With this Sonia Gandhi controversy I am tempted to see what you guys feel about this imp question, I am personally against any foreign person holding the highest post and representing my country. I respect Sonia as a person and as a citizen of India but I would want a foreign person to become head of my country.
Would you allow a foreign person as head of your country?
- Thread starter Deepak
- Start date
I've voted yes - after all, the majority of the Indian people voted for the Congress Party and Gandhi was the putative head of this party and expected to become President if elected.
I'm not sure how old you are Deepak, but I'd guess that Sonia has been living in India longer than you have? (i.e. since before you were born). If you spend the vast majority of your life in a country other than that of your birth, I believe you can consider your allegiance to be the place which is your home.
In any case, as an Englishmen, there have been many 'foreign' Prime Ministers here (Scots, Welshmen...
).
Ultimately, if the majority of the electorate are willing to vote for someone, they must deserve to be elected. That's the whole concept of democracy etc. etc.
I'm not sure how old you are Deepak, but I'd guess that Sonia has been living in India longer than you have? (i.e. since before you were born). If you spend the vast majority of your life in a country other than that of your birth, I believe you can consider your allegiance to be the place which is your home.
In any case, as an Englishmen, there have been many 'foreign' Prime Ministers here (Scots, Welshmen...
).Ultimately, if the majority of the electorate are willing to vote for someone, they must deserve to be elected. That's the whole concept of democracy etc. etc.
If the person is a "foreigner" only by name, then why not. I would not want someone who hasn't lived in the country their entire life though.
Mariner said:In any case, as an Englishmen, there have been many 'foreign' Prime Ministers here (Scots, Welshmen...
Scots, Welsh, English, Irish....basically all are same, same culture, same language....etc..I wonder if French will accept an English or a German or even Russian (ethnic) as President or vice-versa.
She or Congress party didn't win majority not even close. Both Congress and BJP won 140 odd seats with a diff of only 4-5 between them.
I repect Sonia as a citizen but PM of a country represents his/her country and I would not like a *non-Indian* to hold that post.
id love to run for president of the US. but need the constitution to be changed so that foreigners could be elected. Im all for this.
Deepak said:
U might want to rephrase that....
If she can do more good to the country than an Indian PM, where's the problem? It's not like your own Indian politicians are doign a great job at it anyway... *ducks*
Deepak said:Why?
How would u feel if i just went: "oh well, indians, pakistanis, kashmiris, bangladeshis all look the same to me, they MUST be all the same..." :|
That is purely hypothetical, how does one know if she can do more good to the country? By that logic US should *govern* all developing countries
Of course it's purely hypotetical, I'm saying that if ONE PERSON can do good for one country, better than the current politicians are doing, why would u care if he or she wasn't "born" in the same country... As long as the person spent a great deal of time in the country, anything else is borderline racism.
london-boy said:
Hey Kashmiris are Indians
. BTW, Welsh, English, Irish, scots etc have no enemity among themselves like we Indians, Pakistanis or Bangladeshis have. Infact thats why Uinted Kingdom is a confederation of England+others.To simply put An English would prefer a Welsh or Irish citizen than to an Indian or Pakistani citizen to takeover as British PM. There are several coutries which bar foreign born citizens from holding the highest office like US (dont know about England)....
One single person cannot do anything. Unless the system changes nothing will change.
Deepak said:Hey Kashmiris are Indians
To simply put An English would prefer a Welsh or Irish citizen than to an Indian or Pakistani citizen to takeover as British PM. There are several coutries which bar foreign born citizens from holding the highest office like US (dont know about England)....
One of my best friends is from Kashmir and if u try to say she's Indian, she'll have a go at you.
Ireland IS another country. They also have another language. Just like Wales which has a different language.
So the analogy is the same.
Some scots and welsh's won't like it when u refere to them as "english". And the irish will just knock u down if u do the same.
Also, ever heard of the IRA? enough conflict there to satisfy your other argument about there not being "conflicts" between us.
Then why worry about the nationality of the head of state then? why care who to vote altogether?
U're contradicting yourself, Dippy...
Deepak said:Hey Kashmiris are Indians
Despite how it might appear to an outsider there's actually rather of lot of needle between the (so-called) Celts and the English. It has been know to result in little scuffles and various fisticuffs over the past 1000 years.
I've no problem with a foreign leader, so long as they understand the country. It's rather like in football, in fact...
A decade ago you'd have never see a foreign player in an English football team. It was unheard of. Now, English players in top teams are the exception rather than the rule. Five years ago you would never have seen foreign managers of an English football club. Now, most of the top managers are foreign (or, at least, not English). Even so, nobody would have thought the England national team would have a foreign manager - now we do.
Football has learnt that you pick the best person for the job, regardless of origin. Sometimes you have to swallow your national pride and except this.
A decade ago you'd have never see a foreign player in an English football team. It was unheard of. Now, English players in top teams are the exception rather than the rule. Five years ago you would never have seen foreign managers of an English football club. Now, most of the top managers are foreign (or, at least, not English). Even so, nobody would have thought the England national team would have a foreign manager - now we do.
Football has learnt that you pick the best person for the job, regardless of origin. Sometimes you have to swallow your national pride and except this.
Deepak said:
Well, actually, I'll prove you wrong here!
I'd be perfectly happy for any of the above to be Prime Minister here in the UK as long as they had lived here for a long time and made a commitment to the country i.e. gaining citizenship/having a family here.
I dare say many others wouldn't feel the same, however. I don't think where you are born is important - it's how you live your life and act in general that counts.
Deepak said:She must be from PoK then
I doubt if a British or a french or a chinese or Japanese or Thai or Russian would accept an ethnic Indian (or anyone else) born in these respective countries to be PM/President.
I must say, most people wouldn't want an indian PM here in england. Personally i dont care, as long as he knows what he's doing and can lead the country The Way It's Meant To Be Run (TWIMTBR).
