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“It’s time for action” say Indo-Canadian leaders

June 3rd, 2006 by admin

Descendants of passengers aboard the Komagata Maru have called upon the federal government to open discussions with the South Asian community and reach an agreement on a formal apology with possible compensatory measures. A consensus was reached on the occasion of the 92nd anniversary of the incident this week.

At a forum in the studios of Sher-E-Punjab Radio, Newton-North Delta MP Sukh Dhaliwal was on hand to talk to the descendants as well as other local political representatives, academics and community advocates, about an action plan that would “finally put this issue on the federal government’s agenda.”

Dhaliwal said: “After numerous appeals, including a petition tabled in the House of Commons, there has been no evidence that Harper’s government has any interest in giving this issue the kind of attention one would expect at the federal level, the kind of attention the Chinese head tax issue has rightfully received. I am prepared to move forward and to work with the descendants and the community to make this happen.”

The Komagata Maru was a boat chartered by some 375 Indians, mostly Sikhs, which arrived in Vancouver Harbour in May of 1914. Immigration officials refused to allow the passengers to disembark. Many lost their lives upon returning to India.

Dhaliwal said: “The Canadian government’s decision at the time should be acknowledged and an apology is necessary for the descendants of those brave travelers, some of whom are with us today, but this is about more than atonement. This is about creating a dialogue about the Canada we want today, one that is open and just, one that can learn from its past and grow towards a better future for all Canadians.”

The descendants on hand to talk to Dhaliwal about an action plan included Jaswinder Toor, Surjit Johal and Tejpal Singh Sandhu, whose great-grandfather Gurdit Singh chartered the ship in India.

On Tuesday (May 23), Prof. Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation (Canada) marked the 92nd anniversary of the arrival of the Komagata Maru in Burrard Inlet on May 23, 1914, at Lumberman’s Arch in Stanley Park.

A host of federal and provincial leaders, both Indo-Canadian and others, spoke on the occasion.

In 2002, Prof. Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation presented a petition to the Canadian Parliament signed by thousands of Canadians demanding an official acknowledgement and apology for this unfortunate incident on Canadian soil. This matter is still without closure.

Prof. Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation of Canada is a non-political and non-profit organization. The Foundation’s main goal is to raise public awareness of Indian culture and celebrate the lives of people who gave theirs in pursuit of freedom and humanitarian causes.

Statement by RAJ CHOUHAN, NDP MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds and Opposition critic for Human Rights, Multiculturalism and Immigration:

On May 23, 1914, the Komagata Maru rolled into the Burrard Inlet in Vancouver carrying 376 men, women and children, with dreams to make Canada their home. Those dreams were dashed, when restrictive immigration laws denied passengers the right to disembark from the ship. They remained aboard in the waters off Vancouver for a full two months, before being ordered to return to Asia.

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend memorial events marking the 92nd anniversary of the ship’s arrival. Once again, overwhelming support of these events sent a strong message that Canada must make amends for one of the darkest chapters in its history.

That we need to make serious efforts to acknowledge this injustice does not need repetition. The question is in what shape these efforts should be made so the process of healing can effectively begin.

The NDP stands firm in our support of an official and unequivocal apology from the government.

Further, we should look at the possibility of including information about this episode in our curricula and classroom reading materials. Learning about the past, especially for younger minds, is important so that mistakes in the future can be avoided.

Finally, we need to give serious consideration to the idea of building a proper permanent memorial.

We cannot for a moment take lightly our collective responsibility to uphold the values of justice, tolerance and democracy held dear by the citizens of our country.

I invite politicians of all stripes to come on board and do the right thing. An official apology for the Komagata Maru incident is a significant part of that process.

Source: The Voice Online (www.voiceonline.com)

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