Time to bury the hatchet and move on

THE EDITOR: In the aftermath of the August 10 general election, I have noticed on social media an avalanche of attacks between supporters of the two major political parties that contested the polls.

The attacks slowly escalated from mild discussion to hostility and malicious name-calling, filled with derogatory and repulsive remarks that have the potential to end in injury.

I read where a woman on social media mentioned that “all c------ should be packed into a boat and sent back to India '' That is a classic example of where the racial slurs have reached.

It is truly sad and unfortunate to read all the obscene words and accusations spilling from both sides. It looks like a case of “we against them and they against us.” This is deplorable and certainly unwanted.

But the provocation started way before the election when the leader of one party used words like “Oreo,” “blank,” and the other side talked of “Calcutta ship” and “cheese heads.”

Politicians are culpable and should be held accountable. By their actions they facilitated the hostility and harassment, which some people believe could lead to unrest. Supporters of both sides saw this as endorsing the use of the “C” word or the “N” word.

At the end of the day, whichever party is declared the winner of the majority of seat in the Parliament will form the government and both groups will have to accept it regardless of colour, creed or race.

In order to mitigate the chaos, we should bury the hatchet, cease and desist from race talk and make amends with one another so we can enjoy peaceful coexistence, regardless who becomes prime minister.

JAY RAKHAR

New York