Responses to “A Case for Secretary General Bolton”
Yashanvitha says:
July 31, 2006 at 1:06 pm
Maatha Amritanandamayi(Ammacchi - universal mother) is an outsider as well as a woman who is more humanitarian aswell as divinitarian than Angelina Jolie to succeed Mr. Kofi Annan.She has been awarded with Millenium Peace Prize from UN & adored as God’s love in human body!!! She would be definitely an ideal UNSG.She can sweep & wash the hearts of predominantly male dominated voters at UN who seem to be definitely suffering with hyperactivity of prostaglandins.Ammacchi may handover all the responsibility to her son-Dr.Shashi Tharoor & smilingly transform the kiss of death into embrace of life with her generous electrifying divine hugs to all male voters.
Responses to “Four strikes and you’re…”
.Yashanvitha says:
July 9, 2006 at 5:36 am
Who ever it may be, whether it is Maleeha Lodhi,Chirag,Niranjan Adithya,Banki moon, Dhanpala…..So the list may go on innumerably. They may all be good friends to their people & nations since 50 yrs,but Dr. Tharoor can be a best friend to their nations & people within 05minutes!!!
Tharoor is a person with extreme concerns for the situations he sees around him in this world.He truly do not deserve the harsh blames in any angle. Bcos he is a person who do not judge anyone harshly.He seem to be cool, but one should look at the turmoils of a human mind with many global concerns by reading his poetry named -How to sleep-advice to a officialdom.All candidates must read this little poem before contesting infront of him. UN members should not be blindfolded to look at his deep commitment to UN from his both professional as well as personal life for 28 yrs.Look at this amazing child who is standing infront of the UN, respectfully asking the support to serve it in a better way,a child who started reading books at the age of 3 & grew up with the global spirit to work only for UN objectives!.He once quoted Wordsworth lines -”What is the use of life full of care, if he don’t have the time to stand & stare!”He went on sending the cables at his UN office during nights, without coming home, just because, it would cost for the other end during the day! Can anyone judge & imagine a person with high moral & spiritual back up?
All these yrs, he went on uplifting the UN’s image in the public eyes by asserting -” We need to reform the UN, not bcos it has failed , but it has succeeded enough to invest in it.”Now its the time for UN members to honour his global spirit saying-”We need to support & co-operate Mr. Tharoor, not because he is handsome,but he has succeeded enough to be dynamic, democratic, diplomatic future UNSG with deep dedication to UN for the next decade”.
It is only when the politicians of developed & developing nations come out of their selfish shells to embrace the beauty of our global belongingness & interdependence on each other, UN can be blessed with secular governance.So politicians who have the records of serving in any one particular National politics should be strictly prohibited from being nominated for the SG post.
Thom Kingswell says:
July 11, 2006 at 1:06 pm
I find the first comment very interesting. Dr. Yashanvitha heaps praise upon India’s star candidate, Mr. Shashi Tharoor, while in the same breath damns the involvement of “national politics.” There are few candidates more strongly involved with their nation’s politics and government; this man wrote the book(s) on it!
I also have some concern about Mr. Tharoor’s American ties. I realize that his extended work at UNHQ in New York (and overall 28-year US residency) would, of course, “Americanize” his family to some degree - but his kids seem to be rather involved with domestic political activism, such as the Centre for American Progress! See http://www.campusprogress.org/…/campus-progress-2005-2006-s…
Finally, regarding the rather entertaining exchange in the second and third comments, I agree that Niranjan Deva-Aditya would be an excellent candidate for United Nations Secretary General, but I can’t agree that he is not an Asian. Does anyone question that Sashi Tharoor is an Asian? If you look Deva’s cv ( http://www.nirjdeva.com/international) you see that his family are all in Sri Lanka, his property and business interests are in Sri Lanka, he is regarded as “Vishwa Keerthi Sri Lanka Abhimani,” by the Buddhist clergy in recognition of his services to Sri Lanka. In fact, all he has outside Sri Lanka is his house in Brussels and his wife. - Oh, and he is also Ambassador-at-Large for Sri Lanka.
Yashanvitha says:
July 14, 2006 at 6:32 pm
I completely agree with Thom Kingswell’s comment on my heaps of praises on Dr. Tharoor.To find some more heaps, hope u r reading my other responses posted previously. There is a difference of earth & sky to relate politician & an incredible author we are commenting here.Writing about a Nation is all about studying about the infrastructure of its culture, history & essence.He has not written a book on India, bcos he is an Indian, but bcos India is a land of unity in diversity as supreme divinity.Studying about India is studying the wholeness of different culture,not only in different worlds, but in different universes.It is like interpreting the level of baking grain by analysing one grain under the microscope.India is the anglo name of the Nation. Its original Sanskrit name is Bharath(Bha means Supreme Divine Light,Rath means Chariot for the Supreme Divine Light).Bha also mean Alimighty God,Rath also mean in in loving bondage. King Vrishabha was ruling the whole world. Whole world was behaving as one nation Anjanaabha.King divided the land into seven continents & gave individual authority to his seven sons. Eldest among them was Bharath,whose name was automatically adopted to his continent, as all other brothers were so much in love with their most noble eldest brother ,that they took pride in saying they are related to him. Not only his brothers, but all the common people of the whole world felt proud to be related to Bharath as a King, as a Land. Today,Dr. Tharoor is standing infront of the world,representing Anjana bha as well as Bharath(India).
In response to the post-Kiss of death at UNSG.ORG.
The only names considered today were those which had received a formal nomination by a member government. A source at the French mission mentioned that Niranjan Deva, a member of the European Parliament but with strong ties to Sri Lanka, attempted to get a meeting with Ambassador de la Sabliere as President of the Security Council, but was firmly rebuffed.
Yashanvitha says:
July 26, 2006 at 11:18 am
Niranjan Deva was firmly rebuffed….Well done! But why Ban ki Moon is given the kiss of death? He is still very kiddish.Let him survive.Dr. Tharoor is the blazing Sun.Why to bring the torchlight from outside when Sun is inside the UN?No one is better positioned than Mr. Tharoor to understand the infrastructure of UN & make it work spontaneously with new reforms. Dr. Tharoor can survive with the kiss of death,because he knows how to embrace Life & transform darkness into light.India is a land which had taught to its sons & daughters, how to rcv the coming tomorrows.Since aeons, every morning, Mother India wakes up with her children’s determination to walk towards truth from untruth, to walk towards light from darkness, to walk towards Immortality from Death.Sons & daughters of Anjanaabha (World) & Bharath(India) feel proud to join their every step with Mr. Tharoor in this 21st Century.In Sanskrit, we the people, as one world chant the essence & purpose of human life in the evolution of this globe.Our prayers & blessings are still with Mr. Tharoor to transform the kiss of death into embrace of life to the whole world.
Asathoma Sadgamaya
Thamosoma Jyothirgamaya
Mrithyorma Amrithangamaya
Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi
Yashanvitha says:
August 17, 2006 at 5:58 am
Dear Right Runner,
It is very obvious that u need the correction.Innocence & ignorances are not the excuses.If u r concerned about Tharoor’s postings out of NY,why can’t u study his Singapore boat crisis management ect. ect.Sometimes ignorance is bliss ?Is it so dear Right Runner:)?
