THE GLIB PERFORMANCE OF THE KIELBURGERS

Watching the glib performance of the Kielburger brothers before a House of Commons committee on Tuesday left me wondering whether I was the only one who felt cheated. Conned, not as in white-collar crime, but witnessing how a couple of handsome young men could fool so many in so short a time.

I wondered how Iqbal Masih, the murdered 12-year-old Pakistani Christian slave, would say about their performance. After all, it was Masih’s murder on Easter Sunday in Pakistan on April 16, 1995, that triggered the path taken by Craig Kielburger.

Brothers Kielburger exhibited what appeared to be self-righteous arrogance wrapped in the fake humility of those who, despite amassing millions, act like humble servants of the poor. Their demure and coy humility escaped all except those who have mastered the fine art of using philanthropy to build a cult-like following among the rich and famous.