Reginald Dumas is quoted in the Trinidad Express as saying, "I can't think, quite frankly, of any previous example of a head of Government doing something like that in public. It may have happened at some point in some country or the other. I don't know. But I cannot think of anything like this happening before."
The former diplomat and head of the civil service was commenting on the controversy about Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar bowing respectfully to the Indian head of state, Pratiba Patil.
Dumas told the paper it should not have happened and stated that he can't think of something like that happening before.
JYOTI checked and found out that it did.
The former diplomat and head of the civil service was commenting on the controversy about Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar bowing respectfully to the Indian head of state, Pratiba Patil.
Dumas told the paper it should not have happened and stated that he can't think of something like that happening before.
JYOTI checked and found out that it did.
President Obama did it in 2009. He bowed to the head of state of Japan during a visit to that country. Here is a picture of the president bowing, in a country where a low bow is a sign of great respect and deference.
Obama met the emperor and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace on a stop on his nine-day Asian tour that took him Singapore and China.
Obama met the emperor and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace on a stop on his nine-day Asian tour that took him Singapore and China.
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1 comment:
Check the controversy that Obama's bow sparked. It was big and heated and still causes great upset in the US. But it's useless to just be a part of a controversy just because it's controversial. We simply need to clear it up so that there is an easy protocol around it. A simple rule of thumb that outlines how these instances are dealt with. I think the central challenge is understanding the capacity in which one is performing for the particular occasion. Who are you representing and the purpose of the meeting. If the PM went on official business and was representing us all, shouldn't regular diplomatic protocol dictate behaviour. Would it be rude then if a leader of another diverse country omitted to touch the feet of the host? I think the Indian President also seem a bit taken aback, embarrassed by the PM's choice action. The Indian press was also confused by it.
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