There is a proverb which would suit here.”The sinner,even if he goes to the ocean, he would still find the water level only below his knee.”
Nationality is not the issue here, from India,Indians or from Mr. Tharoor himself.He has defined his nomination as India’s national offering to the world.When Indians offer flower to God, it means that it belongs to God, no more to the self.People often offer their art & skills, but Tharoor has offered himself to the world,with or without India’s intervention.Then where is the question of Nationality?Yes,it becomes the issue if he is not promoted or given priority among the nominees,just bcos he is an Indian, neglecting his contributions to the people, the world to whom his life had made a positive difference & UNO.Suppose, if he had happened to be US or UK citizen,then US & UK would have promoted him with lots of pride.The question of national identity,self importance, self promotion wouldn’t have rised then?
World Light Federation says:
August 22, 2006 at 7:56 am
If there were any meaningful, visionary, sensefilled responses to the articles of unsg.org since past two month’s, it was Dr. Yashanvitha’s.But if any one cannot digest the humorous way of presenting certain subtle deeper truths,that need to be reaffirmed at this stage of UN & world, to bring new awareness,they can utilise their rights to be in the darkness & ignorances without reading it, rather than branding as nonsense.If it was nonsense, it would have been removed on the day it was posted.It was removed bcos some have allergy to the deeper true meanings & alternative wise interpretations of the word SELF,INDIA ect.
Salim Lone’s article & Dr.Yashanvith’s responses were truly eye opener in upholding the humanity & future welfare of the globe to whomever Shashi Tharoor’s candidacy seem to be a reason to humiliate India.I think Dr. Yashanvitha was trying to tell from the beginning that Dr.Tharoor’s exrtaordinary eligibility & dedication to UN should be kept in mind,although being an Indian,Hindu,Insider,not involved in his national politics are supposed to be positive, additional plus points to effectively execute justice to the post.Any wellwisher of this world, would have supported Mr. Tharoor even if he was a citizen of Shri Lanka, Korea,Pakisthan,Afghanisthan or any other nations,for all the commitment & dedication he had already proved for the post of unsg.Hope unsg.org gives the glimpses on Salim Lone’s comment on Shashi Tharoor’s candidacy.
But looking at the present situation of unsg selection process,it seems, it is better for Mr. Tharoor to dedicate & focus on something more worthy organisations like One World Family,We The People,than United Nation’s Organisation in future.Whether he wins or loses,it is the victory for him, bcos world has discovered the humble, diplomatic,global leader who has diamond ideas for the 21st century of this world.UN may not need his mind, but world needs his mind.Bcos,we the people,know the value of the world transformation his mere presence would bring, by acting as adhesive tape to keep the Nations united.
Shashi Tharoor’s words,Salim Lone’s article,Yashanvitha’s responses reminds me about Naustradamus predictions about Shri Aurobindo Ghosh’s prophetic intutions about 21st century’s united world.We look forward to hear their voices & words echoed in the world.
World Light Federation says:
August 22, 2006 at 9:12 am
To dispell all the misunderstandings to readers,
I think insult was triggered,when Mr. Shashi Tharoor’s self esteem & self respect was attacked.Abusing words like’nonsense’ to any reader’s individual opinions in their own rights was not appropriate.Earthly qualifications can be realised only if anyone is having the enlighned visions at U.N.O.Otherwise it would be like taking the humanity to the hell rather than saving from it.
One Response to “Zeid comes in!”
Insha Allah from WLFsays:
September 6, 2006 at 7:21 am
Salam Alekum unsg.org
God willing, Prince should aim at becoming Presiding King, but not for the race of UN secretary g.
Experience is the hard teacher, she gives the test first & lessons later. So one who is not only just familiar with UN, but one who has full hand knowledge & experience with UN through out his lifetime would be an ideal candidate to give reasonable amount of required authority to run the organisation,irrespective of religion.No one understood the job & described the job better than Tharoor in his article-Impossible Job & in his answers to the questions from NGOs.
If religion is playing role, then ethically,not only geographic regional rotation becomes the felt need of few,but religion rotation too becomes essential to many in future.
The next unsg, really need to be above all the religions & regions.But thats hard to get as she or he has to be born in some region or some religion on this earth.So filling the job should not be based on one’s birth or passport.But it should be based on the experience which moulds & refines the individual ideology.Religions are essential just like boats, buses to reach the shore or destinations. But after reaching the shore or destination one need not sit in the same boat or buses.He can take the flight to be universal with deep concerns for all religions & regions to see the beauty of unity in diversity.Tharoor’s books were the reflection of having felt & experienced this beauty of unity in diversity.Tharoor’s life & records are the reflection of such universal concerns.In the next crucial 5 yrs world is deeply in need of such universal concerns above the religions & regions.
Bcos u have asked-what r u thinking,
I was thinking about the funny side of this selection process as I read the news.
Joke is
Sacrificial lamb would have been the right nominee to run in the race for unsg as it goes to Allah directly with its eye open.
Next unsg has to be accountable not only for human rights of 192 nations, but also for Animal rights! So he need to be purely vegetarian!
He would be accountable for the Mother Earth,Mother Nature with this growing threat of Global warming.So his life style should be totally eco- friendly.
Only Tharoor repeated & reaffirmed Gandhi’s quote -”We must be the change”
Prince nomination would fail to send constructive signal to the Muslim world, bcos Muslims are not that weak.They do not have the insecurity.They are already in the high positions around the world.Neither Catholics,Hindus nor Buddhist have the insecurity.
A true Muslim is one who finds his security with Allaha,not with the positions.A true Hindu is one who has deep tolerance for all the paths that lead to Allah.A true catholic is one who radiates divine love to all faiths.A true buddhist or Jain is one who has deep respect for the rights of all life.
Only & only Tharoor is all in one among all other nominees!
Kudha Afeece
7 Responses to “Ban firms up lead in second Straw Poll”
mathew says:
September 14, 2006 at 11:56 am
Now that the second straw poll too has shown unenthusiastic support for the candidacy of Dhanapala and Surakiart, it is time Thailand and Sri Lanka dropped out of the SG race gracefully. These two countries could uphold the solidarity of the Non-aligned Movement should they now decide to rally behind India’s candidate.
Mother Earth from WLF says:
September 14, 2006 at 5:45 pm
Yes Mathew.My inner voice too says,it is the high time for everybody to make way for Tharoor…They have forgotten the basic ideals & aspirations with which UN was founded.They have forgooten that UNO means Organisation to bring interaction with Governments, not Government itself to make way for Prime ministers of any particular nation to the post of UNSG.They have forgotten that 28 yrs of proven commitment & dedication of Tharoor is more valuble than the timely expression of gratitude from Ban ki Moon.Democracy must respect the individual freedom to express their encouragements,but that scope of freedom need not bring disrespect to the Justice itself!
