Shashi Tharur.....

Shashi Tharur conceded defeat in the election of the UN Secretary General. Although, we may take some comfort in the fact that he was second in the race, but the stark fact is that he lost. One should also not forget that there was one veto against his candidature. This shows that there was some strong opposition by a powerful country to Shashi / India. This is not the failure of Shashi Tharur as a person but of India as well, as a nation.

Shashi Tharur’s credentials as a thinker / writer, as a public relations' face of the United Nations are well known. What then weighed against him?

-That he did not have a political base representing a vocal populace? For example, the Jordanian Prince created a stir within a short time of announcing his candidature. The vote shows that the view of the billion strong nation does not matter as much. ….

-That he was not a minister or a career diplomat?

-Or that he was not perceived to be a strong administrator or a tough and shrewd politician who has to lead the organization through landmine of the interests of the big brothers and which may be a pre-requisite for the troubled times that are expected?

Should India, in the first place, have endorsed the candidature for the post of Secretary General? None of the permanent members of the Security Council vie for that position. The first target for the nation of one billion people should be to get itself on the Security Council. That is the position which India surely deserves and this position is being denied to it.

Does India lack the aggressive spirit and tough leadership to be on the centre stage of the world body? Britain, France, Russia, China and the US all have economic as well as military might. We must get into that position to be heard. Recently, even at the IMF / World Bank meeting in Singapore, India did not get its due. Is India perceived as a soft nation, which can be taken for granted?

India’s economic might is rising due to efforts of our entrepreneurs / businessmen, industry leaders and the working millions. But for sustaining this we should also move towards the forefront of education, technology and innovation.

Secondly, at the political level, unless India can make itself felt, the economic prosperity will be lost. We have a handful of people in politics, in whom we can take price. These few are a notch above the rest in terms of their education, caliber / capability, leadership / statesmanship, integrity & wisdom. The majority of the rest are viwed as corrupt, ill informed, inarticulate, criminalized and not worth mentioning. These politicians spend their energies on mundane matters, inconsequential issues and in-fighting rather than forging consensus and projecting a solid front. This must change….