The Indian media can learn from the American media which continues to be bamboozled and manipulated by Donald Trump.
The Don’s outrageous executive orders, statements and views including those pertaining to voter fraud, the border wall, banning residents of predominantly Muslim countries from entering the US, claiming that NATO is defunct—everyone of these can be pigeon-holed into one of three categories—a smokescreen (voter fraud, “torture works”), future bargaining chips (“NATO is defunct”) and genuine measures (border wall, banning residents from predominantly Muslim nations). All of these were promises he ran his campaign on and for once, a politician is living up to them or threatening to, and ironically there are widespread protests.
There is one common theme, however, that seems to run through most of his edicts: It is the ability of each one to invoke ‘shock and awe’.
That is by design. It is intended to ensure the media spends precious time feeding itself on fodder that the Don wants them to, rather than unravelling matters he knows that could possibly impeach him. The media fell prey to his outrageous comments and dismissed the Don as having no chance of winning the nomination, let alone the presidency.
This should make the Indian media wary. Persons dedicating themselves to public service must be required to come clean in matters of personal financial history and be transparent in all dealings to assure the public that their money is not adding to anyone’s personal coffers. The public servant’s ‘time’ too, must remain, for the most part, transparent to ensure that the country’s security and national interests are not compromised.
These thoughts should naturally bring one to ask how Rahul Gandhi escapes to his secret getaways, without the Indian public knowing where he goes, who he sees, what secret rendezvous he has in Swiss cafeterias and European caverns. After all, there is a likelihood (hopefully remote) that he may end up occupying the highest office in this country.
It is up to the media to ensure that he does not lay himself open to compromising India’s national security interests by acts that may come back to haunt the nation on matters of national security and interest. The Congress cannot shield Rahul by saying “he is just like any other citizen and is entitled to a vacation”.
NO! He is not like any other citizen, and we Indians are entitled to know what he does and where he goes on vacations or otherwise, to preserve our freedom and way of life.