(comment edited by admin to remove off-topic content)
HelenJC says:
September 14, 2006 at 6:34 pm
There is really zero chance that Shashi Tharoor will eventually be appointed Secretary-General. Some countries may not care, but my country (UK) will not be able to vote for a man so closely associated with the massacre at Srebenica.
Add to that everything the US says about management reform and ST’s own record at DPI and you have a man who cannot be elected.
He has strong positives but the negatives cannot be overcome
MZ says:
September 15, 2006 at 1:36 am
wait a minute, HelenJC. You’re making it sound as if Tharoor was somehow involved in the massacre, when all the journalists who’ve seriously studied Bosnia have had the highest praise for his integrity and principle on that whole affair. Read David Rieff’s, David Rohde’s or Chuck Sudetic’s books on the subject. And don’t forget Tharoor worked for Kofi Annan at the time, and the UK, an architect of the “safe area” policy, had no diificulty voting for KA twice over….
As for management reform, what Tharoor has done at DPI — transforming a sclerotic bureaucracy into a streamlined and purposeful Department — is a huge asset, hardly a negative. If Shashi Tharoor is not elected, it will be despite his outstanding record, not because of it.
panda77 says:
September 15, 2006 at 3:54 am
I think the international community should seriously give Shashi Tharoor the chance to prove himself in the race to the SG of the UN. Tharoor is not only the best candidate at this time but more importantly he has the vision necessary for the UN. He has helped the UN gain its credibility again. One has to look only at his experience in peacekeeping, human rights, and more recently Department of Public Information which he transformed it from being a discredited section to a respectable one. Tharoor has the highest credentials among all the remaining candidates, he has given his life at service of the UN for nearly 30 years and has always believed and supported this institution. Unfortunately, it seems again that the Security Council will play by power politics. Again and again this method of choosing the next SG is not very transparent. As a citizen of the world, I just do not think it is appropriate to say that the next SG will be decided by the decision of countries currently in the Security Council. Why should Peru or Slovakia or Ghana or even others decide on this? This again calls for the Security Council to reform, to include new permanent powers like India and Brazil. It is unfair to allow 15 countries to recommend “one candidate”. That is archaic and opaque. The Security Council should send the names of 3 candidates at least to the General Assembly and let them decide. Furthermore, it calls for the civil society, the academics, the NGOs and everybody else to be more involved in the process of choosing the next SG. It should not be some politically backed diplomat whose country enjoys good relations with big powers to get the job. It should be someone who has impeccable credentials, someone who knows the UN from inside, someone who is charismatic and vibrant, someone who could give this boost to the UN, someone who is committed to the UN, who is a skilled diplomat as well as someone possessing good management skills, someone who speaks clearly and in a powerful manner. Someone who is also comes from a country who supports actively the United Nations, big or small it does not and should not matter. In that respect, I see only Shashi Tharoor fulfilling these requirements. If geographical factor matters, then I think Helen Clark would not necessarily be an “Asian Candidate” - although it could be good to have a woman to head the UN, but not just any. New Zealand is nothing close to Asia, it is more European than Asian. As for Mr. Goh Chok Tong, I do not see him as the perfect candidate either, he is not a skilled diplomat, has never given in on the Micheal Fay affair (where the American kid was canned for having vandalised some cars) and I seriously question Singapore when it comes to Human Rights, no matter how sophisticated and Westernised the country can be. There are other names that are worth mentioning like Kemel Dervis, but again he is doing well at the UNDP so let him be there. He is an economist and that is not enough to head the UN. As for Vike Freibarga, she is from Eastern Europe and I do not see the Russians giving in on her. She is the iron lady and that can help. It comes down again to “Who is the right candidate?”. Without a doubt, it is Shashi Tharoor of India.
Mother Earth from WLF says:
September 15, 2006 at 5:24 am
Hello anybody can define what is offtopic contents?My words were not off topic contents. They were bitter truths which were difficult to be swallowed.This website was existing since Jan.There was no change in this site.But still it rcvd the elevation to golden standard only ‘these days’ when so assumed off topic insights from Mother Earth,Insha Allah,Worldlight & Dr.were hosted with courage,but removed with a purpose! We are ready to pay the price for our dareness to declare the truths as it is,without being twisted, at this stage of UN.
World Light Federation(WLF) says:
September 15, 2006 at 12:22 pm
Ooof Helen JC.Your country may not be able to vote for a man with Kohinoor(Mountain of Light) Diamond mind,but can keep the India’s Kohinoor on your Queen’s head!
No one truly responded to NGOS Questions as quickly as Tharoor.If others had understood the job, they wouldn’t have sent their nomination for this post.Probably, they are studying about the job from Tharoor’s answers & then claim it as their answers!
Kohinoor Diamond as we all call Shashi’s positive mind has only one negative ie Tolerance like Mahaathma Gaandhi!
UNSG post should be given to those candidate who can lead while fasting without food & water for the maximum days like Mahathma Gandhi,along with the proper career experience, service to UN.Bcos there are millions of children without food & medicine.It is the primary duty of unsg to see that all the children in this world are fed before he takes the food.So y not keep this race or criteria for selection rather than the encouragements?Think about it seriously.
Tony Fleming says:
September 15, 2006 at 12:42 pm
Actually, Jayantha Dhanapala returned a completed questionnaire before Tharoor. This however should not be taken to diminish Dr. Tharoor’s committment to transparency and his shared promptness in responding.
I do think it is unjust however to accuse the other candidates of studying his responses and then attempting to claim them as their own, both to Dr. Tharoor and to the others.
Let us judge the candidates on their own individual merits, not on some spiritual perception of enlightenment WE might have of them. Such is what constitutes “off-topic” speculation.
Mother Earth from WLF says:
September 16, 2006 at 8:42 am
This is ridiculously dumb mathew.same or different,Yashanvitha had a voice to speak out the truth.World light has a vision! To me ,mathew & Tony seems to be the same ‘offtopics’ sideliners.Being there at right time, at right place,with right words for the right mission like guardians of this planet is not at all offence.common man, be active.Enough rest u have enjoyed.
Dear Tony, spiritual perception of enlightenment would have been necessary to judge the merits of candidate only if their answers were not enough.Dhanapala might have completed it before Tharoor, but not as efficiently as Tharoor,moreover it was hosted only after Tharoor’s.Ban ki Moon didn’t bother to answer! So there are every chance of judging him to be studying.No one is accusing on any candidates as per your spiritual enlightenment. If readers don’t have to judge & leave their reponses on “on topic” realities, then why this site is existing with this headline?
Peter says:
September 16, 2006 at 10:25 am
What is it with Tharoor’s cyber supporter or supporters? He is not a credible candidate in this race. As Helen above notes, he has no chance of winning. And his qualifications? Sorry, but being Kofi Annan’s bag carrier and PR hack for a couple of decades does not count for all that much in my book. His supposed greatest achievement is reorganizing the UN’s Department of Public Information. Big deal! It’s the most substantively irrelevant unit of the UN bureacracy. Good for making media contacts, but that is all. Sure, voters in the Security Council don’t want to offend India so they are not knocking him out yet, but don’t mistake that for any serious support.
