The Queen's personal representative in Birmingham, Paul Sabapathy (72), has resigned after making suggestions that the British Pakistanis needed to be taught “basic common courtesy and civility.”
After an email that he wrote regarding the topic, Sabapathy CBE, HM Lord-Lieutenant of West Midlands, quit the post he held since 2007. The email read, “Pakistanis are lovely people individually. But there is a lot of work to do to teach them basic common courtesy and civility.” It further said, “They talk to themselves and do not engage with the wider community. They are living in the UK not Pakistan. Whilst being rightly proud of their Pakistani culture and heritage, they need to explain better and engage with their non-Pakistani brothers and sisters if they want their children to succeed as British Pakistani citizens.”
Paul Sabapathy, the first non-white person chosen to be Lord-Lieutenant, later regretted the mail and expressed his rue when approached by the media. He said, “I wish to apologise unreservedly and wholeheartedly for the offence I have caused to the Pakistani community and others, by the contents of my private email. I have today written to all those who received my original email to express my sincere sorrow and regret. I have asked for their forgiveness in the hope that my comments do not damage relationships between the many communities of the West Midlands.”
“There is not one iota of prejudice on my part and I am deeply sorry for the upset I have caused and I offer my sincere and heartfelt apologies. It has been a privilege to be the representative of Her Majesty the Queen and to serve the communities of the West Midlands for the last eight years. Having given the matter deep consideration and in the light of my wife’s ill health I have decided to stand down as Lord-Lieutenant of West Midlands to spend more time with my wife.”
His comments are understood to be prompted by a group of 20 Pakistani men who were talking during his Pakistani Independence Day speech.
Buckingham Palace issued a statement saying, “We understand that Paul Sabapathy has informed the Cabinet Office of his decision to step down from his role as Lord-Lieutenant in the West Midlands. The Royal household would like to acknowledge the tremendous work done by Mr Sabapathy since his appointment in 2007 to support the work of the royal family and to bring together and work with the communities in the West Midlands.”
