The role model for politicians: Adm. Nelson

C.G. Moghe ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 11/19/2009 1:09 PM  |  Opinion

Could it be that the ghost of the long dead Admiral Nelson is ruling the current global political scene? How else can one explain the current fashion of world political leaders to turn a Nelsonic blind eye to what every one can see but the powerful politicians?

Admiral Nelson, in the midst of an attack on Copenhagen Harbor (when he was not yet the chief of the British Navy), was asked to retreat, because his bosses were unsure of the outcome of the attack.

The communication, as was the technology available some 300 years ago, was through flags, hoisted atop of the mast of the naval-chief's ship. Admiral Nelson, who had lost an eye in a previous battle, merrily continued the attack, claiming that his (blind) eye did not see the message to retreat. Since he ended up winning the battle, all was well, but the incident spawned the term "Nelson's eye", which now seems to have become fashionable again.

At least that seems to be the explanation to many of the current bewildering global developments.

Just a few days ago, the Afghan Independent Election Commission allowed Hamid Karzai to continue as the president of Afghanistan for a further five-year term, despite inconclusive presidential elections (where extensive fraud was suspected) and washed-out runoff voting.

The world leaders were happy to collectively turn Nelson's (blind) eye to the whole episode and were ready to rejoice "continued support for the anti-Taliban campaign" arising out of the "re-election" instead of insisting on "democratically elected leadership" and declaring the current leadership as illegitimate (as was the fate of many other countries or their rulers) for continuing the aid programs. The overall effect was a waste of some US$300 million, for an "election", which Afghanistan would be getting back in aid in some form or the other anyway.

Admiral Nelson also seems to be active in another part of Asia. In Myanmar, political detainee Aung San Suu Kyi had her house arrest extended by another 18 months in August after a bizarre incident in which a US national swam uninvited to her lakeside home.

A court in Myanmar justified the extension of the detention because apparently she was late in reporting the man to the "authorities" in Myanmar, effectively making Suu Kyi a non-entity for the next elections in Myanmar planned in 2010.

The world is happy turning Nelson's eye to the whole affair of the trumped up extended detention of Suu Kyi, without the Myanmar Junta facing any effective reprisal from any world leader.

Admiral Nelson as the role model also seems to be popular in other continents. The all powerful Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), while successful in ferreting out a number of cases of Corporate Wrong Doing in US, totally failed to spot the activities of Bernie Madoff (causing billion of dollars in losses to a wide spectrum of savvy investors) and yet even after he was arrested there were no reports of heads having rolled at the SEC.

None of the aggressive and ambitious bankers, pushing subprime loans and saddling the world with trillions of dollars of misery, have ever been charged with any wrongdoing.

Massive government bailout support under the guise of "protecting the system", has become the norm not only in the US, but also in Germany, the UK and other European countries, with no attempt to eradicate "irrational exuberance" the basic cause of the current global financial mess. On a larger scale, the all powerful US government seems to have turned Nelson's eye towards the fast snowballing debt mountain and consequent threat to the greenback itself.

Although the British failed to create a base in Indonesia (except for a few years in early 19th century) despite successfully colonizing a vast part of the world, the second term President of Indonesia also seems to be having chosen Admiral Nelson as his role model, at least for now.

When the Indonesian Police accused two deputy chairmen from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Chandra M. Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto, of taking bribes from corruption suspect Anggoro Widjojo, so that he could flee abroad, the actions backfired and revealed an alleged police plot to frame and weaken the KPK.

The President's successful re-lection was at least partially because of the clean image he established as a result of several successful investigations by the KPK, which no doubt generated a lot of enmity for the KPK.

Mounting public pressure and street protests following the justified or unjustified arrest of the two KPK deputy chairmen, also lead to bizarre charges and counter charges being hurled, making it appear that anyone who was anyone was involved in trying to manipulate the system, without it being clear who was framing whom and under whose patronage.

The President, turning a convenient Nelson's eye specifically to the details of the plot and generally to the whole mess, extricated himself by appointing a team to look into the case. The British Empire is forgotten; will Admiral Nelson, a major builder of the empire, make a come back, if not in form, at least in style?

The writer has over 35 years of experience covering several industries, including financial services in Hong Kong and Indonesia.

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