PM Cameron’s admission of colonialshame, while short of an apology orreparations to the heirs of thoseslaughtered, is welcome by all who insistthat history must be honest and not a tool ofadded insult to those who were victims ofpast crimes, “monstrous” or otherwise.The rule of law abandoned “trial bycombat” in favor of “trial by jury,” so thatright, not might, prevail.

In a social mediaconnectedworld the “governed” require oftheir respective governments to be “for thepeople,” and every government is charged, ifit is to survive, to strip away false denials ofpast misconduct and help history becomehonest. That core issue, honest history, is apostulatic foundation to the rule of law,mutual respect in the comity of nations and”…to form a more perfect world.”

In Asiaalone, we see the continuing damage ofdishonest history from the “disputedislands” between Japan and China,uncompensated “Korean Comfort Women,”Tibet, Kashmir, and the list goes on.I salute PM Cameron’s genuine remorseon behalf of a nation, as he seeks to havethe sun re-shine on the British isles. Finally,I have felt that the “strategic partnership”between our nation and India needed to bere-calibrated up to a “special relationship.

“I’m jealous that PM Cameron hasannounced his intentions to do so before we,the United States do, and accordingly I callupon Secretary of State John Kerry, whoselegacy has added greatness waiting to berecorded in history as he seeks to re-engagethe Middle East peace process, to cause a”special relationship” between the UnitedStates and the Sub-Continent.”

Ravi Batra
Chair, National Advisory Council onSouth Asian Affairs (NACSAA)
Cell: 914 882 6382