NEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has criticised British prime minister Andy Burnham for considering an apology for Britain’s role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade while leaving out its colonial past.The Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha MP described the omission as “inexplicable and inexcusable”, arguing that Britain must also acknowledge the suffering caused by its colonial rule.Tharoor’s remarks followed Burnham’s announcement that his government would consider issuing a formal apology for Britain’s involvement in the slave trade as part of efforts to strengthen ties with countries in Africa and the Caribbean.In an article published in The Guardian on Saturday, Burnham said Britain needed to confront its “complicated history” to protect the future of the Commonwealth, a grouping of 56 independent countries that largely emerged from the former British Empire.Burnham is scheduled to visit Antigua and Barbuda this week for a meeting of Commonwealth leaders.
Tharoor says colonialism cannot be left out
Responding to Burnham’s remarks in a post on X on Saturday, Tharoor said he had long maintained that putting a monetary figure on the damage caused by British rule was difficult.“But moral atonement for the ravages of colonialism is indispensable. I am glad to learn that Prime Minister Burnham is prepared to offer a formal apology on behalf of the British state for the horrors of slavery. But the omission of colonialism from his apology is inexplicable and inexcusable,” the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said.
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Tharoor’s remarks followed Burnham’s remark over Britain’s involvement in the slave trade.
He also said Britain had never formally apologised for the destruction and exploitation carried out during its colonial rule.“It remains deeply shameful that Britain has never said a simple ‘sorry’ for the loot, pillage, death and destruction perpetrated during the colonial era on millions of innocent victims of British imperialism,” he said.
Burnham pitches for ‘honest conversation’ on slavery
In his article, Burnham said countries affected by the trans-Atlantic slave trade had repeatedly sought an acknowledgement of its lasting consequences.“For years, those members of the Commonwealth affected by the slave trade have asked for an honest conversation about the legacies of slavery,” Burnham was quoted as saying by media reports. “By sticking our heads in the sand, we have damaged the ability of the Commonwealth to function.”Tharoor, who has written extensively about British colonial rule, is the author of Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India. The book examines how British rule led to the systematic exploitation and plunder of India’s wealth.