Line between friendship and officialdom

Posted on 10 October 2011 - 04:21am
Last updated on 10 October 2011 - 08:33am

R. Nadeswaran
Citizen Nades

“I entertain by picking brains;
Sell my soul by dropping names;
I don’t like those, my God, what’s that;
Oh it’s full of nasty habits when the b**** gets back.”
THESE lyrics were written by Bernie Taupin for Elton John’s hit The B**** is Back. Appropriate as they may sound, every society has its fair share of name droppers who have mastered the art of mentioning important people [http://www.definitions.net/definition/people] in order [http://www.definitions.net/definition/order] to impress [http://www.definitions.net/definition/impress]. But the hardest thing about name-dropping is to avoid being too obvious about it. You find them everywhere – from restaurants in faraway places to seedy joints in the city and from offices to the well-maintained fairways of posh golf clubs – the use of other people’s names has become fair game.
A handful have perfected it to such an extent that they should have patented name-dropping like inventions. Some samples: “I didn’t want to bother the minister. I didn’t even have to use my ‘Puan Sri’ status to get my passport renewed in an hour. Nowadays, they do it for everyone!”
“Guess who spoilt my quiet dinner with the wife last night? Tan Sri So and So plonked himself on our table and was pouring out his problem to us. The wife found it boring.”
“I made a killing in the market today. Two weeks ago I met Datuk So and So and Tan Sri So and So who controls the group. He asked me to buy this counter. I just bought 50 lots; money tied up elsewhere. It went up by almost one ringgit. Should have liquidated other counters and put on this tip.”
Then, there are those who have enlarged photographs of themselves with VIPs displayed in their offices. For the uninitiated, it gives the impression that the name-dropper is well-connected, but little do they realise that the photos were taken during the festive period at open houses where ministers obligingly pose for photos with visitors.
In London, one such name-dropper has been exposed by the media which claims that national security had been breached. Defence Secretary Liam Fox initially dismissed talk about his links with Adam Werrity, with a former house-mate and the best man at his wedding. But last Thursday, he relented and asked the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Ursula Brennan, to launch an investigation into what he called “wild allegations”.
“Because there have been some allegations of security leaks and so on, I’ve asked the permanent secretary to look into that for me and I’m very happy to stand by that investigation,” he told the BBC.
The Guardian last week published a business card with a House of Commons portcullis logo embossed on it.
Werritty describes himself as “adviser” to Fox and has been accused of arranging meetings and attending sensitive events.
Fox said it was “unacceptable” that Werritty had distributed the business cards. “I understand those cards are no longer used. I have made it very clear to him that it’s unacceptable to carry a card saying that he is a personal adviser.”
According to documents obtained by the newspaper under the Freedom of Information Act, Werrity visited Fox at the MoD office in Whitehall 14 times in the past 16 months, but the opposition Labour Party is baying for his blood.
Michael Dugher, parliamentary private secretary to Labour leader Ed Miliband, said the links between Fox and Werritty were “alarming” and “worrying”. He said: “Fox has serious questions to answer about this. The defence secretary is privy to the most serious and sensitive information. You can’t have old friends going around Westminster with the portcullis on their business cards claiming to be your adviser.”
It is most irregular, he said, for a defence minister to have so many unofficial meetings at MoD headquarters. He raised concerns that meetings between Fox and Werritty would not have been recorded or minuted by officials.
In the past, such indiscretion and imprudence have cost ministers their jobs because they operate in a system where integrity of the highest level is demanded of those in public office. With the eyes of the media transfixed on politicians, even in private life, these people have little choice but to follow a straight and narrow path. Even a small digression could mean being sent to obscurity on the back bench.
Can we expect the same of our leaders? Will they be able to draw a thick line between friendship and officialdom? These questions are not only directed at those in positions at federal level but also state level who refuse to disassociate themselves from old “business” ties. While most appear to be upright and upstanding, the conduct of a few can be questionable. Going to Disneyland on a lawatan sambil belajar with businessmen may be a thing of the past, but Oxford Street in London is not exactly a discreet venue – with shopping bags in both hands – for a tete-a-tete with those with soiled hands and platinum cards. It could be telling, because some individuals can sing better than canaries when cornered. Some will be willing to bare their souls for a song.
R. Nadeswaran does not expect people in power to drop their old friends but expects some form of righteousness when business and pleasure become entwined. He is theSun’s UK correspondent based in London and can be reached at: citizen-nades@thesundaily.com