This article originally appeared in the issue of THE WEEK dated August 24, 2014
Thura U. Shwe, speaker of Myanmar’s House of Representatives, says he is a long-distance student of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. “You taught us this democratic value,” Shwe was heard telling Sushma during her recent trip to Myanmar.
He was referring to an interaction with her in Delhi two years ago, when she told him that in a democracy, rivals must be treated with respect. Shwe is not the only one in awe of Sushma. The ministry of external affairs is enthused by the fact that the new minister is committed to parliamentary debates and is determined to present the ministry’s point of view whenever foreign affairs are discussed. Her exemplary commitment to Parliament, however, means that there are no more relaxed weekends for Indian diplomats.
During the ongoing Parliament session, Sushma has used her weekends to travel in the neighbourhood, so that the debates in Parliament do not suffer.
Sushma is a hard taskmaster and wants her team to be fully prepared, and speak the harsh truth, if necessary. “Whether with US Secretary of State John Kerry, who had to discuss the complicated US-India ties, or the special envoy from China, Wang Yi, who was informed about India’s irritation about stapled visas for Indian citizens from Arunachal Pradesh, Sushma has been speaking plain truth to top-level foreign visitors,” says a government source.
Vijay Jolly, convener of the BJP's foreign cell, says Sushma never allows anyone to slow down. “She prepares for all meetings thoroughly. She is a perfectionist by nature and will prepare for official meetings by reading policy briefs in great detail, often summoning unexpected and long meetings of her team and throwing dinner for them.”
Diplomats say all external affairs ministers bring their style and brilliance to the office, but Sushma has brought a unique feminine touch.
The touch was visible during her trip to Dhaka in June when she was received by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with a bear hug. “The Bangladeshi PM obviously has known her for several years and such friendships help in conducting difficult discussions between neighbours,” says Veena Sikri, former Indian high commissioner in Dhaka.
Sushma reciprocated with a sari that she had personally selected in Delhi. The sisterhood approach to diplomacy, say South Block sources, will help Sushma as she reaches out to the large number of women leaders like Sujata Koirala of Nepal and Dipu Moni of Bangladesh and in the world beyond south Asia.
When Sushma was given charge of the MEA, the prime minister also assigned her the ministry of overseas Indian affairs (MOIA), in a move to cluster similar ministries. “This decision made synergy and interdisciplinarity a part of her style, which she used while dealing with the crises in Iraq and Libya,” says a government source.
Sushma, for instance, used money from the Indian Community Welfare Fund maintained by the MOIA to assist the Indians trapped abroad. Sushma caused a flutter in Delhi's power corridors by the manner in which she handled the pro-Hindi policy of the Modi government. She has lightened the MEA's official translations, which used to be in heavily Sanskritised Hindi. Despite her flair for the language, Sushma has maintained a flexible approach in using Hindi, while conducting diplomacy.
Recently, during a meeting with French foreign minister Laurent Fabius, Sushma spoke in English as Fabius chose to converse in the same language. But whenever guests insist on speaking in their mother tongue, Sushma has responded in kind.
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So far, diplomats hint, Sushma has had it relatively easy in the MEA. It may not remain so for long as she wades deep into international diplomacy, which is being overwhelmed by conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, Iraq and potential muscle-flexing across the South China Sea. Next on her agenda are trips to Singapore, which is part of her outreach to Southeast Asia. In September, she is travelling to the US with the prime minister. Also forthcoming are the trips to Moscow and Beijing.
Travel is the easy part, but it remains to be seen if Sushma Swaraj can charm the world with her brand of diplomacy.