MZ says:
September 16, 2006 at 10:58 am
I’ve tried to be objective in my posts but Peter’s comment makes me feel more partisan than I am — reducing Shashi Tharoor’s years in humanitarian work for refugees and peacekeeping to “Kofi Annan’s bag carrier and PR hack” is so unfair as to be offensive to any fair-minded person. A glance at the man’s bio will show that his work in DPI began only five years ago, and he’s running on a 28-year record. What does Mr Ban offer — a lifetime in the service of Korean diplomacy! How does that make him more “credible” than someone who knows the UN and has actually worked for the world, not for his country?Can we focus on the real issue here? We have a choice between a man whose intellectual gifts, reputation for professionalism and record of international service makes him more qualified than almost anybody who’s ever run for the job, and a Foreign Minister who’s never done anything but work for his own government and who will put the world to sleep the moment he appears on TV. What’s better for the UN? Hold on a minute — maybe that’s why the latter is the frontrunner!
Peter says:
September 16, 2006 at 11:13 am
MZ - “years in humanitarian work for refugees” - sorry, but when I read the bio I see he had a middle-level job for UNHCR for a couple of years - a few thousand others could claim just as much distinction. And peacekeeping - not so, unless you call being Kofi’s exec assistant peacekeeping work (then again, maybe it was…).
I hold no brief for Ban Ki-moon, whose candidacy is of course more a matter of geostrategic manouvering than personal qualities, as these things always are.
Insha Allah from WLF says:
September 16, 2006 at 12:18 pm
Peter- Why can’t u send your bio? Everybody can discuss & decide whether u are eligible & worthy enough to be a unsg’s bag carrier,PR hack & eventually to run in the race to be a next unsg?
Dare u say DPI is irrelevent unit just for media contacts.
Shashi & UNSG posts are made for each other. Public is interested to attend & observe IDPeace vigil every year,only bcos of Shashi, not bcos of the security council.
I shall come with my world peace flag only if Shashi is unsg in the next coming yrs.Otherwise we are not interested to cooperate with UN in any way.
Already public chase us, moment we speak about UN messages!
Thats the reason why Tharoor keep saying to media to uplift & defend its dignity:”We need to reform the UN, not because it has failed, but it has succeeded enough to invest into it”
He never lets down UNO.But we have always seen UNO letting him down with its own power game.
UNO IS NOT INDESPENSIBLE TO THIS WORLD ANYMORE, BUT THAROOR IS INDESPENSIBLE TO THIS WORLD.
With such humanitarian,universal man’s spirit world can give birth to another UN
And there are many N.G.Os & publics around the world who agree with me.
Rights runner says:
September 18, 2006 at 8:48 am
I respond, somewhat late, to a comment by MZ in August. Thank you for sharing more information on Mr. Tharoor’s experience outside of headquarters. I had read some weeks ago his CV on this site several times and there is indeed ref to Bosnia but it was not clear (at least to me) that he was based in the region. Thank you for the clarification. Do you know how many years of his total 28 years with the UN have been spent in field posts, and which ones they were?
On my other points - that Mr. Tharoor has something of a reputation for being self-serving and even arrogant: these are very subjective comments drawn from a limited pool of people ive spoken with. MZ you clearly respect him and i accept that my own impressions here may well be wrong. His Cv suggests that he is exceptinally bright and has huge capacity for work - in terms at least of output. I hear his novels are very good, and that he has been able to publish so much while doing a full-time job is extraordinarily impressive. My impression, nevertheless, in comparing his CV with that of a number of others in the race or on its margins, is of someone who has not been driven by a burning desire to improve the world about him, but has rather followed a track that was smooth and fast rising. I have little doubt that he is competent in terms of doing things and understanding things. But i personally would like the world to have a Secretary-General who we admire and for whom we have deep respect, whose principles have been unquestioningly demonstrated by his/her life actions. Someone whose ideal UN staff will think of when they take physical risks. The UN cannot rely on great power to shape events, but must instead rely on great statesmanship and the esteem in which the Secretary-General and the Organisation are held. I can think of, for example, three Pakistani ladies who have had prominent UN roles - a former head of the UNFPA (who has now ruled herself out of the SG race), and Ms. Hina Jilani and Ms. Asma Jahangir. I give these three just as examples of people from the region, who are women (as many have noted here, it is high time the post was held by a woman), who are eminently capable, very experienced politically and intellectually, who have had semi UN roles (representing the Secretary-General, …) and whose life work has shown their commitment to the issues at the heart of the UN Charter - including commitments to equality, to non-discrimination and tolerance, to inclusion, to the rights to life and … The latter two have both been imprisoned on many occasions for their work and are internationally respected. Ms. Jilani. for example, has, I read, received awards and recognition from the Blegium, German and French Parliaments, and from President Clinton, among many others. She has repeatedly gone from holding high level positions and then back to grass-roots work, showing clearly her commitment to the issues and not to herself. There are many other Asian men and women whose CVs suggest they are far far more deserving than Mr. Tharoor of this post and would, i believe, do much more to inspire the world and steer the UN forward.
MZ says:
September 19, 2006 at 3:57 pm
Thanks for this thoughtful post, Rightsrunner. I think the question is what exactly you think qualifies someone to be SG. It’s not one of who “deserves” the position — being SG is not a reward for courageous human rights work. It’s about running an organization, projecting it to the world, and defending its principles, while being Chief Administrative Officer of the UN. I’m sure Hina Jilani will herself agree that Shashi Tharoor is more qualified to do these things than she is (I believe they know each other well).
Rights runner says:
September 22, 2006 at 2:47 am
Good reply MZ. You-re absolutely right about the ‘deserving’ issue, and also the question you ask about what qualifies someone to be SG. One can imagine a hypothetically very principled person who is an awful manager. While pleading a certain ignorance, my (perhaps illinformed) feeling is that the UN can be ‘managed’ by the Deputy SG, and that the organisation needs at its head someone who first and foremost is respected without question.
I feel that Kofi Annan has been able to steer the organisation through a period that has been politically very risky for the organisation - he managed to stay close to principles but while also holding the organisation back from taking too great political risks. While my impression is that this was the right thing to do over this past period I also feel that the dynamnic is now changing and that the UN needs to be more assertive in the next few years. Assertive in the sense of taking strong stands on principle and international human rights law, taking pre-emptive stands where this can save lives; being more willing to strongly and publicly express views divergent from those of the Security Council if necessary. For these types of tasks, the organisation needs someone with a very finely tuned political capacity, but also someone who is deeply respected by States and the public. I would instinctively expect to find this latter characteristic in someone who has done a good deal of grass roots work in difficult conditions, who is very much respected by civili society, but who has also gained the respect of Governments. Its not easy to find these sorts of Mandela-like characteristics in a single person.On UN SG Election process.
pls note :Ban ki moon won just by 2 votes more than Shashi Tharoor's 10 votes despite being within the national politics n minister of the cabinet of his nation.
