Nacala ku tal dhagcas The post from Lorraine suggests that the Canadian Vice Consul in Kenya “is a woman named Liliane Khadour, who is said to be an Egyptian Canadian.” Lorraine adds that “to the entirely unproven extent we are dealing with any kind of racial animus at all — what we are allegedly confronting is not White-on-black racism, but Arab-on-black racism (the same kind of racism behind the extermination of hundreds of thousands of blacks in Darfur).”
Lorraine then quotes someone named Raza as saying “the actions of Liliane Khadour, who is said to be an Egyptian Canadian, must be seen in context of widespread racism against Black Africans in the Arab World. “There is clear evidence that Black Africans are ill treated by Egyptians and racism against Blacks is widespread in the Arab world. We hope any investigation by Ottawa into the actions of Liliane Khadour will take such racism into account. Other officials involved in this incident should face a reprimand that will serve to be a deterrent to any other consular official who brings their racist views to the workforce.”
This may all well turn out to be true and it needs to be thoroughly explained who appointed Liliane Khadour and how or if she had shown racist biases before this case.
However, notwithstanding the need to examine policies and procedures in our embassies and consulates, none of it excuses Harper and Cannon and the do-nothing Reformers. When news of Ms Mohamud’s situation first became public, either Harper or Cannon should have picked up the phone and taken action immediately. If reporters from the Toronto Star were able to get the whole story, the entire weight of the Canadian government could have resolved the issue in a matter of a couple of days and the government could have brought her home immediately.
Yes racism has operated in this case – that is so obvious to everyone with a brain larger than a pea that the scramble has begun to find someone behind whom the government can hide. Clearly some bureaucrats in Canada’s office in Kenya will bear responsibility and so they should but their political masters are by far the most culpable. They stood by and did nothing – indeed this week, six days after her DNA proved conclusively that Ms Mohamud is who she has claimed to be, the Harper government has dragged its feet and done nothing to bring Ms Mohamud home.
Lawrence Cannon, the minister responsible, has been hiding in his riding, afraid to talk to the press and afraid to be seen in public except at tightly controlled, scripted events in his riding. A loose Cannon or a lost Cannon, or both?
Governments are responsible for the actions of every part of government and for every single action taken by bureaucrats. While no government can stop racist behaviour on the part of its bureaucracy, it can act swiftly and surely to root out racism wherever it rears its ugly head. Or not.
There is a principal in law that if you are part of a group doing harm and you do nothing, then you are as guilty as those actively taking part in the wrong. In the actions or lack thereof of this government, Harper and Cannon have taken on the mantle of racism. Given the outrage felt by decent Canadians across the country about the Mohamud case, there no doubt will now be a huge effort at damage control and we can expect to see “guilty” bureaucrats thrown under the bus as fast as they can be fitted out as lambs for the slaughter.
But it does not matter – it does not change things. Harper and Cannon and this entire government are the ones we need to come for when the guilty are called for.
And the Liberals and Ignatieff and the NDP and Jack Layton, should receive long sentences for abject negligence in not fulfilling their role as Opposition Leaders. It is their job to hold the government accountable and to call national attention to grievous government dereliction of duty. Both have been silent. Shame on both of them and shame on their parties as well.
collapsed it is to see bantus or any other nationality abusing Somalis..
