Foreign Minister S M Krishna’s gaffe at the UN  General Assembly in reading the Portuguese Minister’s speech borders on the absurd and underscores three distinct facets.
That these ministers do not do their homework.
That in their conceit they do not even care that they have not done their homework.
That they are entirely disconnected from their portfolios and only enjoy the perks, otherwise something like this could never happen.
The fourth element is the most frightening. These elected leaders don’t even care that they don’t care. Consequently, having made a complete fool of himself in an international forum and being so self absorbed in his sense of importance he now defends himself by saying it is no big deal. Even if you were talking to the Rotary Club or the Lions it would be a big deal, Sir. When you are addressing an international forum and you are a senior representative of the country’s foreign policy you should have studied each word, each sentiment, each expression of intent. It is a big deal, a very big deal. This is a nation wanting a seat on the Security Council.
What is most awesomely dismaying about the whole episode is that it has been confined to the stream of light humour rather than the indictment it is. It is not so much in the human error of picking up the wrong copy of a speech which can happen to anyone that Mr Krishna deserves censure but in the fact that he did not for 180 seconds register it was not his speech. Like strangers in the night or ships that pass by or two ends that never meet, the foreign minister and his speech had never met. Just try talking for 180 seconds in front of a mirror and see how long that time is in terms of speaking. You go through over a 1000 to 1500 words of intent.
The other very scary part is that there are no consequences to embarrassing a nation in public. Neither Mr Krishnan nor his entourage nor those responsible for connecting him to his speech will receive more than a slap on the wrist. It just goes to show that in a nation where making speeches is a sport at which it excels, its practitioners in politics are now so above it all that they emit only white noise and expect to get away with it.
In a more perfect world Mr Krishna would have been called upon to explain how this incident occurred and responsibility for the bureaucratic bungling be placed at someone’s door.
Which in no way reduces the incumbent’s unconscionable indifference to his job.