Mohan Kaul, director general of the Commonwealth Business Council, has emerged as a serious candidate to succeed Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon.
Considered close to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Srinagar-born Kaul, who has filed his nomination for the Commonwealth Secretary General's post, has said that he wants to make the 53-member body a model with a new global economic and political presence.
"If elected, my ambition is to make the Commonwealth an instrument of the future," he told PTI in an interview on Sunday.
Besides the Malta Foreign Minister Michael Frendo, Kaul is the only candidate in the fray so far.
The election will take place at the next meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government in Kampala in November, Kaul said.
Kaul, who has urged the UK and Indian governments to support his candidature, said he was relying heavily on India's support and had already spoken to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Asserting that an endorsement from his native country will be crucial, he said, "I would very much love to get an endorsement from my country of origin. I have approached Dr Singh saying that India should support me because of my experience in Commonwealth and of working in developing and developed countries."
Kaul has been director general of the Commonwealth Business Council since 1998. He has been a corporate director, policy adviser to governments and a consultant to a number of international agencies, academic institutions and public and private sector organisations.
Kaul said he was also in touch with all the member countries and has received encouraging response.
"My suggestion is that the Heads of Commonwealth governments should make their choice in favour of the best candidate -- let the best person win the race."
Kaul said a decade ago, debates about the relevance of the Commonwealth focused on overcoming its legacy, its outdated image as a collection of former British colonies.
"Few anticipated that a quiet revolution was already taking place, which rendered this debate redundant. The Commonwealth was showing its remarkable resilience, reinventing itself by becoming a new global economic and political presence," he said.
"It is therefore worth taking a fresh look at the Commonwealth, not through the rear view mirror, but at the road ahead; its future leadership role in a globalised society, helping its members meet the challenges of the twenty first century, building competitive capability," he added.
Kaul said this role should be anchored on the Commonwealth's fundamental strengths -- of good governance, economic empowerment and respect for diversity.
In meeting the challenges of the next decade, attention should be directed to strengthen further 'our democratic institutions, to accord priority to job creation, to empower communities both economically and through the democratisation of knowledge, and to build partnerships between governments, the private sector and civil society to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals.'
Referring to increased economic interaction among Commonwealth countries, Kaul said over the last decade, intra-Commonwealth trade has expanded from $2 trillion to $3 trillion.
"Investment flows have reached over $160 billion. Commonwealth trade and investment now accounts for over 20 per cent of the world total, and there is the potential to increase this share further," Kaul said.
About future goals, he said, "The Commonwealth need to press for a free and fair trade deal in the WTO round of negotiations that is truly developmental and provides market access and opportunities for the developing countries."
"We also need to assist countries in strengthening their capacity to trade and take advantage of opportunities that will otherwise be wasted. Trade expansion should lead to job creation, not jobless growth," he added.
According to him, the Commonwealth is still a vastly under-exploited network, which can play a dynamic role by helping governments, the private sector and civil society bodies work together 'to advance practical and innovative ways to assist national development.'
"During my career -- with the Indian Institute of Management, the United Nations and in the Commonwealth for over 20 years -- I have dedicated myself to bringing practical solutions to support Commonwealth countries in their efforts to carry out public sector and institutional reform, and harness the capacity of the private sector to play a full role in economic growth and sustainable development. I remain committed to these goals," he noted.
Kaul, who has a PhD from the University of Paris, Sorbonne, was an adviser to the Nelson Mandela government on reform of the public service in South Africa.
He recently published a book on management reforms in government -- An Outsider's Inside View -- based on his experiences in over twenty countries. He was involved in the establishment of the Commonwealth Association of Public Administration and Management, based in Canada.
