The ugly side of political character assassinations

In some countries such as Asia, Europe and the Middle East, rogue politicians are either castrated, killed or exiled for not following the will of the people. Minority governments who show defiance and resistance to change also face defeat and personal harm and in some instances, many innocent people are killed or injured because of the actions of irresponsible and selfish politicians.
Here in the Cook Islands, we fall short of the killings because it is not a part of our culture even though our ancestors are recorded in history as being heathens who killed and fought inter tribal warfare in their quest to conquer.
While we may not follow the example of other countries outside of the Pacific region in this respect, we are not however, exempt from displaying the same behavioural patterns that result in political rivalry, conflict and in some Pacific countries, even death.
We are responsible to a lesser degree to what is referred to as “political character assassination” where instead of hitting the person directly, you hit them indirectly where it impacts on their personality and reputation, their families, their extended families, their jobs and even their futures. Many good people here in the Cook Islands who have been the subject of personal character assassinations are testament to that.
As can be seen from the performance of the DEMO government since December 2009 through the media, the direct assault on the personal characters of some of our politicians has a lot to be desired. Is this a sign that we as a society have lost all sense of morality, dignity and respect for each other or is it more a signal that we have lost sight of the principles of democracy and are heading towards a state of anarchy (no law and order).
Who does one blame for this state of “political uncertainty” because after all, wasn’t it you and I that voted these people in knowing full well that we were heading into a future of uncertainty and political instability? All of a sudden, we’ve gone into the finger pointing blame game bypassing any sense of ownership or responsibility that we should shoulder some of the blame as well.
If there’s one thing Cook Islands people are good at, it’s passing the buck, gossiping, spreading rumours and not taking responsibility for our actions. Running people down irrespective whether they are family or not is becoming more and more too common today. We see many classic examples of this in land court cases and fortunately, we’ve only witnessed the verbal and character assaults on people but physical attacks may well be only a matter of time and just around the corner.
What is even harder to comprehend, is that our politicians are partly to blame especially when they know that they are out of their depth over political and governance related issues. Unfortunately, they couldn’t care less who gets hurt or the enormous pressures they place this nation under because of their own naïve behaviour. But is it right that we attack them without any consequential consideration to their families, some of whom are children who often fall victim to bullying or taunts from other children at school or on the street who have no understanding of the situation other than they are children of so and so.
Character assassination is shown in many forms through the media, cartoons, jokes, taunts within a social context and even physical abuse and threats. Despite the funny side to these behavioural antics, there is also a serious side which if people are not careful, could result in court action being taken against individuals who persist in making derogatory statements aimed at embarrassing certain individuals.
In the Cook Islands, there appears to be a “couldn’t care less” attitude and some comments directed at certain politicians and individuals is either personal or aimed at creating shame or embarrassment. This kind of behaviour is shameful especially as there are certain individuals who thrive on “trying to take the mickey out of people” by publicly ridiculing them or spreading false rumours.
If politicians fail, we know what to do, vote them out. If they are corrupt, we know what to do, take them to task under the law. If they are incompetent, again we know what to do however, we must also bear in mind we put them there therefore we should take some responsibility and share their failures. Don’t shoot the messenger because after all, we loaded the gun and gave them the bullets to fire. It’s time to stop the public ridiculing and practice what we preach!

Herald Issue 463 10 June
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