Malcolm Turnbull: The $100-million man

One characteristic of mine is not to take sides in pre-existing political debates when it comes to any politician. Based on my own perception, I make up my mind. In the late nineties to early years of two-thousand, my spouse and I had seen enough Washington big name politicians. It wouldn't have been possible if our child didn't go to the same Washington DC preparatory school with their children.
In most cases, I had found the politicians, like former vice-president Al-Gore and his wife Tipper to be just like any other regular parents. We all sat together at school functions and cheered on during our youngsters' performances and athletic events as an elated group - taking in the collective pride that we kept reserved for our children.
Like magicians, the politicians draw our attention but the latter are often scrutinised and get a bad wrap when their views are different than ours, and we tend to label them.
One thing is certain though, that when it comes to families and children, politicians are just like you and I - with the same concerns, similar dreams, hopes and aspirations. They also suffer through while teaching and guiding their children how to balance between happiness, passion, creativity, and competition and, more importantly, how to be their best selves. At some point, they all have the same conversation with their children about race, religion, ethnicity and bigotry, and try to instill the right values in them, as we do.
Our meeting with the Australian MP Malcolm Turnbull and his wife Lucy Hughes (the first Lord Mayor of Sydney) was in June, 2005. It was the day before Harvard University Graduation. As I recall the chronology of events after ten long years, it was a hot day, and after attending a few scheduled pre-graduation events, some of us were strolling around campus. Our daughter suggested that we should go and have iced latte at Crema Café at Harvard Square, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
As we were waiting to be served, one of my daughter's friends, Alex Turnbull walked in with his parents Malcolm Turnbull and Lucy Hughes. Naturally, he approached us and we all got introduced. After the first few initial awkward moments, we started some small talks about our kids going out into the real world, after four years of college. We chatted about the pre-commencement speech that the university president Lawrence Summers gave earlier in the day, where he talked about how Harvard now prepares its students "with international understanding and lifetime commitment to comprehending changing global realities."
Malcolm Turnbull didn't share any of his political views with us. He was there as a parent, who came to attend his son's graduation. He only became an MP the year before from Wentworth (an affluent suburb in Sydney), where he still lives with his wife.
Mr. Turnbull and I had a brief conversation about one of my elder brothers working in Melbourne, for Australia's leading telecommunication and information services, Telstra. When he found out that my brother was one of the directors there, he seemed genuinely interested in knowing about how my brother likes living in Australia. He then asked me a few things about growing up in Bangladesh and its political situation.
Among smiles and pleasantries, we finished our cool refreshments and before we parted ways, we all hoped that our children's ideas will shape the future of the world, provided they take advantage of the opportunities to move around the world, as Larry Summers had emphasised in his speech.
Since that encounter of that afternoon, I never thought about it, until very recently when I saw on television the newly-elected Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull with his family at the Government House, being sworn in as the 29th prime minister of Australia.
Understandably, after ten years at age 60, and with white hair, Turnbull appeared a little different but his good looks, dashing smile and confident personality remain as his signature. To add to that entire persona, he now has the trademarks of an effective leader.
Turnbull, a self-made millionaire (estimated wealth is about hundred million), was raised by a single parent and comes from humble beginnings. Several times he made the Business Review Weekly Rich 200 list. During high school, with a scholarship he had attended one of Sydney's private schools and then studied at the University of Sydney. Later he became a Rhodes Scholar and went to study at Oxford.
Turnbull started his career as a journalist in several media outlets, including The Sunday Times, in the UK. He later became a barrister and also had a successful banking career.
Reportedly, to become the Prime Minister, was one job that had always engrossed him. His dream was crushed in 2009, when another Liberal Tony Abbott defeated him by just one vote because of his action on climate change where he supported for an "emissions trading schemes" and for being an advocate of gay rights.
He afterwards became Australian Minister for Communication. As the minister, he doggedly kept on fighting for the coveted post of PM. As the Liberal Party's progressive thinker, his views were not welcomed by the conservative members because they were concerned that if he became the prime minister, he will not stick to core party policies, and therefore, the right-wingers will not have the upper hand.
According to Turnbull's biographer Annabel Crabb: "The old Malcolm, who strutted and fretted under (former leader) Brendan Nelson's leadership and whose ambition to take over was so red-hot it was palpable across a crowded room….New Malcolm is milder, more patient, less pushy. Less prickly."
That makeover ultimately has helped Turnbull to challenge and defeat Abbott for Liberal leadership by personalising a possibility of a "Liberal rebirth." After nine tumultuous months, Turnbull, known as "the darling of middle Australia", was able to prove that he was a "superior communicator and better salesman," as he got Abbott's job by 54 votes to 44. He had to promise the right-wing members of his party that for the next two years, he is going to leave alone the issue of gay marriage.
Mr Turnbull has promised a "thoroughly Liberal" government and his new economic vision is dedicated to freedom, the individual and the market.
Within a few weeks of assuming official duty as the new PM, Turnbull last week had dispatched his deputy and foreign minister Julie Bishop and defence minister Marise Payne to the US. They were here to get started with his vision for US-Australia, under his prime ministership.
On October 13, before official talks along with US defence Secretary Ashton Carter, and his counterpart, Kerry and Bishop appeared at a news conference to answer questions about the current wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence. On the same day, Israeli security footage captured a brutal attack on three Israeli civilians as they were waiting at a bus stop. Out of nowhere a white car appeared and rammed into them, killing all three. This footage was broadcast constantly on BBC World and CNN.
Later, Kerry with all three sat together in Boston where they focused on US and AU alliance and discussed an array of subjects, including future regional and global coordination to Asia-Pacific region. This meeting was very timely since the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal was signed in Atlanta about two weeks ago.
According to the Guardian's Daniel Hurst, Turnbull calls it "a gigantic foundation stone for our future prosperity."
There are still issues that need to be sorted out. Australian Trade minister Andrew Robb was in Atlanta hashing out the sticking points between the USA, and Australia (plus the 10 other TPP nations.) Take pharmaceuticals, for example. Big drug companies (US based) were pushing for eight years of data protection for biologic medicines. Australia+10 TPP nations stuck to five years, thus making sure their medicine prices will not rise further. TPP will eliminate 98 per cent of tariffs across a range of sectors, the government assured the Australians. The beef exports to Japan, Mexico and Canada will be reduced or eliminated within ten years. Sugar exports to Japan and Canada will also be more favourable. The US sugar industry was able to block many of the advantages for entry into US, however. Similarly agricultural, energy and manufacturing exports will face reduced or zero tariffs. A dispute resolution mechanism has been set up so the industries can sue the governments.
Along with trade issues John Kerry and others also discussed how to counter violent extremism inflicted on humanity by ISIS by forming a coalition, and on the future of Afghanistan. They also at length conferred on the current humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, namely the Syrian refugee situation.
Kerry later took the Australian group to the finish line of Boston Marathon where a terrorist bombing killed three people and wounded 260, in 2013, on the day of the Marathon race.
Malcolm Turnbull, a devoted father, a doting grandfather and now the new PM, has laid out his progressive vision for future Australia. With the right Liberal party values, he promised to provide economic leadership to the businesses that they need. He assured that these changes will be in synchrony with the changes around the world. Turnbull interprets his leadership skills as "a style of leadership that respects people's intelligence." His agenda also includes working closely with a talented team in parliament for future prosperity which he predicts will strengthen Australia's agile economy.
Zeenat Khan is a US-based freelance writer.
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