Yashanvitha says:
July 31, 2006 at 1:06 pm
Maatha Amritanandamayi(Ammacchi - universal mother) is an outsider as well as a woman who is more humanitarian aswell as divinitarian than Angelina Jolie to succeed Mr. Kofi Annan.She has been awarded with Millenium Peace Prize from UN & adored as God’s love in human body!!! She would be definitely an ideal UNSG.She can sweep & wash the hearts of predominantly male dominated voters at UN who seem to be definitely suffering with hyperactivity of prostaglandins.Ammacchi may handover all the responsibility to her son-Dr.Shashi Tharoor & smilingly transform the kiss of death into embrace of life with her generous electrifying divine hugs to all male voters.
Responses to “Four strikes and you’re…”
.Yashanvitha says:
July 9, 2006 at 5:36 am
Who ever it may be, whether it is Maleeha Lodhi,Chirag,Niranjan Adithya,Banki moon, Dhanpala…..So the list may go on innumerably. They may all be good friends to their people & nations since 50 yrs,but Dr. Tharoor can be a best friend to their nations & people within 05minutes!!!
Tharoor is a person with extreme concerns for the situations he sees around him in this world.He truly do not deserve the harsh blames in any angle. Bcos he is a person who do not judge anyone harshly.He seem to be cool, but one should look at the turmoils of a human mind with many global concerns by reading his poetry named -How to sleep-advice to a officialdom.All candidates must read this little poem before contesting infront of him. UN members should not be blindfolded to look at his deep commitment to UN from his both professional as well as personal life for 28 yrs.Look at this amazing child who is standing infront of the UN, respectfully asking the support to serve it in a better way,a child who started reading books at the age of 3 & grew up with the global spirit to work only for UN objectives!.He once quoted Wordsworth lines -”What is the use of life full of care, if he don’t have the time to stand & stare!”He went on sending the cables at his UN office during nights, without coming home, just because, it would cost for the other end during the day! Can anyone judge & imagine a person with high moral & spiritual back up?
All these yrs, he went on uplifting the UN’s image in the public eyes by asserting -” We need to reform the UN, not bcos it has failed , but it has succeeded enough to invest in it.”Now its the time for UN members to honour his global spirit saying-”We need to support & co-operate Mr. Tharoor, not because he is handsome,but he has succeeded enough to be dynamic, democratic, diplomatic future UNSG with deep dedication to UN for the next decade”.
It is only when the politicians of developed & developing nations come out of their selfish shells to embrace the beauty of our global belongingness & interdependence on each other, UN can be blessed with secular governance.So politicians who have the records of serving in any one particular National politics should be strictly prohibited from being nominated for the SG post.
Thom Kingswell says:
July 11, 2006 at 1:06 pm
I find the first comment very interesting. Dr. Yashanvitha heaps praise upon India’s star candidate, Mr. Shashi Tharoor, while in the same breath damns the involvement of “national politics.” There are few candidates more strongly involved with their nation’s politics and government; this man wrote the book(s) on it!
I also have some concern about Mr. Tharoor’s American ties. I realize that his extended work at UNHQ in New York (and overall 28-year US residency) would, of course, “Americanize” his family to some degree - but his kids seem to be rather involved with domestic political activism, such as the Centre for American Progress! See http://www.campusprogress.org/…/campus-progress-2005-2006-s…
Finally, regarding the rather entertaining exchange in the second and third comments, I agree that Niranjan Deva-Aditya would be an excellent candidate for United Nations Secretary General, but I can’t agree that he is not an Asian. Does anyone question that Sashi Tharoor is an Asian? If you look Deva’s cv ( http://www.nirjdeva.com/international) you see that his family are all in Sri Lanka, his property and business interests are in Sri Lanka, he is regarded as “Vishwa Keerthi Sri Lanka Abhimani,” by the Buddhist clergy in recognition of his services to Sri Lanka. In fact, all he has outside Sri Lanka is his house in Brussels and his wife. - Oh, and he is also Ambassador-at-Large for Sri Lanka.
Yashanvitha says:
July 14, 2006 at 6:32 pm
I completely agree with Thom Kingswell’s comment on my heaps of praises on Dr. Tharoor.To find some more heaps, hope u r reading my other responses posted previously. There is a difference of earth & sky to relate politician & an incredible author we are commenting here.Writing about a Nation is all about studying about the infrastructure of its culture, history & essence.He has not written a book on India, bcos he is an Indian, but bcos India is a land of unity in diversity as supreme divinity.Studying about India is studying the wholeness of different culture,not only in different worlds, but in different universes.It is like interpreting the level of baking grain by analysing one grain under the microscope.India is the anglo name of the Nation. Its original Sanskrit name is Bharath(Bha means Supreme Divine Light,Rath means Chariot for the Supreme Divine Light).Bha also mean Alimighty God,Rath also mean in in loving bondage. King Vrishabha was ruling the whole world. Whole world was behaving as one nation Anjanaabha.King divided the land into seven continents & gave individual authority to his seven sons. Eldest among them was Bharath,whose name was automatically adopted to his continent, as all other brothers were so much in love with their most noble eldest brother ,that they took pride in saying they are related to him. Not only his brothers, but all the common people of the whole world felt proud to be related to Bharath as a King, as a Land. Today,Dr. Tharoor is standing infront of the world,representing Anjana bha as well as Bharath(India).
In response to the post-Kiss of death at UNSG.ORG.
The only names considered today were those which had received a formal nomination by a member government. A source at the French mission mentioned that Niranjan Deva, a member of the European Parliament but with strong ties to Sri Lanka, attempted to get a meeting with Ambassador de la Sabliere as President of the Security Council, but was firmly rebuffed.
Yashanvitha says:
July 26, 2006 at 11:18 am
Niranjan Deva was firmly rebuffed….Well done! But why Ban ki Moon is given the kiss of death? He is still very kiddish.Let him survive.Dr. Tharoor is the blazing Sun.Why to bring the torchlight from outside when Sun is inside the UN?No one is better positioned than Mr. Tharoor to understand the infrastructure of UN & make it work spontaneously with new reforms. Dr. Tharoor can survive with the kiss of death,because he knows how to embrace Life & transform darkness into light.India is a land which had taught to its sons & daughters, how to rcv the coming tomorrows.Since aeons, every morning, Mother India wakes up with her children’s determination to walk towards truth from untruth, to walk towards light from darkness, to walk towards Immortality from Death.Sons & daughters of Anjanaabha (World) & Bharath(India) feel proud to join their every step with Mr. Tharoor in this 21st Century.In Sanskrit, we the people, as one world chant the essence & purpose of human life in the evolution of this globe.Our prayers & blessings are still with Mr. Tharoor to transform the kiss of death into embrace of life to the whole world.
Asathoma Sadgamaya
Thamosoma Jyothirgamaya
Mrithyorma Amrithangamaya
Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi
Yashanvitha says:
August 17, 2006 at 5:58 am
Dear Right Runner,
It is very obvious that u need the correction.Innocence & ignorances are not the excuses.If u r concerned about Tharoor’s postings out of NY,why can’t u study his Singapore boat crisis management ect. ect.Sometimes ignorance is bliss ?Is it so dear Right Runner:)?
