If nature abhors a vacuum, the latter invites speculation. This holds true for most fields of life but is most clearly observed in the arena of politics. Since Mr Natwar Singh’s somewhat ignominious departure from the ministry of external affairs, India has had no full-time foreign minister. The prime minister holds the foreign minister’s portfolio but this is a nominal responsibility given all the other roles in which Mr Manmohan Singh has to perform. The ministry is run by the foreign secretary, which means it is devoid of political will and leadership. This vacuum in a country like India is utterly inexplicable. What is worse is that it invites speculation and promotes lobbying. Today one candidate is the front-runner for the post; tomorrow he is overtaken by some one else. This situation is easily resolved by the prime minister making an announcement. Mr Singh, for reasons best known to him alone, has refused to take any steps to fill that important ministerial berth. His silence has only led to greater speculation. The meeting of the United Nations general assembly is less than a month away and this has added a certain urgency to the case of the absent foreign minister.

This is not to cast doubt on Mr Singh’s abilities to act as India’s foreign minister. But as he himself will admit, being a foreign minister is a full-time job. As the prime minister of the country, Mr Singh cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, devote his full attention to external affairs. Indeed, even if he can, he should not. India, as a country that is playing an increasingly bigger role in international affairs, cannot afford to convey the impression to the world that it does not consider foreign relations to merit a full-time minister. Mr Singh has to make a choice. The number of obvious candidates he can choose from is not large. Or he can choose from out of the box. But choose he must. He does not have the luxury anymore of letting this matter drift, purposelessly. In choosing a foreign minister, Mr Singh will be relatively free from the usual pressures that restrict his decision-making: demands of coalition partners and of Congress factions. There are not too many takers to take as onerous and as thankless a portfolio as the foreign ministry. This should enable the prime minister to choose in an untrammelled manner. He should do that and fast. Both the choice and the speed will be worth watching.