Keeping the Lid Off
A Touch of Nokoko by Kofi Akumanyi
The Western press and watchers of the Soviet scene had, of course, all the time maintained that Mr Andropov's health was in a poor state but this had been consistently denied. Now the question I have been asked so many times before is why the Soviet Union is so secretive about such matters which the Western democracies think should be offered freely for public consumption? To some people who have been subliminally indoctrinated to believe that the Soviet Union is not an open society and that the private affairs of all their public officials are as a rule kept out of the media, the Andropov case no doubt strengthens their argument.
EFFECT
I have, however, always held the view that in such contentious areas touching the very heart of the Soviet Union's existence, it is dangerous for laymen to tread and, therefore, expert opinion should be sought. The follow- ing conversation with a Kremlin- watcher, Dr Andrei Suslov, was an eye opener. Mr Suslov, you may remember, defected to the West twenty-five years ago while on a university teaching programme in France."Why was the publication of Andropov's illness suppressed for so long?", I asked.
"You have to understand the Soviet society to fully appreciate the issue. The timing of events is very essential; everything relating to government is timed to achieve maximum effect," he said.
What effect is gained about telling the world that a man is sick?”
"Nothing much, as far as the ordinary eyes can pick up, but they believe that a leader must be portrayed as strong, healthy and virile ... You see, bad health reduces the seemingly omnipotent powers of the ruling body in the eyes of the people."
"You've got to be joking? Andropov is an old man. In fact, the whole politburo of the Soviet Union is full of old men, so what's the big deal?"
"There's no big deal, except that with Reagan in the same age bracket, having been shot, recovered, and he is up and about looking obviously healthy, the Soviet leadership isn't happy about the effect of that in international politics vis-a-vis their own man," explained the eminent Kremlin watcher.
"I'm beginning to understand the issue in a different light."
IDEOLOGY
"Wait till you hear the main reason for the Soviet attitude towards such irksome news items.""I wish I had an extra pair of ears."
"Has it ever occurred to you that the so-called East-West conflict which is supposed to be based on ideological differences is really rooted in really mundane matters?"
"You're the expert. Matters like what?"
"Sports, arts and music, food production, etc."
"Really? I didn't know until you told me."
"Intense competition in these fields and areas over the years have crystallised into a recognisable pattern of action which must be pursued at all cost," Dr Suslov informed me.
"This is becoming complicated. The Soviet Union and the United States have always been locking horns on all issues. I can't see the connection between this and the issue at hand?" "You won't until you realise that anything that stands in the way of achieving or maintaining a role of superiority cannot be tolerated."
"Oh, is that why compared to the West, free flow of information is virtually non.existent?"
"How does this tie in with Andropov's sickness?"
"Simple. It's the human factor. You can't cheat on age. A sick and senile head of state leading a nation engaged in an on-going struggle for supremacy in the international scene, is definitely not on. It undermines the invincibility of the state."
"So why was the silence broken?"
"Soviet medical world has probably discovered a new miracle drug to rejuvenate the old man - another score in the on-going struggle."
"Still this doesn't explain why the British government also suppressed the near-fatal heart attack suffered by M Winston Churchill when he was the Prime Minister" I said.
"Who told you this?"
"It's available in a recently declassified government file!"