There is a proverb which would suit here.”The sinner,even if he goes to the ocean, he would still find the water level only below his knee.”
Nationality is not the issue here, from India,Indians or from Mr. Tharoor himself.He has defined his nomination as India’s national offering to the world.When Indians offer flower to God, it means that it belongs to God, no more to the self.People often offer their art & skills, but Tharoor has offered himself to the world,with or without India’s intervention.Then where is the question of Nationality?Yes,it becomes the issue if he is not promoted or given priority among the nominees,just bcos he is an Indian, neglecting his contributions to the people, the world to whom his life had made a positive difference & UNO.Suppose, if he had happened to be US or UK citizen,then US & UK would have promoted him with lots of pride.The question of national identity,self importance, self promotion wouldn’t have rised then?
World Light Federation says:
August 22, 2006 at 7:56 am
If there were any meaningful, visionary, sensefilled responses to the articles of unsg.org since past two month’s, it was Dr. Yashanvitha’s.But if any one cannot digest the humorous way of presenting certain subtle deeper truths,that need to be reaffirmed at this stage of UN & world, to bring new awareness,they can utilise their rights to be in the darkness & ignorances without reading it, rather than branding as nonsense.If it was nonsense, it would have been removed on the day it was posted.It was removed bcos some have allergy to the deeper true meanings & alternative wise interpretations of the word SELF,INDIA ect.
Salim Lone’s article & Dr.Yashanvith’s responses were truly eye opener in upholding the humanity & future welfare of the globe to whomever Shashi Tharoor’s candidacy seem to be a reason to humiliate India.I think Dr. Yashanvitha was trying to tell from the beginning that Dr.Tharoor’s exrtaordinary eligibility & dedication to UN should be kept in mind,although being an Indian,Hindu,Insider,not involved in his national politics are supposed to be positive, additional plus points to effectively execute justice to the post.Any wellwisher of this world, would have supported Mr. Tharoor even if he was a citizen of Shri Lanka, Korea,Pakisthan,Afghanisthan or any other nations,for all the commitment & dedication he had already proved for the post of unsg.Hope unsg.org gives the glimpses on Salim Lone’s comment on Shashi Tharoor’s candidacy.
But looking at the present situation of unsg selection process,it seems, it is better for Mr. Tharoor to dedicate & focus on something more worthy organisations like One World Family,We The People,than United Nation’s Organisation in future.Whether he wins or loses,it is the victory for him, bcos world has discovered the humble, diplomatic,global leader who has diamond ideas for the 21st century of this world.UN may not need his mind, but world needs his mind.Bcos,we the people,know the value of the world transformation his mere presence would bring, by acting as adhesive tape to keep the Nations united.
Shashi Tharoor’s words,Salim Lone’s article,Yashanvitha’s responses reminds me about Naustradamus predictions about Shri Aurobindo Ghosh’s prophetic intutions about 21st century’s united world.We look forward to hear their voices & words echoed in the world.
World Light Federation says:
August 22, 2006 at 9:12 am
To dispell all the misunderstandings to readers,
I think insult was triggered,when Mr. Shashi Tharoor’s self esteem & self respect was attacked.Abusing words like’nonsense’ to any reader’s individual opinions in their own rights was not appropriate.Earthly qualifications can be realised only if anyone is having the enlighned visions at U.N.O.Otherwise it would be like taking the humanity to the hell rather than saving from it.
One Response to “Zeid comes in!”
Insha Allah from WLFsays:
September 6, 2006 at 7:21 am
Salam Alekum unsg.org
God willing, Prince should aim at becoming Presiding King, but not for the race of UN secretary g.
Experience is the hard teacher, she gives the test first & lessons later. So one who is not only just familiar with UN, but one who has full hand knowledge & experience with UN through out his lifetime would be an ideal candidate to give reasonable amount of required authority to run the organisation,irrespective of religion.No one understood the job & described the job better than Tharoor in his article-Impossible Job & in his answers to the questions from NGOs.
If religion is playing role, then ethically,not only geographic regional rotation becomes the felt need of few,but religion rotation too becomes essential to many in future.
The next unsg, really need to be above all the religions & regions.But thats hard to get as she or he has to be born in some region or some religion on this earth.So filling the job should not be based on one’s birth or passport.But it should be based on the experience which moulds & refines the individual ideology.Religions are essential just like boats, buses to reach the shore or destinations. But after reaching the shore or destination one need not sit in the same boat or buses.He can take the flight to be universal with deep concerns for all religions & regions to see the beauty of unity in diversity.Tharoor’s books were the reflection of having felt & experienced this beauty of unity in diversity.Tharoor’s life & records are the reflection of such universal concerns.In the next crucial 5 yrs world is deeply in need of such universal concerns above the religions & regions.
Bcos u have asked-what r u thinking,
I was thinking about the funny side of this selection process as I read the news.
Joke is
Sacrificial lamb would have been the right nominee to run in the race for unsg as it goes to Allah directly with its eye open.
Next unsg has to be accountable not only for human rights of 192 nations, but also for Animal rights! So he need to be purely vegetarian!
He would be accountable for the Mother Earth,Mother Nature with this growing threat of Global warming.So his life style should be totally eco- friendly.
Only Tharoor repeated & reaffirmed Gandhi’s quote -”We must be the change”
Prince nomination would fail to send constructive signal to the Muslim world, bcos Muslims are not that weak.They do not have the insecurity.They are already in the high positions around the world.Neither Catholics,Hindus nor Buddhist have the insecurity.
A true Muslim is one who finds his security with Allaha,not with the positions.A true Hindu is one who has deep tolerance for all the paths that lead to Allah.A true catholic is one who radiates divine love to all faiths.A true buddhist or Jain is one who has deep respect for the rights of all life.
Only & only Tharoor is all in one among all other nominees!
Kudha Afeece
7 Responses to “Ban firms up lead in second Straw Poll”
mathew says:
September 14, 2006 at 11:56 am
Now that the second straw poll too has shown unenthusiastic support for the candidacy of Dhanapala and Surakiart, it is time Thailand and Sri Lanka dropped out of the SG race gracefully. These two countries could uphold the solidarity of the Non-aligned Movement should they now decide to rally behind India’s candidate.
Mother Earth from WLF says:
September 14, 2006 at 5:45 pm
Yes Mathew.My inner voice too says,it is the high time for everybody to make way for Tharoor…They have forgotten the basic ideals & aspirations with which UN was founded.They have forgooten that UNO means Organisation to bring interaction with Governments, not Government itself to make way for Prime ministers of any particular nation to the post of UNSG.They have forgotten that 28 yrs of proven commitment & dedication of Tharoor is more valuble than the timely expression of gratitude from Ban ki Moon.Democracy must respect the individual freedom to express their encouragements,but that scope of freedom need not bring disrespect to the Justice itself!
