When two leaders get on well, things happen. So is the case with India and Australia – two powers in the Indian Ocean region which are now doing major deals that bring them closer together than ever before. When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison first met, they instantly got on well and built a relationship based on the many things they have in common.
Here are eight commonalities underpinning the “Modi-Morrison Magic”:
Media Savvy
Both Modi and Morrison are media performers, using slogans and quick quotes that they know the media will use. They seem to enjoy the media spotlight and are savvy at offering irresistible photo opportunities.
Spirituality
As a young man Modi wandered India, especially the Himalaya region, on a two-year spiritual quest – until politics intervened. On winning re-election recently, Modi headed off on a personal retreat. He begins each day, like many Hindus, at around 5am with yoga practice, following an ancient “pranayama” breathing technique, and then jumps on to the internet for global information.
Morrison is the first Australian Prime Minister to come from the “evangelical Christian” movement that is so big in the USA – he is an active Pentecostal Christian worshipping at his church, Horizon, in southern Sydney. Most Australian PM’s have come from mainstream Christian churches attending once or twice a year. Morrison is a devoted worshipper most weeks.
Outsiders
When Modi won his first election as PM, he entered India’s Parliament for the first time – now this truly suggests an “outsider” to the power elites of Delhi. Morrison has great political connectivity but part of him is also “outsider” – he actively maintains strong friendships among non-political friends, unlike most in the power elite.
Families
Modi’s father was a tea seller, serving tea himself as a young man and living a simple lifestyle. Morrison had less humble origins but not elite – his father was a policeman and his mother worked in administrative positions.
Supporting Military
Modi regularly acknowledges and praises the bravery of the Indian military and champions improved funding levels.
Morrison surprised many, when starting a speech, by adding “military veterans” to the traditional acknowledgement of the original inhabitants of Australia.
Slogan enthusiasts
Modi is the master of slogans – he does not announce programs to clean up the Ganges or build toilets for villages, he announces “Clean India” (Swachh Bharat). Morrison, too, loves a slogan – his response to aid business during Covid 19 became “Job Keeper”.
Unpredictable
In his first term as PM, Modi shocked the nation with “demonetisation”, aimed at reducing corruption and driving the economy to digital rather than cash transactions. Morrison surprised many when facing Covid19 – he created a “National Cabinet” including many State Premiers from opposition parties and held it together fairly well.
China
It has to be said that the rise of China has created many friends among countries that were never that close, and “Modi-Morrison Magic” surely has some element of practical realism – both countries now share a close strategic bond based on our shared location (Indian Ocean) and our shared systems (democracy) and shared worries (China).
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