By Robert Clements
Questions Nobody Wants..!
There was a time when leaders loved press conferences. They stood proudly behind microphones, smiled confidently at reporters and answered questions with the enthusiasm of a student who had actually studied for the exam.
Today, press conferences have become like surprise dental appointments. Nobody wants to attend them. Which brings me to our Prime Minister’s latest foreign tour where, once again, journalists gathered hopefully, cameras rolled expectantly, questions were polished carefully, and then suddenly, like a schoolboy hearing the final bell, the Prime Minister disappeared without taking a single question.
Bold Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng shouted after him asking why he would not take questions from “the freest press in the world.” But by then our PM had moved away with the speed of a man who had suddenly remembered he had left the gas on at home.
Now mind you, there is an art to avoiding questions. Some politicians become angry. Some joke. Some pretend they did not hear. Some suddenly discover an urgent international crisis near the exit door. But our government has perfected something extraordinary. They answer questions without answering them.
And this is where diplomat Sibi George entered magnificently. The Norwegian journalist asked a direct question about human rights and press freedom. A dangerous thing to do nowadays. Direct questions are terribly inconvenient because they demand direct answers.
Instead of replying, Sibi took the audience on what appeared to be a conducted tour of Indian civilisation.
Within minutes we travelled through five thousand years of history, invented zero, played chess, stretched ourselves into yoga postures, distributed Covid vaccines, admired the Constitution, celebrated diversity, and possibly stopped briefly for chai and samosas.
By the end of the answer, I suspect even the journalist had forgotten the original question.
It reminded me of my school days when teachers asked difficult questions.
“Bob, where is your homework?” “Madam, homework is very important in shaping civilisation. In ancient India, great gurus taught discipline under banyan trees. Speaking of trees, oxygen is very important for humanity.”Unfortunately my teachers lacked diplomatic training and still punished me. Now as a public speaker, I actually love questions. Yes, I do. Nothing excites me more than somebody standing up at the back of the hall with folded arms, a dangerous smile and a question beginning with, “But sir, don’t you think…?”
That is where your real speaking begins.
I have discovered something fascinating about questions. A tricky question forces you to become specific. You cannot wander around like a tourist in Connaught Place looking for a shop that no longer exists. You have to answer clearly, calmly and quickly. And if the questioner is aggressive, your job is not to become aggressive back. Your job is to calm the volatile speaker. Lower the temperature. Smile. Finish quickly. And if you handle it well, the audience quietly awards you brownie points.
People walk away saying, “Ah, that was clever. He handled that beautifully.”
In fact, sometimes the question session is more important than the speech itself.
Anybody can read from a teleprompter. But can you think on your feet when somebody throws a verbal coconut at your head?
That is leadership.
Which is why all this fear of questions surprises me.
Why are leaders so terrified of journalists?
A journalist merely asks questions ordinary people are already asking at home. If leaders cannot answer reporters abroad, how will they answer history later?
Once upon a time, press conferences were signs of confidence. Leaders sparred with journalists. They defended policies. They argued passionately. Sometimes they even lost their temper magnificently. But at least there was engagement.
Now everything is stage managed. Friendly interviewers. Prepared questions. Teleprompters standing faithfully nearby like obedient Labradors. And when something unexpected happens, everybody looks panicked, as though democracy itself has malfunctioned.
Even our diplomats nowadays seem trained not to communicate but to exhaust the listener.
By the time Mr George finished speaking about civilisation, diversity and yoga, I imagine the Norwegian journalist felt she had accidentally enrolled for a postgraduate course in Indian cultural studies.
And then came my favourite line. Critics, he said, read reports from “godforsaken, ignorant NGOs.” Wonderful. Nothing impresses foreign audiences more than calling people ignorant while refusing to answer their questions.
That always works beautifully. The tragedy is that India does not need such defensive gymnastics. We are a great nation. A noisy nation. A chaotic nation. An argumentative nation.
In our country even vegetable vendors debate politics with the confidence of constitutional lawyers. Taxi drivers discuss geopolitics. Tea stall owners analyse economic policy. Entire families fight over television debates during dinner.
This noise is not weakness. It is democracy breathing loudly.
But when leaders stop taking questions, something changes. Citizens speak but power no longer listens. And abroad it creates a terrible impression. Not because foreign journalists are always right. They are often biased, arrogant and selective themselves. But when we refuse questions altogether, we appear frightened. And a frightened government never looks strong.
Strong leaders answer. Weak leaders escape. Perhaps one day we will again see real press conferences. Uncomfortable ones. Chaotic ones. Honest ones. And honestly, how magnificent it would have looked if Narendra Modi had simply stopped, smiled and answered the Norwegian journalist the same way he convinces voters in India. Whether one agrees with him or not, nobody can deny that the man is a powerful communicator before crowds. One clear answer. One confident exchange. One moment of openness. The whole world would probably have applauded.
Instead, we got yoga, chess, zero and civilisation from dear Sibi. Maybe what will finally convince our leaders to take questions is if India invents a teleprompter that actually thinks and flashes the answers to questions on screen..!
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