(comment edited by admin to remove off-topic content)
HelenJC says:
September 14, 2006 at 6:34 pm
There is really zero chance that Shashi Tharoor will eventually be appointed Secretary-General. Some countries may not care, but my country (UK) will not be able to vote for a man so closely associated with the massacre at Srebenica.
Add to that everything the US says about management reform and ST’s own record at DPI and you have a man who cannot be elected.
He has strong positives but the negatives cannot be overcome
MZ says:
September 15, 2006 at 1:36 am
wait a minute, HelenJC. You’re making it sound as if Tharoor was somehow involved in the massacre, when all the journalists who’ve seriously studied Bosnia have had the highest praise for his integrity and principle on that whole affair. Read David Rieff’s, David Rohde’s or Chuck Sudetic’s books on the subject. And don’t forget Tharoor worked for Kofi Annan at the time, and the UK, an architect of the “safe area” policy, had no diificulty voting for KA twice over….
As for management reform, what Tharoor has done at DPI — transforming a sclerotic bureaucracy into a streamlined and purposeful Department — is a huge asset, hardly a negative. If Shashi Tharoor is not elected, it will be despite his outstanding record, not because of it.
panda77 says:
September 15, 2006 at 3:54 am
I think the international community should seriously give Shashi Tharoor the chance to prove himself in the race to the SG of the UN. Tharoor is not only the best candidate at this time but more importantly he has the vision necessary for the UN. He has helped the UN gain its credibility again. One has to look only at his experience in peacekeeping, human rights, and more recently Department of Public Information which he transformed it from being a discredited section to a respectable one. Tharoor has the highest credentials among all the remaining candidates, he has given his life at service of the UN for nearly 30 years and has always believed and supported this institution. Unfortunately, it seems again that the Security Council will play by power politics. Again and again this method of choosing the next SG is not very transparent. As a citizen of the world, I just do not think it is appropriate to say that the next SG will be decided by the decision of countries currently in the Security Council. Why should Peru or Slovakia or Ghana or even others decide on this? This again calls for the Security Council to reform, to include new permanent powers like India and Brazil. It is unfair to allow 15 countries to recommend “one candidate”. That is archaic and opaque. The Security Council should send the names of 3 candidates at least to the General Assembly and let them decide. Furthermore, it calls for the civil society, the academics, the NGOs and everybody else to be more involved in the process of choosing the next SG. It should not be some politically backed diplomat whose country enjoys good relations with big powers to get the job. It should be someone who has impeccable credentials, someone who knows the UN from inside, someone who is charismatic and vibrant, someone who could give this boost to the UN, someone who is committed to the UN, who is a skilled diplomat as well as someone possessing good management skills, someone who speaks clearly and in a powerful manner. Someone who is also comes from a country who supports actively the United Nations, big or small it does not and should not matter. In that respect, I see only Shashi Tharoor fulfilling these requirements. If geographical factor matters, then I think Helen Clark would not necessarily be an “Asian Candidate” - although it could be good to have a woman to head the UN, but not just any. New Zealand is nothing close to Asia, it is more European than Asian. As for Mr. Goh Chok Tong, I do not see him as the perfect candidate either, he is not a skilled diplomat, has never given in on the Micheal Fay affair (where the American kid was canned for having vandalised some cars) and I seriously question Singapore when it comes to Human Rights, no matter how sophisticated and Westernised the country can be. There are other names that are worth mentioning like Kemel Dervis, but again he is doing well at the UNDP so let him be there. He is an economist and that is not enough to head the UN. As for Vike Freibarga, she is from Eastern Europe and I do not see the Russians giving in on her. She is the iron lady and that can help. It comes down again to “Who is the right candidate?”. Without a doubt, it is Shashi Tharoor of India.
Mother Earth from WLF says:
September 15, 2006 at 5:24 am
Hello anybody can define what is offtopic contents?My words were not off topic contents. They were bitter truths which were difficult to be swallowed.This website was existing since Jan.There was no change in this site.But still it rcvd the elevation to golden standard only ‘these days’ when so assumed off topic insights from Mother Earth,Insha Allah,Worldlight & Dr.were hosted with courage,but removed with a purpose! We are ready to pay the price for our dareness to declare the truths as it is,without being twisted, at this stage of UN.
World Light Federation(WLF) says:
September 15, 2006 at 12:22 pm
Ooof Helen JC.Your country may not be able to vote for a man with Kohinoor(Mountain of Light) Diamond mind,but can keep the India’s Kohinoor on your Queen’s head!
No one truly responded to NGOS Questions as quickly as Tharoor.If others had understood the job, they wouldn’t have sent their nomination for this post.Probably, they are studying about the job from Tharoor’s answers & then claim it as their answers!
Kohinoor Diamond as we all call Shashi’s positive mind has only one negative ie Tolerance like Mahaathma Gaandhi!
UNSG post should be given to those candidate who can lead while fasting without food & water for the maximum days like Mahathma Gandhi,along with the proper career experience, service to UN.Bcos there are millions of children without food & medicine.It is the primary duty of unsg to see that all the children in this world are fed before he takes the food.So y not keep this race or criteria for selection rather than the encouragements?Think about it seriously.
Tony Fleming says:
September 15, 2006 at 12:42 pm
Actually, Jayantha Dhanapala returned a completed questionnaire before Tharoor. This however should not be taken to diminish Dr. Tharoor’s committment to transparency and his shared promptness in responding.
I do think it is unjust however to accuse the other candidates of studying his responses and then attempting to claim them as their own, both to Dr. Tharoor and to the others.
Let us judge the candidates on their own individual merits, not on some spiritual perception of enlightenment WE might have of them. Such is what constitutes “off-topic” speculation.
Mother Earth from WLF says:
September 16, 2006 at 8:42 am
This is ridiculously dumb mathew.same or different,Yashanvitha had a voice to speak out the truth.World light has a vision! To me ,mathew & Tony seems to be the same ‘offtopics’ sideliners.Being there at right time, at right place,with right words for the right mission like guardians of this planet is not at all offence.common man, be active.Enough rest u have enjoyed.
Dear Tony, spiritual perception of enlightenment would have been necessary to judge the merits of candidate only if their answers were not enough.Dhanapala might have completed it before Tharoor, but not as efficiently as Tharoor,moreover it was hosted only after Tharoor’s.Ban ki Moon didn’t bother to answer! So there are every chance of judging him to be studying.No one is accusing on any candidates as per your spiritual enlightenment. If readers don’t have to judge & leave their reponses on “on topic” realities, then why this site is existing with this headline?
Peter says:
September 16, 2006 at 10:25 am
What is it with Tharoor’s cyber supporter or supporters? He is not a credible candidate in this race. As Helen above notes, he has no chance of winning. And his qualifications? Sorry, but being Kofi Annan’s bag carrier and PR hack for a couple of decades does not count for all that much in my book. His supposed greatest achievement is reorganizing the UN’s Department of Public Information. Big deal! It’s the most substantively irrelevant unit of the UN bureacracy. Good for making media contacts, but that is all. Sure, voters in the Security Council don’t want to offend India so they are not knocking him out yet, but don’t mistake that for any serious support.
