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Clintons skip Bakersfield Sikh Parade,
leave
community unhappy
WSN Network
 BAKERSFIELD,
CA: For days, the excitement was in the air. The Clintons were to
participate in the bakersfield Sikh parade. American flags were on
prominent display on November 18 as several thousand Sikhs, some of
them barefoot, paraded near the Bakersfield gurdwara.
But then came the realisation that the Clintons were opting for a no
show. The Hillary Clinton campaign's abrupt cancellation of
scheduled appearances here has left many in the Sikh community
angry, dismayed and seething.
However, there is a strong voice within the community which claims
that the Clintons had not really committed to participate and the
organisers had nothing on record to show that they (the Clintons)
were indeed to participate. The Bakersfield events did not appear on
the Clintons' schedule and many among the organisers were warned by
some concerned Sikhs but they chose not to tell the truth to the
wider Sikh sangat.
Langar, the traditional Sikh attire, and gatka displays were on
display as thousands of Sikhs celebrated the Guru Nanak's gurpurab.
Senator Clinton also scuttled a fund-raising breakfast at a nearby
fairgrounds where Sikh leaders had hoped to raise $1 million for her
presidential campaign.
There was talk that the Clintons did nto come because of "security
reasons". An advertisement in a Sikh newspaper said the fund-raiser,
which was also to have featured President Clinton as a guest, had
been postponed "due to the advice of the Secret Service." Some
however said the events had not passed through the campaign's
vetting process or a Secret Service review.
There was some talk that the Clintons decision to skip the event
could evoke a backlash from the community. The New York Sun quoted a
trucking company owner who helped arrange the celebration, Tejpal
Singh of Bakersfield, as saying, "We don't know what the reason
is...They just tell us last night. … Everybody's shocked. They want
to see her."
There was no public explanation from the campaign side for the
change of plans, though a spokesman seemed to confirm that she had
been expected to visit with Sikhs in Bakersfield on Sunday.
Spokesman Blake Zeff was quoted by the New York Sun as saying that
"Senator Clinton is very proud of her support in the Sikh
community."
A key organiser, Bob Virk, was bitter about Clintons' no show and
said he owuld rather collect $1 million for people who will work
with the Sikhs and not for someone who skips events like this. he
said about $500,000 raised so far for the breakfast will have to be
refunded.
he also discounted the talk that the Clintons' visit was put off due
to any security concerns. Significantly, he said the Clintons may
not have liked the idea of appearing in public with people who wear
turbans and sport beards.
"We're a minority group. We wear turbans. … They don't want to see
Hillary Clinton with people wearing turbans and stuff," he was
quoted by a newspaper as saying.
It is possible that the Clinton campaign wanted a safe distance
after some negative media over her fund-raising in the Chinese
immigrant community.
Anyway, it seems unlikely that the Secret Service had anything to do
with cancellation of the visit, if any was planned. It is also not
known whether donations would be refunded or about what the senator
was doing on November 18 morning during the time originally set
aside for the Sikh visit.
On Saturday, Hillary Clinton was in Los Angeles and was to speak at
fund-raisers on November 18 in San Francisco and at the Portola
Valley, Calif. Bakersfield is about 90 miles north of Los Angeles in
the San Joaquin Valley, and logistically should have been easy to
reach.
21 November, 2007
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