The answer, unfortunately, is no. People don't get to know what the Chinese feel about their security priorities from casual observations that its Minister for Defence may make to the local media. In fact, China's great strength has always been its discretion. This is not the first time that Fernandes has jumped the gun in this manner. Although over six weeks have passed since he assumed office, he still has not learnt to make the necessary distinction between a national agenda and a personal one. In fact, in the V.K. Krishna Menon Memorial Lecture that he delivered on Sunday, he rather disarmingly admitted that his views have not changed since he became Defence Minister. Which is all very well, but surely he recognises the need for those holding the extremely sensitive portfolio he does, to conduct themselves with some modicum of secrecy and diplomacy. IfFernandes' views don't change on his assuming the office of Defence Minister, is it too much to expect that his manner does? On an earlier occasion, he had raised the issue of the helipad in Arunachal Pradesh that the Chinese were said to have built. So embarrassed was Prime Minister Vajpayee by these statements that he had to formally deny the existence of such a helipad. Obviously, such mutually contradictory statements do not exactly raise public confidence in the Union government's ability to play the role of a true guardian of the country's security.

It would be far more advisable for Fernandes to undertake carefully calibrated review exercises on the actual threats facing the nation and do something about countering them. This, after all, is what he is there for -- delivering lectures and getting interviewed on television must necessarily come much lower in his scale of priorities. In any case, verbal ballistics are a notoriously poor substitute for well thought out defence strategies.