(Trinidad Express) President Paula-Mae Weekes has been chided by citizens over her mispronunciation of several Hindi words during her address at the 2022 Divali Nagar on Wednesday night.
President’s House has yet to issue a response to the debate on social media, with the majority of people expressing the view that President Weekes should have known better, four years into her presidency of a multicultural country.
The President, who attended the fourth night of Nagar festivities in Chaguanas, came under scrutiny after a clip of her attempting to name various sects in Hinduism was posted on social media.
While speaking, President Weekes pointed to the Nagar’s 2022 theme, Hindu Panth (Hindu Denominations), and noted that it highlighted tenets that had “persevered and flourished to the present day”.
The President said Hinduism was Trinidad and Tobago’s second largest religion comprising a number of denominations. The Nagar, she said, was a place in which all could join to celebrate the principle of good over evil.
“While the differences among the sects are apparent in social practices such as weddings, all participate in the observance of Divali, which is at the core of the Nagar philosophy.
“Here, people of every creed and race join in the commemoration of Divali, celebrating the victory of good over evil, light over darkness,” said President Weekes.
But while attempting to name these sects, her pronunciation of the Sanatanist, Arya Samaj, Kabir Panth and Ramanandi Sampradaya denominations was called into question.
The clip of President Weekes speaking has since garnered thousands of shares over the past day, and mixed responses. Many citizens questioned why more effort was not placed in correcting the pronunciation of these names.
“I’m no Minister but in my line of work I make it a priority not to mess up people or organisations names. So what I do before talking with them is simply ask ‘can you please phonetically spell your name for me’.
“If I’m still confused then I ask someone, including the person themselves how to say it properly. Then if during my conversation or presentation I feel like I messed up I generally apologise in advance,” one commenter wrote.
“She should have taken a crash course in pronouncing pertinent Hindi words. It would have shown an appreciation of another culture,” another said.
“At least she could have asked someone to teach her the proper pronunciation, she is the President of this country, this does not look good,” another wrote.
“Bad attempt? She is the President of our country speaking of one of our biggest religious holidays. She couldn’t have proofread it beforehand and practised the proper pronunciations?
“A little respect goes a long way,” another said.
The other view
Others, however, defended the attempt by President Weekes, stating the substance of her speech should be noted.
Pundit Satyanand Maharaj wrote, “While I am sure she deserves every ounce of criticism for being a well-educated citizen of Trinidad and Tobago and should know better especially as the President of the Republic, the reality is that she too is a victim of the religious and racial divide that separates Trinidad and Tobago.
“In her speech she also made some other errors which I will chalk up to poor lighting at the podium.
“While many seek to find fault in her pronunciation, the substance of her speech was heartfelt and touching, recognising the 177 years of East Indian presence on these twin islands.
“Her outfit was also on point as she made a special effort to dress for the occasion.”
Another wrote, “Don’t look at/study someone’s grammar, but at the message that is being delivered. Too often people are just looking for a reason to cry down someone. I really don’t get why that’s so necessary.”
The Express yesterday attempted to contact President’s House for a response, but none was received.
