KOH LAY CHIN: No summer respite for Brown, Sarkozy and Obama

By : Koh Lay Chin

 

IT'S time for the summer holidays, but unlike us normal folk, some people will not be thinking of fruity cocktails or what to wear on the beach. It's been a blustery week for several heads of state, and leaders like British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will now take their summer breaks with much to ponder.

Even US presidential candidate Barack Obama, who recently travelled to Europe on his popstar-like foreign tour, will go home to address the tough questions on the American economy. If trying to convince Americans of his foreign policy credentials was demanding enough, his position on the dreary economy could be the unflattering magnifying mirror that his rival and detractors will pounce on.

These three influential leaders (one already behaving as an "acting president") have much to prove to their people, and it won't be an easy ride. Probably the most precarious of mantles belongs to Brown, who has had the sorry task of facing repeated attacks on his leadership. He has now been asked to resign as Labour leader, following new polls figures which have cast doubt on his performance.

This despite some supporters insisting that he has the best skills and experience to lead the country, that there are no great alternatives, and that the shattered political confidence in him is overboard and unfair.

Brown's French counterpart's ratings are also none too impressive, even though Sarkozy has been pushing for reforms such as the recently victorious dismantling of the 35-hour work week.
Do we see any resemblances closer to home? In Sarkozy, with his lady love Carla Bruni, we have a leader who has left his electorate somewhat turned off by his so-called "bling bling" persona and personal life, overshadowing his actual performance in governing the country. Brown, meanwhile, is a leader who has suffered a massive loss of confidence among the electorate and now faces rumblings from within his own party. And of course, there's the current beaming orb of political superstardom that is Obama; a leader eager to land his place on the throne but who still triggers doubt and has quite a distance to go to obtain the confidence of the majority.

To be sure, there are leading characters like these all around the world. They have talked about reform and change, and endured questions of whether they can truly bring home the bacon. Unfortunately, even for leaders who could be adjudged to have performed reasonably well, there are still the twin pillars of popularity and perception that can trounce their work.

Those like Obama and his team of strategists, who know this, have tweaked these two buttons so efficiently that proof of performance can come later. Should we believe that the masses are simple-minded and rightly or mistakenly swayed by the media and the whirlwinds of public opinion? Or should one hold fast to the notion that at the end of the day, the people just really want those results? Both count.

Real time in politics is fast and furious, like flashing news wires and Internet-speeds these days, and leaders like Brown and Sarkozy may find they have to use hindsight with speed, wisdom and grit for their next challenges. Performance apparently is no longer enough. The citizens of these powerhouses seem to like a strong showing with some mettle, flair and determination.

Flubbing debates with the opposition or being accused of the ultimate political faux pas -- flip-flopping -- can drive opinion polls down at breakneck speed these days, and politicians seem to need a phalanx of public relations, press-savvy and mission-strategising aides on their side to stay the "most successful" course.

Brown has been accused so many times of "dithering" by opposition leader David Cameron now that the label has somewhat stuck in the mind. It's a rather unenviable position, being a leader. Fight the thankless and unpopular fight and people may feed you to the dogs, listen to masses and things may not get done the way they should.

But like it or not, people do not sympathise with politicians, sorry. Judging by opinion polls and public comments, regular folk have much more to worry about such as rising prices and paying their taxes. Our neurons are disinclined to sympathy for politicians. It is not as if the British for example, do not understand political manoeuvrings. In this information-saturated day and age, they watch, wait, go about their regular business and then coolly send their messages via polls and more importantly, by-elections and elections.

It is just a hard fact that leaders who wish to remain relevant just have to keep going at it. They say if one can't take the heat, it is best to keep out of the kitchen. Well it is summertime, and the kitchen must really be boiling right about now.

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Jean-Louis Kayitenkore
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