DONALD Trump, the Republican candidate in the US presidential election, as irresponsible as he is, did not pause to think before speculating about the EgyptAir MS804 crash. Early Thursday morning even before the Egyptian authorities or anyone else, he tweeted the possible cause for the crash. Mr. Trump tweeted:
"Looks like yet another terrorist attack. Airplane departed from Paris. When will we get tough, smart and vigilant? Great hate and sickness."
Trump's tweet was totally irresponsible and politically sneaky to say the least. His impulsive comment had no basis and rather he was making yet another reckless comment which does not suit a presidential candidate of America. In reality what Mr. Trump is to use the disaster event to elevate his popular legitimacy amongst his supporters. While it is quite common in authoritarian regimes for leaders to manipulate the causes of a disaster to enhance their popularity, in a highly advanced democratic society such as America this kind of sneaky political maneuvering does not augur well. World leaders have a role to play in setting the standards when weighing up the comparative risks of short term political gain and risk of international discredit. Mr. Trump should be mindful that disasters put political systems to scrutiny and incidents such as the EgyptAir crash can become symbolically important to portray the integrity of leaders. Earlier this month Mr. Trump made another impulsive remark that he was prepared to meet Kim Jong Un of North Korea unconditionally which caught many by surprise.
Hillary Clinton has remained silent on the issue and with years of political experience behind her. Following Mr. Trump's statement, the Egyptian authorities have already come out and said that they do not rule out the possibility of a terrorist attack behind the crash. If it transpires that terrorism was the cause of the crash, Mr. Trump's gamble will pay off. But if it turns out that the cause of the crash was mechanical failure or something else, the world will start rating him as one who talks too much. Mr. Trump is simply playing high stakes roulette with his continued crude and trashy antics.
Rana Choudhury
London
- Thursday, 25 April 2024 |
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