SIGHT & SOUND
Saddam all the way
Amita Malik

IT always happens on a Sunday, when channels, viewers and listeners are taking it easy, mostly watching feature films. There was the rivetting cricket test from Adelaide, India’s hour of glory. What could be more pleasurable than to watch the very very special Laxman and the Great Wall of India, Dravid, cutting the Australians down to size and then suddenly, towards the evening, came the capture of Saddam Hussein. And all hell broke loose.

Of course it was a very big story but one is not sure that the American coverage and the way the generals told the press and then paraded Saddam was either in good taste or mature broadcasting. In fact, the whole show, including the top echelons of the American government, looked as if they were in a film depicting western cowboys vs Arabs (ladies and gentlemen, we got him) and then the good guys were victorious in catching the bad guy.

It was not lost on many viewers that it took American troops, 600 at the last count, how many months to catch one man. Howsoever bad a guy he might be, he did not have any weapons of mass destruction except two AK 47s or whatever, one pistol and two bodyguards. And he was betrayed by a family member who collected many million dollars as reward and has been given asylum in the USA. It takes maturity and a sense of decorum to behave with dignity in victory.

Though this in no way justifies Saddam’s tyranny, his ruthless cruelty, his assassination of thousands, his atrocities on women yet I think the most telling comment came on the BBC — which was more restrained than CNN — from Dilip Hiro, an expert on Iraq. He repeatedly pointed out that some of Saddam’s worst atrocities were committed when he was considered a strong protege of the USA itself. Some viewers said they felt sick when they showed shots of Saddam opening his mouth for a dental or other check-up and an American parting his hair by inches as if he was looking for lice. This seemed unnecessary humiliation of a helpless captive. In expressing these sentiments, I am repeating what many viewers conveyed to me by telephone or in person. Because even if the USA might yet see Bush as president for a second term, it has not enhanced America’s image elsewhere, certainly not in West or South Asia, where people are wondering who will be next, Syria or Iran? As radio and TV now influence a lot of political thinking, I think the most powerful nation in the world might give a thought as to how it looks to people outside of the USA and how it is losing friends by its colonial style of functioning towards the rest of the world.

And talking of CNN, its advance notice of programmes frequently leaves out India while catering to Hong Kong, Singapore, etc and its sports coverage treats Indian events like poor relations. The pseudo-American accents of its Indian correspondents and the fact that they are not in the same class as the BBC’s has not helped it gain discriminating viewers. Its award last week to young achievers in the media and the press is a step in public relations. I was particularly happy about the media award to Siddharth Pandey. I was on the jury at the documentary film festival in Cracow in Poland, one of the most prestigious festivals, when his father Ishwar Pandey won the prize for best cameraman. He was killed tragically in a car accident some time ago. He would have been very proud of Siddharth, as we all are. I was also very happy that the winner of the press award is the son of my old friend and colleague Chandan Mitra. I can guarantee that there is no nepotism involved here, but genuine talent. I have had the privilege of being invited by CNN to Atlanta for one of their annual meets. It is not only a beautiful city but closely associated with Jimmy Carter and Martin Luther King. I am sure both young prize-winners will enjoy their trip and gain a lot professionally.