01 Jul 2014 | Tony Leon | Original Publication: BDlive
Giving the green light to the
Guptas is apparently more easily accomplished than accommodating Clinton, who
has an even-money chance of being the next leader of the free world, writes
Tony Leon
HARRY Truman, the essentially self-educated, plain-spoken and hugely
significant US president at the end of the Second World War and beginning of
the Cold War, observed: "Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are
readers."
He certainly practised what he preached and in his spare time, besides
playing competitive poker, he read ferociously, both biographies and history.
His opposite number at the Kremlin, Joseph Stalin, in between murderous purges
and directing (or interfering) in the military defence of the Soviet Union was
an autodidact of note. Even on the eve of the German invasion of his country,
he was apparently reading military history, with his notes recorded in bold
crayon.
Today’s leadership is cut from a different cloth and has to surf the age
of instant communication, where blogging, Facebooking and tweeting, not to
mention the "selfie", crowd out more contemplative pursuits.
And, in the words of another intellectual leader of note, Francois Mitterrand
of France: "If you want history to remember you well, make sure that you
write it yourself."
Recently retired US secretary of state Hillary Clinton practises both
pursuits and, while her reading list is formidable, her autobiographies are
driven by two impulses: money (she received more than $22m in advances for both
her memoirs) and to advance her political career. She is today the favourite
for the Democratic Party nomination for the presidency in 2016. Her book Living
History did not help secure her the nomination in 2008, but it certainly added
to her bank balance. Her latest offering, Hard Choices, hit the shelves last
month, to a less than ecstatic critical reception. The Financial Times, for
example, sniffed: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that
presidential hopefuls must show their earnestness by writing crushingly dull
books. Anything interesting would jeopardise their prospects. Hillary Clinton’s
memoir is no exception."
The Economist was equally crushing in its review: "Earnest, dull and
self-serving all at the same time … The memoir has the cautious, poll-tested
feel of a campaign speech."
But there are some singular exceptions in this 656-page doorstopper and
one of them relates to SA. To be sure, Clinton spends a few pages paying
exemplary acknowledgement to her encounters with Nelson Mandela, not a
difficult or diplomatic feat. But she opens up with far more candour when it
comes to SA’s contemporary leadership.
Clinton, who has an even-money chance of being the next leader of the
free world, writes: "In some instances, SA could be a frustrating partner
… Presidents (Thabo) Mbeki and (Jacob) Zuma wanted to be taken seriously on the
world stage. That’s what we wanted too … But respect comes from taking
responsibility and sometimes it was difficult to interpret the reasons behind
government actions."
She then relates an extraordinary and hitherto unrevealed back story of
her last visit to SA in August 2012. Bear in mind that this was nine months
before the Gupta wedding saga unfolded on the apron of Air Force Base
Waterkloof — the difference in the reception for the wedding party and the then
US secretary of state’s party is very telling.
In an incident which clearly still rankles, Clinton notes: "In
August 2012, the South Africans refused at the last minute on my final visit to
allow my diplomatic security team to bring the weapons and vehicles they needed
into the country. My plane sat on the tarmac in Malawi, waiting to hear how the
negotiations unfolded … the matter was resolved, and we were finally able to
take off."
Clinton then, perhaps archly, notes: "I was leading a delegation of
American business leaders from FedEx, Chevron, Boeing, General Electric and
other companies, who were looking to expand their investments in SA."
Indeed, at the time of the Clinton visit, trade between the two countries was
valued at about R220bn, and while China had by then overtaken other countries
as SA’s largest trading partner, the US was by far SA’s largest export
destination.
It is unclear from her narrative how far up or down the chain of local
diplomatic command the decision to keep Clinton grounded in Malawi went. In my
own lesser diplomatic experience, these matters are often more cock-up than
conspiracy. Still, I can imagine some official or group of them delighting in
the idea of cocking a snook at the emblematic leader of the world’s remaining
hyperpower, heedless of the reputational damage caused to our sovereign. Giving
the green light to the Gupta wedding party’s unorthodox landing arrangements,
at the same air force base, is apparently more easily accomplished.
Less than two weeks ago, Zuma advised Parliament and the nation that the
government will "embark on various measures and interventions to
jump-start the economy" and particularly render SA more attractive to
investors. Perhaps it might be worth taking a leaf out of Clinton’s book, so to
speak.
• Leon is the author of Opposite Mandela (Jonathan Ball) Follow him on
Twitter: @TonyLeonSA OR on Facebook: facebook.com/TonyLeonSA
No comments:
Post a Comment