I have always admired Shashi Tharoor, who stood out even in his schooldays in my hometown, Calcutta (Kolkata), when he wrote a brilliant spoof of James Bond which was serialised in the now defunct Junior Statesman magazine. He has won awards as a writer and is said to have been a brilliant aide to Kofi Annan as UN undersecretary general for communications and public information. But I am not disappointed that he pulled out of the race to succeed Kofi Annan yesterday, after coming second in every Security Council ballot to choose the next United Nations secretary general.
Here's a link to Tharoor's webcast after bowing out of the race.
South Korea's Foreign Minister Ban Ki Moon won the latest ballot yesterday like all three previous rounds, so his election is almost certain.
And his election campaign will have done a power of good even if he fails to bring peace to the world like Kofi Annan.
South Korea has pledged millions of dollars in aid and offered other incentives to members of the United Nations Security Council to secure its candidate as the next UN secretary-general, reported The Times last week.
South Korea denied that it was using foreign aid to buy votes in the Security Council.
But even if South Korea used foreign aid to help a South Korean become UN chief, what's wrong with that? As long as the aid goes to the poor, I say that's the way to elect UN chiefs. No UN chief has ever succeeded in bringing peace to the world. This way at least there's some material benefit.
This, of course, means there can never be another Kofi Annan. People from poorer countries can never become UN chiefs if to be elected they have to offer inducements like foreign aid. But, frankly, it's a thankless job which only brings complications. Kofi Annan had problems with the Americans even if it was they who backed him for the job.
Will Ban Ki Moon be able to please all the five permanent Security Council members who now support him? One permanent Security Council member voted against Tharoor though reports are yet to say whether the veto came from the USA, Britain, France, Russia or China. One of them clearly doesn't want an Indian at the head of the UN.
Perhaps, the South Korean is less likely to ruffle feathers than his predecessor. All he has to do is keep his country's biggest trading partners happy. Some of the money could always be used to silence poorer nations with foreign aid.
"Mr Ban announced his bid in February and has since been criss-crossing the globe trying to win support. A month later South Korea announced that it would treble its aid budget to Africa to $100 million by 2008. Seoul then contributed tens of thousands of pounds to sponsor this year’s African Union summit in the Gambia in July, when Mr Ban declared 2006 to be 'the Year of Africa' for South Korea.
"One fortunate recipient was Tanzania, which currently has a seat on the Security Council. When Mr Ban arrived in May he pledged $18 million for an educational programme and also promised to carry out a road and bridge project in western Tanzania. Between 1991 and 2003 South Korean grants to Tanzania totalled $4.7 million. Seoul’s generosity seems to have worked. Elly Matango, the Tanzanian Ambassador to Tokyo and Seoul, said that his Government had decided to support Mr Ban.
"This month President Roh and Mr Ban headed the most senior South Korean delegation since 1961 to visit Greece, another Security Council member. Overseen by hundreds of South Korean businessmen, the countries signed agreements on trade, tourism and maritime transport."
