Lt Gen Bhopinder Singh (Retd)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s apology for the Komagata Maru incident (essentially affecting the Sikh migrants, 102 years ago) has divided opinions on the optics of the act, efficacy and most importantly, the utility of the act of apology. Canada is a serial apologist, having formally apologised to the Chinese Canadians for a head tax introduced in 19th Century, to the Japanese Canadians for internment camps in WW 2,and to their own native Canadians for the residential school systems and for the banishment of the Inuit of Inukjuak to the frozen frontiers near North Pole.But then, Justin Trudeau is the new alpha-male politician – a self-declared ‘feminist’, in favour of legalizing Marijuana, ‘Pro-choice’ on abortion, and the ultimate charmer who can break into an impromptu bhangra to connect with the desi diaspora.Recently, he drew President Barack Obama’s left handed compliment at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner Speech, where he delivered a masterly presidential punch-line on Justin Trudeau’s populist moves with, “Justin, give it a rest”!
Still, the Canadian apology for Komagata Maruwas well received by the Indian Canadians and India, as a well meant gesture – except that the fine print of the fact that the real culprits of the death of 19 Sikhs in the ensuing riots of Komagata Maruncident were the British police and therefore the British Queen’s government, and the same have tendered no apology for the incident, nor have they expressed any intention of doing the same, in the future.
Whereas, “Truth and reconciliation commissions” as adopted by the South African, Chilean and the Czech governments are a more fundamental process than the simple act of apologies- these seek to repair the wounds with elaborate governmental policy changes, they formalize fact from fiction, these often lead to tangible compensations and transformative justice, while the act of a simple apology is just the formal acknowledgement of the alreadywell known, nothing less and nothing more. Settlers typically apologise to the natives (e.g. Australians to the Aborigines), former colonialists to their former colonies (e.g. Japan to Korea), governments to political prisoners, clergy to its victims etc. – apologies are essentially an act of political pyrotechnics without any materialcorrection.
History is written and deciphered individually by countries, as sometimes the national narrative necessitates a certain perspective that is often at variance with the one, across the border. However, indisputable facts of committed-wrongs can be affixed to virtually any country in the world and therefore the act of apologizing can be endless, futile and bereft of the true sense of redemption. Meaningful apology needs to be action-oriented, leading to transformative processes and policies that impact the socio-economic life of the sufferers of the “wrongs”. Critically, chronological immediacy of the “wrong” is an important barometer as correcting commissions and omissions of the long-past is usually more divisive and inflammatory and ought to be relegated to the past, instead of waking up the demons (e.g. Babri Masjid-Ram JanamBhoomi).
This immediacy of “wrong” versus historical wrong played out in the recent statements of the US President Barack Obama who expressed his, “his sincerest condolences and deepest regrets” for the recent murder of a Japanese women allegedly at the hands of an US Marine – Obama furthersaid, “I think the Japanese people should know we are deeply moved and working with the Japanese government to prosecute not only this crime but prevent these kinds of crimes from happening again”. However, President Obama’s much more publicized visit to Hiroshima, the first city to suffer atomic bombing (nearly 1,40,000 people died and was followed by Nagasaki) was keenly awaiting an apology from the first sitting US President to visit the site – however, it drew a solemn acknowledgment and a terse, “It’s important to recognize that in the midst of war, leaders make all kinds of decisions, it’s a job of historians to ask questions and examine them”, but no formal apology. The larger humane point was made without the shenanigans of a formal apology, “Since I only have a few months left in the office, I thought it was a good time for me to reflect on the nature of war. Part of my goal is to recognize that innocent people caught in war can suffer tremendously”, and this itself sounded more truthfully regretful and transformative, stripped of the politics accompanying any apology – even the ultra-nationalistic Shinzo Abe government graciously accepted the sentiment and added that the future generations should not have to apologize for the actions of its forebears – gently closing the chapter with reciprocal dignity and maturity.
This is a lesson on undoing history in India – Kohinoor diamond, renaming agendas, disputed religious sites etc. are all symptomatic of the itchyspirit of ‘undoing’ – an unnecessary effort and wasted angst that could otherwise be channelized towards progressive good or at least ensuring that the mistakes of the past are not repeated. Politics of apologies in India can be a tricky subject – our vast diversity of races, religions, castes, regions etc. have an explosive list of perceptions of “wrongs” that insisting on apologies will do more harm to the already fragile equilibrium, than a momentary feel of redemption. Sense of victimization and neglect is hot political currency – it is the ideological raison d’etre of certain nations (e.g. twin-nation theory) or of certain domestic political parties (e.g. regional parties or caste based outfits), and to ensure political relevance, a sense of monetizing the wounds of the ostensible “wrongs”becomes key to survival, hence, is regressive and infructuous in the long term.
A confident nation and polity makes its peace with the past and focuses on the future, as an ideal apology is self-induced and not insisted. Making too much about apologies is both a waste and unproductive exercise towards correcting the “wrongs” – transformative changes to laws and policies are more important than semantics and empty apologies that sound better than heal.
(The author is former Lt Governor of Andaman Nicobar islands and Puducherry)
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