How About An Apology?

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On Saturday evening when we started to watch one the football matches of the FIFA world cup with friends, someone drew our attention to the words written on the center of the field. "Say No To Racism". A discussion ensued. Isn't it ironical that Germany, known for its holocaust, proclaims this today? Why does it feel compelled to do so? Does it want to prove to the world again and again that it is now different from the Germany we read about in history books? Or is it because of the rise of neonazis in the country that it feels it has to declare to the world that the country as a whole is against racism?

Someone else commented that Britain has never apologised for its Imperialism. Never. Why is there this difference? I feel it depends first of all on whether you demand an apology or not. Secondly how powerful the people who demand it are. When it came to Germany, the 'injured party' included the US and the UK. The two countries had suffered extensively during the war and they being two of the most powerful countries in the world, Germany had to beg forgiveness. Someone else pointed out that the Jews are a powerful lobby now. So everyone is careful not to hurt their feelings.

What about Great Britain and its history of colonialism then? Has it apologized to any country it colonised and plundered and to the people it uprooted (including about 1.5 million Indians) and scattered around the world to do its bidding? Has any country demanded an apology? Ofcourse many African countries have. They have demanded reparations and continue to do so with almost no result . Billions of billions will have to be paid as compensations by the US and UK for the slavery alone. What about India? Gandhiji wanted us to part as friends. That was his greatness. But doesn't Britain feel any remorse for all that it did?

Let me quote from "Empire", the recent book of Nial Ferguson who is "The most brilliant British historian of his generation", according to The Times.

"Under British rule, the village economy's share of total after-tax income actually rose from 45% to 54%. Since that sector represented around three quarters of the entire population, there can therefore be little doubt that British rule reduced inequality in India. And even if the British did not greatly increase Indian incomes, things might conceivably have been worse under a restored Mughal regime had the Mutiny succeeded. China did not prosper under Chinese rulers."

!! ....Oh is that why the British went forward and swamped that country with opium? Cool.
He continues.

"The reality, then, was that Indian Nationalism was fuelled not by the impoverishment of the many but by the rejection of the privileged few."

According to him, the English educated Indian elite,

"who aspired to have some share in the government.... and were spurned in favour of the defunct maharajas"

were the ones who fuelled this nationalism. Sad. The rest of the Indian population was quite happy with British Rule.

There. They still discuss it and some even try to make it look good. We don’t talk about it much anymore, let alone demand an apology. Is it unfashionable to do so? We parted as friends, we are all adults now, so why rake up old issues? But I can’t stand and cheer when the same people who committed all those atrocities pose as moral policemen to the world. A voice in me will always ask, ”What about what you did in my country? Have you said sorry for that?" Every time Koizumi visits the Yasukuni shrine for Japanese war heroes, Korea demands an apology (Not that it stops him from visiting it next year). The Koreans are right. How can you let people forget?