Of
Taufel, Howard And An Apology
By Salil Kader
19 August, 2007
Countercurrents.org
The
second cricket Test match of the recently concluded test series between
India and England played at Trent Bridge was important as it went on
to underline the success that the Indian cricket team has been enjoying
on foreign trips in the recent past. However, the Trent Bridge test
had another noteworthy feature – Australian umpire Simon Taufel’s
apology for handing out Sachin Tendulkar a faulty decision leaving the
batsman nine short of what would have been his 38th Test hundred. Taufel,
who has won the ICC Best Umpire of the Year award for three successive
years, was forthright and honest in admitting that he had made a mistake
in giving Sachin out and ‘denying fans a chance’ of watching
the great batsman in action. This whole episode went on to prove that
even the best can err. And Simon Taufel only enhanced his standing as
an umpire by owning up to his mistake.
On the same day that Simon
Taufel expressed disappointment with his decision, we had another Australian,
the continent’s Prime Minister John Howard, ruling out an apology
to the Indian doctor Mohammad Haneef who was detained on charges of
“recklessness” and “providing support to a terrorist
organisation.” These charges were subsequently dropped as they
were found to be false. This case, which turned out to be a huge embarrassment
for the Howard government’s new counter-terrorism laws, resulted
in Dr.Haneef being held captive for three weeks by the Australian authorities.
Interestingly, the “recklessness” that Dr. Haneef indulged
in by giving his SIM card to his cousin and friend, Dr. Sabeel Ahmed,
is something most mobile users involve themselves in frequently, not
just in India but right across the world. No wonder we had the Aussie
protestors demanding the release of Dr.Haneef carrying placards which
said “I have lent my SIM ... arrest me too!”
As if the detention of Dr.Haneef
on specious charges was not enough, the Australian Immigration Minister
Mr. Kevin Andrews went on to cancel the young doctor’s work visa.
When Dr.Haneef finally left Australia for India , the Australian police
came up with purported transcripts of a chat which he had with his brother
in India , once again raising suspicions that Dr.Haneef had knowledge
of the bombing plots. The allegations continue to flow in – the
latest being that Dr. Haneef links with Al-Qaeda and was using medical
chat rooms to carry out his radical activities. The fact remains that
the Australian Federal Police has not been able to prove any of their
allegations against the Bangalore doctor. Does the Australian government
expect the world to believe that they had foolproof evidence (with more
still to be revealed) but still let Dr.Haneef travel back to India ,
absolved of terrorism charges? One can only describe these late revelations
which raise more questions than answers, as churlish and face saving
measures of an unapologetic Howard government. An apology tendered by
PM John Howard for the manner in which the Australian authorities handled
the Haneef issue, would have gone a long way in assuring not just the
Australian public but thousands of immigrants living Down Under about
the honourable intentions of the Australian government when it came
to the task of tackling the menace terrorism.
The Haneef issue brings to
mind the diplomatic row which erupted because of the delay in issuing
a US visa to Prof. Goverdhan Mehta, former director of Indian Institute
of Science, Bangalore . In order to settle the issue the US Ambassador
to New Delhi , Mr. David Mulford not only ensured that the hurdles in
the path of an early issual of visa to Prof. Mehta were cleared, but
also offered an apology to the Indian scientist for the inconvenience
caused. In doing so Mr. Mulford upheld the gentlemanly traditions that
diplomats representing their countries have established over centuries.
Mr. John Howard could learn a thing or two in the art of diplomacy from
Mr. Taufel and Ambassador Mulford.
* The writer teaches History
at the Maulana Azad National Urdu University , Hyderabad
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