stolen wealth.
David Cameron defends lack of apology for British massacre at Amritsar
First serving UK prime minister to visit scene of 1919 Indian shootings says it would be wrong to 'reach back' into history
Email
David Cameron has defended his decision to stop short of delivering a formal British apology for the Amritsar massacre in 1919, in which at least 379 innocent Indians were killed.
As relatives of the victims expressed disappointment, the prime minister said it would be wrong to "reach back into history" and apologise for the wrongs of British colonialism.
As he prepared to leave Amritsar, the Cameron explained why he had decided against issuing an apology. "In my view," he said, "we are dealing with something here that happened a good 40 years before I was even born, and which Winston Churchill described as 'monstrous' at the time and the British government rightly condemned at the time. So I don't think the right thing is to reach back into history and to seek out things you can apologise for.
"I think the right thing is to acknowledge what happened, to recall what happened, to show respect and understanding for what happened.
"That is why the words I used are right: to pay respect to those who lost their lives, to remember what happened, to learn the lessons, to reflect on the fact that those who were responsible were rightly criticised at the time, to learn from the bad and to cherish the good."
His remarks came after a relative of one of the victims expressed disappointment that the prime minister had not apologised. Sunil Kapoor, whose great grandfather Waso Mal Kapoor died in the shootings, said: "If he said it is shameful, why did he not apologise?"
Sunil Kapoor's great-grandfather was among the dead at Amritsar
Kapoor, president of the Jallianwala Bagh Freedom Fighters' Foundation, said: "I am not satisfied that he did not meet the families. We have waited 94 years for justice."
Asked whether Britain should return the diamond, he said: "I don't think that is the right approach. It is the same question with the Elgin marbles. It is for the British Museum and other cultural centres to do exactly what they do do, which is link up with museums all over the world to make sure that the things we have, and are looked after so well, are properly shared with people around the world. No, I certainly don't believe in returnism."
The prime minister, who has an eye on the Sikh vote in Britain, paid an hour-long visit to the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Out of respect to Sikhs as he visited their holiest site, he wore a dark blue bandana on his head.
posted by Satish Sharma at
21:30
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