Selective Apology from PM Rowley on Sari Skit

By Stephen Kangal
August 21, 2018

Stephen KangalI find that there is a disturbing dysfunctional disconnect between what the PM Rowley said initially in cheap and embarrassing defence of the Sari Skit, the several reasons for his retraction/backing down of those ill -thought out statements, his conditional but confusing apology directed to a deliberately selective audience/aggrieved party and his continuation of his diatribe on associated matters against so-called saboteurs.

He is not making any sense in his pronouncements because they are lacking credibility, coherence and sequential consistency. An apology implies that he will not go down that path again.

If anything he is sabotaging himself quite well by himself.

His flip-flopping apology regrettably issued to the Hindu community exclusively is based on:

–Advice from the unknown leadership of the Hindu community even though Sat Maharaj whom he praised did not see anything offensive in the skit;

— Ignorance of the episode extracted from the Mahabharat and Hindu Scriptures even though he went to India looking for jhandis some time ago;

— His socialization in an all Afro-Tobagonian community of Mason Hall where he knew and learnt nothing of Indian culture although he spent all of his political/parliamentary life in multicultural Trinidad and had many friends south of the Caroni where he wined and dined on dhalpuri roti;

— Blaming the education system that held consultations in 2015 and 2016 for lack of multicultural content that left him uni-ethnic and with a lack of appreciation for cultural diversity even though 50% of his PNM Government is made up of Indians to use his own words and his August holiday arithmetical miscalculations;

— His disrespect for women whom he ignored in his apology;

— Continuing accusations against Opposition Leader/ those whom he accused of stirring up racial hatred and divisions for pointing out the damaging effects of the skit on racism, racial intolerance and violence against women even after he had appreciated the folly of his words concerning foolishness and the creation of divisiveness.

— He apologizes on behalf of the PNM although he went to great length to show the commitment of the PNM to diversity. He in fact had made a personal position on the skit that is distinctly different from that of the PNM based on his own admission.

The Prime Minister needs notes. He is at sea in making off-the-cuff remarks that cannot stand up to scrutiny and have to be subject to frequent damage control responses.

5 thoughts on “Selective Apology from PM Rowley on Sari Skit”

  1. Here Stephen…

    PM Rowley on “sari skit” backlash.. foolishness!
    Leah Sorias Aug 14, 2018 Updated Aug 14, 2018

    https://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/local/pm-rowley-on-sari-skit-backlash-foolishness/article_173f72ba-9ff7-11e8-bd5c-87430aef3db6.html

    One would think that a LEADER would cross his/her T’s and dot his/her I’s before marking any pronouncements on any issue before his/her people/nation..

    I feel so sorry for his supporters… to hear them make a 180 on the talk shows, in less than 24 hrs, its amazing.. (same with the Gary Griffith issue)

    Wow, it really bewildering to see one man destroy such a great party… and his supporters just keep drinking the red Kool aid..

    Sad..

  2. Well CoP Gary Griffith was thrown headlong in treating with his first national emergency assignment post the never ending or stopping earthquake on Tuesday@ 6:12 p.m. and he was found to be wanting deferring and referring TV6’s Neisha Rambhajan to the Minister of Everything Stuart Young whose mother is Indian but failed to tell her son about the rudiments of Indian Culture and the rich symbolism of the yellow sari that her mother wore to her wedding some time before. What was fun for him was desecration to thousands thanks to his Indian mother whom he brought into the politics not I.

  3. The PM admitted his mistake, explained his ignorance regarding Hindu traditions, and finally offered a full, unreserved apology.
    Let’s be graceful and simply accept his apology without future predictions and reservations.

  4. How can the PM use ignorance of Hinduism to withdraw only the statement on Hindu traditions and ignore the greater sin of condoning violence against women in T&T? I do not accept that after living his whole political and parliamentary life in multicultural Trinidad that he knows nothing of Hinduism. He is being quite economical with the truth to wriggle himself from a most embarrassing situation in which he put his foot in his mouth as usual. If he is sincerely unschooled in the cultural dynamics of Multicultural T&T especially the culture of 44% of the population he should abdicate his position of Primer Minister and say nothing in the future on a subject in which he has admitted complete ignorance. He has laid a trap for himself although in his Indian Arrival Day Message he uttered a most profound statement on Indianness when he praised the Indian community for its cultural transplantation to the Caribbean and a new way of thinking that her seemed to support, subscribe to and endorse. He will be back soon making stupid statements on each and every thing. His apology was indeed selective and very controversial if not counter- productive in condoning violence against women and stereotyping blsck males as animals and rapists when we have enough of that on our streets and in the black dominated hot spots.

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