Gurbax misses the memo (I)

Liberal MP Gurbax Singh Malhi spent the first 26 years of his life in India.  He attended  Punjab University, earning a BA in Political Science, English, and History.

Actually, I'm a bit confused by that.  The CBC profile states that he has a BA in all three disciplines:

Education: BA in political science, English and history, Punjab University

His own website is a bit more modest:

Mr. Malhi earned a Bachelor of Arts Political Science at Punjab University in India. He was editor of the English section of the university's student magazine.

No mention of history at all.  In any case, I can't quite figure out where he might have gotten his degree in the first place.  According to Wikipedia, there is no "Punjab University", but there are four institutions to which this could refer.

• The Punjab Agricultural University does not offer History or Political Science in the College of basic Science and Humanities
• The Punjab Technical University does not offer courses in these disciplines, or even a Bachelor of Arts degree, just a B.Sc.
• The Punjabi University does offer degrees in History, English, and Political Science.  But the only English course offered is at the Master level.  The same is true of the courses offered by the history department and political science department.
• The Panjab University is much the same - degrees in History  and Political Science are only conferred at the master's level or higher.  There is an undergrad English degree, but it is a B.Sc., not a B.A.

But this is not about where Gurbax Singh Malhi got his degree and what his degree is actually in. This is about how a university-educated person born and raised in India can claim to have no understanding of the symbols of the Tamil Tigers:

A Toronto-area Liberal MP was criticized Thursday for speaking at a rally on Parliament Hill surrounded by flags bearing the militaristic emblem of the Tamil Tigers, a banned terrorist organization in Canada.

A video posted on YouTube shows Gurbax Singh Malhi, MP for Bramalea-Gore-Malton, telling demonstrators waving Tamil Tigers flags that, "I'd like to let you know I'm helping you guys. I'm behind you because you are fighting for a right cause."

The protesters then chanted: "Freedom fighters, Tamil Tigers."

During question period, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs Peter Kent said he was "sickened by the pandering of a Liberal member on the front lawn of Parliament to a flagrant display of the symbols of a listed terrorist organization."

Thursday night, Malhi said he had not planned to speak at the rally, but was passing by and decided to say a few words.

He later issued a statement in which he said he regretted speaking at the rally.

"To the best of my knowledge, the group organizing this rally has no history of association with terror or the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE). Although a number of attendees at this rally chose to wave LTTE flags, I did not realize the significance of these flags, nor was I aware that other speakers made statements in support of the LTTE," the statement said.

Did not realize the significance of the flags?  A tiger jumping at you against a red background decorated by crossed assault rifles with bayonets fixed?

Did he think that those were Girl Scout flags?

The flags were flapping in his face, for crying out loud.  And his words spoke of "fighting for the right cause".

If Gurbax Singh Malhi wants to treat the media and the rest of us like idiots and claim to have no understanding of where he was, what those flags were for, or even of what he was saying, so be it.

But I would hope Michael Ignatieff would demand better.  And yet when those Newfoundland and Labrador MPs told Ignatieff to go pound sand when he demanded (and then pleaded for) caucus unity on supporting the budget, Ignatieff caved.

Gurbax Singh Malhi has held his seat for the Liberals since 1993.  I wonder what he'll tell Ignatieff if Ignatieff decides to make an issue of it.  He can either spout the same credulity-breaking story of ignorance, and so treat Ignatieff as a fool, or he can tell Ignatieff to mind his own business, and so treat Ignatieff as irrelevant.

If Michael Ignatieff stays true to form, he'll scowl, perhaps spout some pseudo-intellectual bafflegab, and then do nothing.

National Post (Steve Janke)