Sir Lanka's Jayantha Dhanapala is tipped as the man most likely to become the UN's next secretary-general after Kofi annan retires this year, while former U.S. President Bill Clinton is seen as the least likely contender.
But before breaking out the champers now that Bubba lags in popularity as annan's replacement, Dhanapala may be another Kofi at the helm.
Currently a senior adviser to the President of Sri Lanka, Dhanapala toots his own horn on a website geared to tout his UN candidacy.
"Dhanapala was invited to manage the peace process by the Sri Lanka government in mid-2004 after a distinguished career as a national and international diplomat, peace builder, disarmament expert and articulate champion of non-discriminatory global norms, the rule of law, the Millennium Development goals and the general concerns of developing centers in the collective interests of the international community."
Nowhere is it mentioned on the website that Dhanapala is headed for the UN's top post already in a conflict-of-interest category. although no one's talking about it, Dhanapala's son also works at the UN.
Dhanapala's son, Sivanka Dhanapala who has worked for the UNCHR since 1995, is currently in Myanmar/Burma, where the sign on his office reads, Senior Repatriation Officer.
"Dhanapala is one of three men–all asian–who have openly thrown their hat into the ring. Traditionally, the post has rotated from region to region, and asia is next in line. (The last asian who held the post was U Thant of Burma, whose term expired in 1971)." (DailyIndia.com).
"as the former secretary-general of the Sri Lankan peace process, Dhanapala's chances may be hurt by the rising conflict between the Sinhalese and the Tamils in his island nation," says the Foreign Policy journal.
Why would Dhanapala be the wrong man to head up the UN in these troubled times?
He was unable to bring peace to Sri Lanka. If he cannot solve the separatist conflict of his own country, how can he be counted upon to solve world problems as UN secretary-general?
The Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) 2005 conference was a flop because he managed to extend the NPT in 1995 to please the U.S. Back home in Sri Lanka he is seen as a U.S. stooge.
For all of the hype surrounding Dhanapala the Peace Maker, he does not have a distinguished academic record at university and is not known as a manager or reformer.
Perhaps is biggest drawback is that Jayantha Dhanapala is a lifetime good buddy of Kofi annan, who is beset with accusations of looking after his buddies first when it comes to doling out diplomatic plum jobs. The pair has known each other since 1957, when they were both on scholarships in the U.S.
When Dhanapala was 17 years old, he penned "The World We Want" for an essay contest, which won him a 1957 trip to the United States, where he met US Senator John F. Kennedy (Kofi annan) and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Born in 1938, the same year as annan, Dhanapala will be 68 by the time his bosom buddy leaves Turtle Bay. It is mandatory for all other UN staff members to retire long before age 68; the same rule should also apply to secretary-generals.
Dhanapala's health is said to be in the "not so good" department.
Thus far, Canada stands alone in publicly campaigning for a plan which challenges the Security Council's virtual stranglehold on who gets the top job by giving more say to the General assembly, where developing countries form a majority.
Canada's blueprint, unveiled for member states at a closed meeting last month, says the selection process should be more akin to the way the CEO of any major organization is picked, with advertising and head hunting to find candidates, job descriptions, application deadlines and interviews.
John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, says the General assembly already has powers to do all that, but Canada counters the Security Council has frequently named at the last minute people who no one else had considered.
"We want to avoid the November surprise," said allan Rock, Canada's ambassador to the UN.
Meanwhile, does the scandal-plagued United Nations need a secretary-general replacement that can be described as "just another Kofi"?
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
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