Rowley: T&T doesn't bow to anyone
...Kamla wrong to kiss Indian president's foot
By Stories by Joel Julien joel.julien@trinidadexpress.com
Story Created: Jan 18, 2012 at 11:47 PM ECT
Story Updated: Jan 18, 2012 at 11:47 PM ECT
"THE ultimate subservient of superiority and inferiority being demonstrated".
This was how Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley described Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar touching the foot of Indian President Pratibha Patil during a State visit earlier this month.
Persad-Bissessar returned from a two-week trip to India on Sunday.
Rowley raised the issue which he described as "unacceptable" during a political meeting held by the People's National Movement (PNM) at Febeau Open Bible Church Tuesday night.
"I am a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago and I take umbrage at my Prime Minister going to anybody's country and kissing any office holder's foot," Rowley said to loud applause.
"I am not concerned about her religious persuasion in this country... We are very tolerant," he said.
Rowley said Persad-Bissessar was representing the country and should not have bowed to touch Patil's foot.
"Nobody sent the Prime Minister abroad to represent her religion or her race. She went abroad to represent all the people of Trinidad and Tobago and, however, she feels when she stands in front of the head of government or the head of state she must stand there proud representing the people of Trinidad and Tobago," Rowley said.
"That is the ultimate subservient of superiority and inferiority being demonstrated. We past that stage since the world was told by Eric Williams (former prime minister) that we will not be doing that again and India was in the forefront of that," he said.
Rowley referenced a Times of India newpaper story which stated Persad-Bissessar "went too far to demonstrate her Indian-ness".
"India's independence was the first of the British colonies. All of us followed after and I am sure they did not expect that our Prime Minister would come and kiss their leader's foot," Rowley said.
"So of course now we expect according to her logic if (US President Barack) Obama ever goes to Kenya he will bend down and kiss the foot of somebody in Kenya because his grandfather came from Kenya," Rowley said.
"That is unacceptable and we dismiss the excuse makers, we are a proud nation. When India votes at the United Nations if we vote differently we cancel out India's vote, one billion people against one million people. We are equal in the eyes of the world. Size and power are no longer your station in this world," he said.
Rowley said if Persad-Bissessar went in a private capacity he would not have raised the issue.
"That is personal, that is private, if you go there on your private capacity you could do that. If you go there in your personal capacity you can do that...I will have no argument with it but when you represent all the people of Trinidad and Tobago, do not go and kiss anybody's foot on my behalf. Do not do that," he said.
"And when you wear Trinidad and Tobago red, white and black we do not defer or bow down to any nation in this world. We meet you on the cricket field we beat you, we meet you on the race track we beat you, we meet you in the university we beat you, that is Trinidad and Tobago. We are equal to all and inferior to none that is how we are building this nation," Rowley said.
