>When I decided to yield to my family’s wish to make Singapore our permanent home, I thought I could leave Canadian politics behind me. However, it is not as easy as it seems…. So here’s my dig on Harper.
Canada offers Suu Kyi citizenship
OTTAWA: Canada on Monday invited Myanmar’s newly freed democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to visit and accept honorary citizenship there.
The invitation was extended by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who voiced hope that Suu Kyi would come to Canada at an “appropriate time” but recognised that she was now focused on work inside her country, also known as Burma.
“Canada is proud to have stood firmly with Aung San Suu Kyi and those working for Burmese democracy for these many years,” Harper said in a statement inviting her to “personally accept” her honorary citizenship.
Harper asked the regime to “engage in a meaningful, inclusive dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratic and ethnic leaders to ensure a better future for all Burmese people, in which their fundamental rights are respected and their long-held desire for the restoration of democracy is realised.”
Most Singaporeans know who Suu Kyi is. They also know her background. So there’s no need for introduction.
As for Canadian PM Harper, here’s a little about him. To start, he’s not very popular among many Canadians. More so for big city folks like those from Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Many Canadians consider him too far right for comfort.
Canada has always been open towards accepting migrants. Even those with refugee status. Refugee claims in Canada—Who can apply
Canada offers refugee protection to people in Canada who fear persecution and are unwilling or unable to return to their home country. People who are subject to a removal order cannot make a refugee claim.
It is obvious Suu Kyi falls under this category. It is interesting that an “honorary citizenship” has been extended by Harper (on behalf of the Canadian people – yeah, Harper thinks he’s above the law and therefore is able to offer citizenship like how a Ruler King does?) to Suu Kyi. Why the need for that, when Canada has provision for her to be accepted as a PR?
I can’t help feel that Harper is trying to make a political statement. Well and good, if he wants to help Suu Kyi. But an “honorary membership”? Isn’t he getting Canadians involved politically? That may be a good thing, considering Suu Kyi’s record to fight for human rights. But it does seem odd that all this while, Canada itself is complicit in human rights abuse, noting that it has been in Afghanistan, killing and abusing civilians there.
Many Canadians, like Americans, do not support the war. It is their governments who are sending troops there. The world sees countries who are involved in the massacre and bloodshed as greedy nations who are only after the OIL $$$. Hence, these war hawks and war mongers, who feel they need to redeem themselves and wash the blood off their hands, resort to “compassionate deeds”, helping parties from the third world.
This extension of “honorary citizenship” by Emperor Harper is nothing more than a hypocrisy, used as a tool, to divert Canadians from the fact he has blood on his hands in Afghanistan. This hypocrisy found among Western nation leaders and high profile individuals is so common.
Here’s a post I made more than three years ago. It is about how the West uses the misfortunes of the Third World, to redeem themselves from the atrocities they commit. Institutionalised Discrimination (Part 2)
