Opinion Presidential symphonies

Scandals rock French electioneering: Tom and Jerry mudslinging and insult trading are dominating France’s presidential race. Their only TV debate on May 2 turned into a scrap-fight. Socialist challenger Francois Hollande said President Nicolas Sarkozy was irresponsible,using the global economic crisis as an excuse for broken promises. “You lie,you little slanderer!” retorted Sarkozy,saying France is Europe’s only country with no recession since 2009. Both rivals are plagued with scandals. Investigative news website Mediapart,founded by Left-leaning journalists,published an internal Libyan regime document recording an alleged 2006 illegal funding deal of 50 million Euros ($63 million) from Muammar Gaddafi to Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign. Sarkozy dismissed it as “crude forgery” and sued them. Mediapart’s counter-sued him.

Scandal erupted among Socialists lawmaker Julien Dray’s birthday bash at a bar in Paris’ Rue St Denis,historically associated with prostitution. It had invitees including senior Party campaign members and Hollande’s former partner Segolene Royal. Segolene furiously walked out when she discovered the guest list had former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn,accused of sexual assault in New York and currently under investigation for alleged ties to a vice ring. Hollande categorically declared that DSK,earlier slated to be the Socialist party candidate,now “no longer has a role in political life.” DSK on his part has allegedly said that for political gain,agents loyal to Sarkozy had a hand in politicising a sex scandal last May that cost him his job and political future,as per extracts from Edward Epstein’s upcoming book released to British daily The Guardian.

It seems political disgrace is not new in France. President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing in 1975 declared President Jean-Bédel Bokassa of Central African Republic a “friend and family member.” France supported him with financial and military backing as he declared himself Emperor 1977. When his empire fell in 1979,Bokassa went into exile and wrote his memoirs. He claimed he’d shared women with Giscard d’Estaing,and gifted him diamonds in 1973 when he was finance minister. Giscard lost his 1981reelection bid when the scandal broke.

Is the Indian President PRO or priest? India’s also undergoing presidential election in July 2012,but of a very different kind. There’s no direct people’s representation here,the process seems more a monarchical remnant from our colonial past. The difference? Whereas the British monarch comes from family tradition,here,the more puppet-like a candidate appears for the ruling party and its allies,the better his/her chances of getting selected to live in luxury’s lap in the world’s largest presidential palace. Indian politics veers around a few intellectuals in the metros pandering to 20 per cent of the population,while 80 per cent of the country’s poor has no time,inclination or choice to protest against what’s meted out to them in the name of democracy. They come into the picture only when some political party herds them into trucks and buses to show its “numbers strength” in processions in the metros. Politicians are flying back and forth nowadays touting presidential names,confusing people as to whether they’re selecting an actor for bollywood films or the president. The semantic is president,but the activity is public relations as India’s brand ambassador,or as a priest who’s required only for officiating ritual maneuvers for upholding people’s mental satisfaction in a belief system.

As French and Indian presidential symphonies pan out,let’s hope people in the two nations benefit economically and in stature,in spite of political rumblings.

Shombit Sengupta is an international creative business strategy consultant to top management. Reach him at

http://www.shiningconsulting.com