The on-air derogative comments of former TV1 Breakfast host Paul Henry were neither a quip nor an inadvertent slip of the tongue but were ostensibly conscious and calculated racial swipe lashed out at Indians with rollicking laughter as if he has done a feat.
A beleaguered Paul was forced to resign and formally apologise for his abrasive and racial comments. Prime Minister John Key condemned the remarks later, to appease the Indian Diaspora.
The Paul episode is a stark reminder of the fact that every ethnic group has its own identity and dignity, which we should respect and accept.
The Indian Government summoned our New Delhi based High Commissioner and lodged an official protest.
It is easy to ignite racial clashes and make the people irate, in the New Zealand society in which people from different ethnic background harmoniously live together.
But the culture, tradition and legacy we inherited from our ancestors hinder us from violence and retaliation. Paul should realise that, unlike in the past, New Zealand now has a rainbow demography. Sir Anand Satyanand is the most suitable person to be the Governor General.
Paul is an inept curmudgeon, a puerile wonk and a wrong recruit; he failed to understand the gamut of the issue. He did not have any qualm over his comments but his tantrum towards the journalists who demanded to sack him from TV1 showed that he did not have any sincere remorse over the incident.
A good journalist should have the prudence and integrity of a judge and the inquisitiveness of a scientist, not the arrogance of a brat like Paul.
Journalists are powerful people who can explore the unexplored avenues for news, but they should be fair and just in their doings and words. They do not have the privilege to attack people, as done by Paul, to get into the lime light.
He hammered the nail to the coffin of his coveted career. This should be a lesson for other barking TV presenters and radio talk hosts to keep away from bigotry comments.
The Governor-General holds the highest public office and represents the Queen. The simplicity and humility of Sir Anand is exemplary. I have met him twice at the Government House in Auckland and found him friendly and hospitable.
Paul vilified him deliberately, forgetting the ramification of his comments.
I salute the Indian Diaspora in New Zealand for its non-violent attitude and resilience.
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is not the Indian way. We are the followers of Mahatma Gandhi who with his non-violent resistance attained freedom to India from the British. We do not take up arms and fight against perpetrators. We believe that violence is not the solution but aggravator of problems.
Indians are culturally programmed and socially engineered to only see the silver lining. We always forgive and forget.
Joseph Kuriakose (aka Jomichen) is a teacher with many years of experience in African countries including South Africa. He has a penchant for political and literary analysis. Email: joms@xtra.co.nz
