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Blunt and fearless: Justice Mota
Singh rolls out the truth
WSN Bureau
 LONDON:
The occasion: Vaisakhi. The Venue: The American embassy. The city:
London.
It was a
historic event since Vaisakhi festivities were being hosted by US
Ambassador Robert H. Tuttle at the American Embassy in
Grosvenor
Square, London. It was the first time ever that Vaisakhi was
celebrated at the heavily secured embassy building. No Indian
festival has ever been celebrated like this.
Everything was
just right, and there were two choices that
Britain's most
senior Indian-origin judge, a Sikh, Justice Mota Singh, had. he
could say the politically expected, correct things and sit down to a
round of cheers and platitudes; or he could say the blunt truth to
those who needed to hear it.
At a time when
the label of 'War on Terror' is bandied about carelessly, and many a
voices go unheard in the resultant din of war cries, Justice Mota
Singh scolded the
US for its "War
on Terror".
"We are meeting
today not in
India, but in
England, and notionally on American soil at the embassy," the first
Asian judge in Britain, told a large gathering of Sikhs at the
embassy on Monday.
Of course, it
was not lost on anyone that the fact that the embassy had chosen to
host this function was also a mark of the maturity of western
democracies and was a thought miles away from the way India
perceives the meaning of democracy, but then the Judge was only
adding to these rich democratic traditions by saying what he did.
"No one can
quarrel with the Americans' relentless pursuit of those involved in
the perpetration of that tragedy to see that they are brought to
justice. At the same time, one cannot ignore the view - being
constantly expressed now - that an unfortunate and inevitable
consequence... has been the escalation rather than the curtailment
of terrorist activity." Judge Mota Singh was in no mood to mince
words, and listeners knew he was making sense. American cultural
attaché Michael Macy listened in rapt attention, and perhaps the
intended receipient of the wisdom since he is to leave for
New Delhi
soon on a diplomatic posting.
Though
Ambassador Robert Holmes Tuttle had said a few minutes ago that in
his introductory remarks that the Sikhs settled on
America's West
Coast had made significant contributions to the nation's social,
agricultural and economic life, Judge Mota Singh said Sikhs had been
"appalled" by incidents of violence in the aftermath of 9/11.
"There have been
incidents of threats, and abuse to individuals and of actual
violence resulting in deaths of some. We are pleased to place on
record our appreciation of the attempts… in
America to
ensure that perpetrators of these acts are brought to justice."
Clearly the
judge knew what he was doing. he told media people later that
someone indeed has to be forthright and say these things.
16
April 2008
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