Of Taufel, Howard And An Apology

The second cricket Test match of the recently concluded test series between India and England played at Trent Bridge was important as it went on to underline the success that the Indian cricket team has been enjoying on foreign trips in the recent past. However, the Trent Bridge test had another noteworthy feature – Australian umpire Simon Taufel’s apology for handing out Sachin Tendulkar a faulty decision leaving the batsman nine short of what would have been his 38th Test hundred. Taufel, who has won the ICC Best Umpire of the Year award for three successive years, was forthright and honest in admitting that he had made a mistake in giving Sachin out and ‘denying fans a chance’ of watching the great batsman in action. This whole episode went on to prove that even the best can err. And Simon Taufel only enhanced his standing as an umpire by owning up to his mistake.

On the same day that Simon Taufel expressed disappointment with his decision, we had another Australian, the continent’s Prime Minister John Howard, ruling out an apology to the Indian doctor Mohammad Haneef who was detained on charges of “recklessness� and “providing support to a terrorist organisation.� These charges were subsequently dropped as they were found to be false. This case, which turned out to be a huge embarrassment for the Howard government’s new counter-terrorism laws, resulted in Dr.Haneef being held captive for three weeks by the Australian authorities. Interestingly, the “recklessness� that Dr. Haneef indulged in by giving his SIM card to his cousin and friend, Dr. Sabeel Ahmed, is something most mobile users involve themselves in frequently, not just in India but right across the world. No wonder we had the Aussie protestors demanding the release of Dr.Haneef carrying placards which said “I have lent my SIM ... arrest me too!�

As if the detention of Dr.Haneef on specious charges was not enough, the Australian Immigration Minister Mr. Kevin Andrews went on to cancel the young doctor’s work visa. When Dr.Haneef finally left Australia for India , the Australian police came up with purported transcripts of a chat which he had with his brother in India , once again raising suspicions that Dr.Haneef had knowledge of the bombing plots. The allegations continue to flow in – the latest being that Dr. Haneef links with Al-Qaeda and was using medical chat rooms to carry out his radical activities. The fact remains that the Australian Federal Police has not been able to prove any of their allegations against the Bangalore doctor. Does the Australian government expect the world to believe that they had foolproof evidence (with more still to be revealed) but still let Dr.Haneef travel back to India , absolved of terrorism charges? One can only describe these late revelations which raise more questions than answers, as churlish and face saving measures of an unapologetic Howard government. An apology tendered by PM John Howard for the manner in which the Australian authorities handled the Haneef issue, would have gone a long way in assuring not just the Australian public but thousands of immigrants living Down Under about the honourable intentions of the Australian government when it came to the task of tackling the menace terrorism.

The Haneef issue brings to mind the diplomatic row which erupted because of the delay in issuing a US visa to Prof. Goverdhan Mehta, former director of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. In order to settle the issue the US Ambassador to New Delhi , Mr. David Mulford not only ensured that the hurdles in the path of an early issual of visa to Prof. Mehta were cleared, but also offered an apology to the Indian scientist for the inconvenience caused. In doing so Mr. Mulford upheld the gentlemanly traditions that diplomats representing their countries have established over centuries. Mr. John Howard could learn a thing or two in the art of diplomacy from Mr. Taufel and Ambassador Mulford.