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The Straits Times (Singapore)
A 'walking encyclopaedia' on the United Nations
But being an insider, can he be the 'new broom' needed to sweep clean the UN's tainted image?
by Ravi Velloor | June 24, 2006
NEW DELHI - DR SHASHI Tharoor's normal good looks were slightly marred earlier this week by a nick on his left cheek, acquired while shaving on a transatlantic flight.
Mumbai columnist Malavika Sanghvi had complained in print that he was too handsome to be considered for the United Nations Secretary-General post, and his face required a flaw, joked the 50-year-old candidate for the job.
'So, I probably subconsciously arranged for the cut to happen.'
Last week, New Delhi named him as its candidate for the position to be vacated by Mr Kofi Annan, the diplomat from Ghana who steps down at the end of the year.
Dr Tharoor, who has worked for the UN since gaining his PhD at the age of 22, was executive assistant to Mr Annan before being appointed UN Undersecretary-General for Information.
The London-born Indian diplomat and author is the fifth Asian to emerge in the ring in a year in which it is widely expected that an Asian will be picked to lead the UN.
Others in the running are South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki Moon, 62; Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai, 47; Sri Lanka's Jayantha Dhanapala, 67; and Timor Leste's Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta, 56.
Dr Tharoor's nomination, which has come fairly late in the day, could indicate that New Delhi is not too optimistic about winning a seat on the UN Security Council. Instead, it would be happy to have a Secretary-General of its choice.
Dr Tharoor does not agree. 'The two are totally separate issues,' he told The Straits Times in an interview conducted partly in his suite and partly in a limousine ferrying him to appointments in New Delhi.
Being a walking encyclopaedia on the UN, the only organisation he has ever wanted to work for, Dr Tharoor will not be drawn into discussing his chances.
Usually, the veto-holding members of the Security Council agree on a candidate, and then present their choice to the General Assembly for endorsement.
Britain, Russia and France are not expected to present any problems. China says it is Asia's turn to have a Secretary-General but whether it will support Dr Tharoor is uncertain.
The US, however, does not think it is Asia's turn and has been silent on the nomination.
It is difficult to believe that Dr Tharoor, who works closely with the Security Council on a day-to-day basis, may not have revealed his intentions to the ambassadors on the council before his nomination was announced.
'The government of India and I, myself, would not be here without getting some positive indications.
'I would certainly hope no countries stand in our way. But that does not mean other countries may not have candidates some countries may prefer. I don't think the list of candidates is by any means complete.'
Critics will say that a new broom is needed to sweep clean the UN, which has been rocked by controversies over waste and bureaucracy.
Dr Tharoor, on the other hand, is the quintessential insider. Besides, UN chiefs have customarily come from smaller nations.
Dr Tharoor pointed out that Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali was from Egypt - by no means a small nation. As for being an insider, he said, there is no one better-placed to know the system's flaws and how to make it work.
Profile
Dr Shashi Tharoor was born on March 9, 1956, in London.
An Indian national, he has worked all his life at the United Nations and is the author of several acclaimed books.
He was educated at Campion School, Mumbai; and St Stephen's College in New Delhi. He was a champion debater in his undergraduate days and head of the student body at St Stephen's.
At 22, he was awarded a PhD by the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in the United States.
In 1978, he joined the UN, serving with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Between 1981 and 1984, he headed the UNHCR's Singapore office during the Vietnamese 'boat people' crisis.
Since October 1989, he has been a senior official at the UN headquarters in New York where, until late 1996, he was responsible for peacekeeping operations in the former Yugoslavia.
From January 1997 to July 1998, he was executive assistant to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
In July 1998, he was appointed director of communications and special projects in the office of the Secretary-General.
In January 2001, he was appointed by Mr Annan as interim head of the Department of Public Information.
On June 1, 2002, he was confirmed as the Undersecretary-General for Communications and Public Information of the UN.Dr Tharoor is the author of numerous articles, short stories and commentaries in Indian and Western publications, and the winner of several journalism and literary awards, including a Commonwealth Writers' Prize.
Fond memories of Singapore
Dr Tharoor headed the UNHCR office in Singapore at the height of the Vietnamese 'boat people' crisis. Sharing some of his views on the city-state, he said:
'Singapore is a small state only in a literal sense. It is not small in its vision or impact on the world. It is not small in its aspirations and, I must say, I was struck by its generosity and the rapidity (with which) it responded to the humanitarian crises in Aceh and in Java.'
'My twin children were born eight weeks premature in Kandang Kerbau Hospital. If they had been born anywhere else, they might not have survived. The excellent care by doctors in K.K. (helped them survive). I see my children very much as a gift of Singapore.'
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