MZ says:
September 16, 2006 at 10:58 am
I’ve tried to be objective in my posts but Peter’s comment makes me feel more partisan than I am — reducing Shashi Tharoor’s years in humanitarian work for refugees and peacekeeping to “Kofi Annan’s bag carrier and PR hack” is so unfair as to be offensive to any fair-minded person. A glance at the man’s bio will show that his work in DPI began only five years ago, and he’s running on a 28-year record. What does Mr Ban offer — a lifetime in the service of Korean diplomacy! How does that make him more “credible” than someone who knows the UN and has actually worked for the world, not for his country?Can we focus on the real issue here? We have a choice between a man whose intellectual gifts, reputation for professionalism and record of international service makes him more qualified than almost anybody who’s ever run for the job, and a Foreign Minister who’s never done anything but work for his own government and who will put the world to sleep the moment he appears on TV. What’s better for the UN? Hold on a minute — maybe that’s why the latter is the frontrunner!
Peter says:
September 16, 2006 at 11:13 am
MZ - “years in humanitarian work for refugees” - sorry, but when I read the bio I see he had a middle-level job for UNHCR for a couple of years - a few thousand others could claim just as much distinction. And peacekeeping - not so, unless you call being Kofi’s exec assistant peacekeeping work (then again, maybe it was…).
I hold no brief for Ban Ki-moon, whose candidacy is of course more a matter of geostrategic manouvering than personal qualities, as these things always are.
Insha Allah from WLF says:
September 16, 2006 at 12:18 pm
Peter- Why can’t u send your bio? Everybody can discuss & decide whether u are eligible & worthy enough to be a unsg’s bag carrier,PR hack & eventually to run in the race to be a next unsg?
Dare u say DPI is irrelevent unit just for media contacts.
Shashi & UNSG posts are made for each other. Public is interested to attend & observe IDPeace vigil every year,only bcos of Shashi, not bcos of the security council.
I shall come with my world peace flag only if Shashi is unsg in the next coming yrs.Otherwise we are not interested to cooperate with UN in any way.
Already public chase us, moment we speak about UN messages!
Thats the reason why Tharoor keep saying to media to uplift & defend its dignity:”We need to reform the UN, not because it has failed, but it has succeeded enough to invest into it”
He never lets down UNO.But we have always seen UNO letting him down with its own power game.
UNO IS NOT INDESPENSIBLE TO THIS WORLD ANYMORE, BUT THAROOR IS INDESPENSIBLE TO THIS WORLD.
With such humanitarian,universal man’s spirit world can give birth to another UN
And there are many N.G.Os & publics around the world who agree with me.
Rights runner says:
September 18, 2006 at 8:48 am
I respond, somewhat late, to a comment by MZ in August. Thank you for sharing more information on Mr. Tharoor’s experience outside of headquarters. I had read some weeks ago his CV on this site several times and there is indeed ref to Bosnia but it was not clear (at least to me) that he was based in the region. Thank you for the clarification. Do you know how many years of his total 28 years with the UN have been spent in field posts, and which ones they were?
On my other points - that Mr. Tharoor has something of a reputation for being self-serving and even arrogant: these are very subjective comments drawn from a limited pool of people ive spoken with. MZ you clearly respect him and i accept that my own impressions here may well be wrong. His Cv suggests that he is exceptinally bright and has huge capacity for work - in terms at least of output. I hear his novels are very good, and that he has been able to publish so much while doing a full-time job is extraordinarily impressive. My impression, nevertheless, in comparing his CV with that of a number of others in the race or on its margins, is of someone who has not been driven by a burning desire to improve the world about him, but has rather followed a track that was smooth and fast rising. I have little doubt that he is competent in terms of doing things and understanding things. But i personally would like the world to have a Secretary-General who we admire and for whom we have deep respect, whose principles have been unquestioningly demonstrated by his/her life actions. Someone whose ideal UN staff will think of when they take physical risks. The UN cannot rely on great power to shape events, but must instead rely on great statesmanship and the esteem in which the Secretary-General and the Organisation are held. I can think of, for example, three Pakistani ladies who have had prominent UN roles - a former head of the UNFPA (who has now ruled herself out of the SG race), and Ms. Hina Jilani and Ms. Asma Jahangir. I give these three just as examples of people from the region, who are women (as many have noted here, it is high time the post was held by a woman), who are eminently capable, very experienced politically and intellectually, who have had semi UN roles (representing the Secretary-General, …) and whose life work has shown their commitment to the issues at the heart of the UN Charter - including commitments to equality, to non-discrimination and tolerance, to inclusion, to the rights to life and … The latter two have both been imprisoned on many occasions for their work and are internationally respected. Ms. Jilani. for example, has, I read, received awards and recognition from the Blegium, German and French Parliaments, and from President Clinton, among many others. She has repeatedly gone from holding high level positions and then back to grass-roots work, showing clearly her commitment to the issues and not to herself. There are many other Asian men and women whose CVs suggest they are far far more deserving than Mr. Tharoor of this post and would, i believe, do much more to inspire the world and steer the UN forward.
MZ says:
September 19, 2006 at 3:57 pm
Thanks for this thoughtful post, Rightsrunner. I think the question is what exactly you think qualifies someone to be SG. It’s not one of who “deserves” the position — being SG is not a reward for courageous human rights work. It’s about running an organization, projecting it to the world, and defending its principles, while being Chief Administrative Officer of the UN. I’m sure Hina Jilani will herself agree that Shashi Tharoor is more qualified to do these things than she is (I believe they know each other well).
Rights runner says:
September 22, 2006 at 2:47 am
Good reply MZ. You-re absolutely right about the ‘deserving’ issue, and also the question you ask about what qualifies someone to be SG. One can imagine a hypothetically very principled person who is an awful manager. While pleading a certain ignorance, my (perhaps illinformed) feeling is that the UN can be ‘managed’ by the Deputy SG, and that the organisation needs at its head someone who first and foremost is respected without question.
I feel that Kofi Annan has been able to steer the organisation through a period that has been politically very risky for the organisation - he managed to stay close to principles but while also holding the organisation back from taking too great political risks. While my impression is that this was the right thing to do over this past period I also feel that the dynamnic is now changing and that the UN needs to be more assertive in the next few years. Assertive in the sense of taking strong stands on principle and international human rights law, taking pre-emptive stands where this can save lives; being more willing to strongly and publicly express views divergent from those of the Security Council if necessary. For these types of tasks, the organisation needs someone with a very finely tuned political capacity, but also someone who is deeply respected by States and the public. I would instinctively expect to find this latter characteristic in someone who has done a good deal of grass roots work in difficult conditions, who is very much respected by civili society, but who has also gained the respect of Governments. Its not easy to find these sorts of Mandela-like characteristics in a single person.On UN SG Election process.
pls note :Ban ki moon won just by 2 votes more than Shashi Tharoor's 10 votes despite being within the national politics n minister of the cabinet of his nation.
No comments:
Post a Comment