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PNM should apologise to the Women of T&T
Posted On 14 Aug 2018
As a Hindu Woman, I found it quite insulting and offensive to see a picture of a woman in a yellow sari being disrobed by two men dressed as gorillas being featured on the front page of a daily newspaper. This was part of a skit which played out at the PNM family and sports day last Sunday in Chaguanas.
It became worse as the PRO of the PNM, Minister Stuart Young chose to defend the actions by saying they were having “a little fun” and in no way should be taken as an attack on the Hindu Community or on women in general.
There are so many things wrong with these statements from the new poster boy for the PNM.
Minister Young’s statements clearly showed his ignorance and disrespect of the religious beliefs of Hindus. The story of the disrobing of the sari off the body of Draupadi by a gambling king to pay a debt and the intervention by Lord Krishna to save her by creating a never-ending disrobing symbolises the reverence society should have for womankind.
The PNM in promoting and defending a skit depicting a woman being disrobed and attacked also mirrors present day society and how accepting we are of abuse and violence against women.
When we have leaders allowing and defending actions meant to offend and insult all women then we are sending a message to our children that it is okay for our women to be abused and disrespected. Sadly the citizens of T&T should not expect much from the Keith Rowley government when it comes to protecting our women against abuse and domestic violence.
I continue to see misogyny, intolerance, disrespect and arrogance propagated by the ignorant PNM leadership.
As public opinion continues to weigh heavily against the PNM led government on this issue, I call upon the Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley to apologise to the Hindu community and all women of Trinidad and Tobago for allowing the PNM party he leads to choose aspects of the Hindu religion depicted through a skit to score cheap political points and to attack and disrespect all women in our nation.
