Canadian chief is no Gandhi, but hard truths are being revealed
WInspired by the ‘ self- suffering’ love of Jesus, Gandhi’s methodology also seemed more clear than that of Spence, whose actions have unleashed chaos among aboriginal leaders and the Idle No More movement.
hen Mahatma Gandhi engaged in protest fasts against the British occupiers of India, he considered it a spiritual practice of satyagraha, which translates as “truth force.”
Public fasts, like the monthold one engaged in by Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence, aim to prick consciences. As acts of self- sacrifice, they try to goad people in power, such as Stephen Harper, into taking action on uncomfortable truths.
And a lot of truths are coming to light because of Spence’s fast from solid foods, which she says she began Dec. 11. She has drawn international headlines and re- focused Canada’s media and politicians on thorny aboriginal problems.
The trouble is that one of the unpleasant truths rising to the fore appears to be that Spence is no Gandhi. She is showing signs she does not have the South Asian activist’s spiritual and moral discipline.
One disturbing indication is the audit showing Spence’s connection to financial negligence involving millions of dollars at her beleaguered village on the shores of James Bay.
Other indications are Spence’s erratic actions and lack of transparency, including her frequent refusal to engage journalists. Such behaviour does not suggest a person of Gandhi- like maturity.
Then again, there are not many people as upstanding as Gandhi.
There is no use denying the elements of truth embedded in Spence’s sweeping crusade for enhanced aboriginal land claims and an end to environmental exploitation, nor her claims that Canada’s 1.5 million aboriginals have often been abused and shortchanged.
In the realm of civil disobedience, fasting can be a legitimate form of non- violent resistance — a pressure tactic built on personal risk. Fasting kills most people after 52 to 74 days.
Gandhi engaged in 17 fasts over two decades. After 30 days on a diet of tea and fish broth, Gandhi’s body became skeletal.
Gandhi taught that anyone who starts a fast should immediately stop if they detect any signs within themselves of impurity or lack of faith, including feelings of anger or impatience.
Inspired by the “self- suffering” love of Jesus, Gandhi’s methodology also seemed more clear than that of Spence, whose actions have unleashed chaos among aboriginal leaders and the Idle No More movement. Gandhi fasted to accomplish identifiable goals.
Many people in recent years and decades have taken part in protest fasts, ranging from Cuban dissidents to B. C. Doukhobors. Some have proved effective, especially over the long term.
South Africa’s Nelson Mandela fasted while in prison to oppose apartheid. A century ago British suffragettes also fasted. The women were forcefed, to ghastly effect.
Irish independence fighter Bobby Sands took part in a fast in Maze Prison in 1981 that resulted in his death. Even Margaret Thatcher said she admired Sand’s bravery.
A British Columbian woman died during a fast in 1985. Mary Astaforoff, a Sons of Freedom Doukhobor, was in prison for a series of arsons and nude protests. Her self- sacrifice did not gain much public sympathy, however, since her anti- worldly beliefs were to most people incomprehensible.
Highly publicized protest fasts have also been undertaken in the past year in India, Sri Lanka and Turkey. Perhaps the most famous one, by Indian anti- corruption campaigner Anna Hazare, led to the government bringing in tougher legislation.
Some politicians and commentators, including in Canada, have responded to protest fasts by claiming they’re “blackmail.”
But does the label stand up? The Oxford dictionary defines blackmail as the criminal act of demanding money in return for not revealing compromising information about a person. Even “emotional blackmail” is said to involve devious trickery.
The Attawapiskat chief has not brought Gandhi- like moral purity to her fast, to be sure. But it does not seem fair to condemn what she has done as unethical. As much as I would not want to be Stephen Harper in this situation, it’s not illicit to cause people with authority to squirm.
And it’s positive Spence’s actions are bringing unpleasant truths to the fore: that there is a crisis among the country’s aboriginals, many of whom are devastated by alcoholism, poverty, abuse, suicide, illiteracy, financial mismanagement, a victim mentality and bleak prospects.
Things have to drastically change on numerous fronts. Perhaps the largest truth being exposed by Spence’s fast is that there is not just one thing behind the plight of the country’s aboriginals — and the responsibility for fixing it must be shared by both non- aboriginals and aboriginals.