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A tale of two PMs

If international diplomacy is all about winning friends and influencing people, it's hardly surprising that the Indians are still groping in the dark. The accepted, unstated, official line on this seems to be that given the antiquity of the Indian civilisation, which glorifies so many things that hardly apply in a practical sense -- ahimsa for one, humility for another -- why bother with overstating one's case when the world knows the reality.

Alas, this may have held true at a time when Planet Earth had not been reduced to a global village, when powerful communication tools had not shrunk distance or time. Today, with the information blitz at its peak, if the Indian establishment does not look at recasting its image, at how it presents its case to the world at large, and in particular to the West whose nod we still hanker after, India is in danger of being relegated to the backfoot for eternity.

If that sounds like a Doomsday scenario for the success of India's foreign policy, the worse is yet to come. Pakistan, despite criticism from South Block over its India-centric external affairs, has been at it far better than we, with all our hoary past behind us. Which just goes to prove that you can get away with being a rogue, in life as in politics, if you present your case well.

On my recent visit to Colombo, to cover the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation summit for Rediff On The NeT, I had occasion to see, from up close and personal, how India projects itself to the media. And at no time was the difference between India's and Pakistan's approach blasted home with the impact of RDX than the press conferences of the two prime ministers that followed each other in succession last Wednesday in Colombo, after their much-vaunted summit.

A B Vajpayee was the first to address the media, and this had been announced to the media much earlier. But from the basic point of logistics even, this was a disaster, never mind if the mandarins had a week's time to study the venue and look at the media's and their own convenience. More than an hour before the media had settled down at the hall where the Indian PM was to address them, and hopefully even field questions, the aisles were cleared of presspersons, since they blocked the premier's entry and exit points. This meant that Vajpayee would actually walk through the media, so a rope was quickly strung alongside chairs to prevent the journos from spilling over. I would have expected, given that the organisers had at least a week's notice, they would have planned out details like seating etc earlier itself, rather than wondering about it with minutes to go.

That was only the logistics. The press briefing was a story in itself. Here was the much-awaited encounter with the fourth estate, here was the world media present in full strength, with Betacams and cellphones ready to burst to life. And when a Pakistani official announced that his prime minister's briefing would follow the Indian premier's, not only was it evident that the much-awaited talks had failed, the ante had also been upped for India. It was imperative that the press be won over at this point to the Indian point of view. Yet, what did we have? An uninspiring appearance by Vajpayee --whose very gait failed to project any aura about him -- looking tired and dull. Even as one got used to the idea of a leader lacking vitality, one was struck by the next bombardment. His address to the media held no pleasantries, lasted a whole two minutes, and ended peremptorily. He fielded all of five questions, his answers refusing to cross the one-line barrier.

In contrast, Nawaz Sharief appeared calm, composed, and spoke with apparent conviction and sincerity. His address to the media was a revelation, detailed and delivered with passion. And he took all the media questions -- which is natural, since it had been bowled over by his manner. If the media was reluctant to grill him, throw uncomfortable questions at him, it was understandable -- those are normally meant for politicians who refuse to connect, like Vajpayee for one.

If I was not an Indian, and thus aware of the bleeding Pakistan is imposing on India through its subversive activities in Kashmir, I would have applauded Sharief, been won over by his manner and charm. Alas, not every media person in that room that Wednesday evening was from India, a lot many were from nations who do not see eye with eye with the Indian point of view in Kashmir and other contentious issues. Why duck the issue, and let your opponent score brownie points? What is India afraid of, that our leaders have this compulsive urge to downplay the nation's cause?

My impression in Colombo was that we are yet to awake to the realities of international diplomacy, as it has evolved in the cyber age. Our tools of communication are outdated, our officials steeped in Cold War dynamics, and have failed to grasp the situation. The harsh fact about diplomacy is that the media is an important component, a tool to wage battle. Handled well, as Pakistan does, it can become your ally. Otherwise, it may choose to ignore you, even if your case is right.

There were any number of times in Colombo, during the media's interaction with the Indian powers-that-be, that one felt that the establishment was not taking the media along with it. There were any number of boo-boos that were went unrealised, that left the press cold and untouched. Effective press relations go beyond private briefings to select members of the corps, and I would have expected a media-savvy like the Bharatiya Janata Party, to do things differently now that it is the mainstay of the government. Perhaps the top job needs somebody more forceful...

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Saisuresh Sivaswamy