It is fortunate that this week I am writing from France since the issue I am about to address could benefit from an appreciation of the well-known French convention that “public interest stops at the bedroom door”.
This convention has been one of the pillars of the stability in the French Republic which is one of the oldest in the world and has helped its citizens retain their focus on what is really important as the inevitable human failings of its leaders have been reflected in notorious scandals over the past 200 years.
Readers might recall that the monarchy initiated this noble tradition of scandal in the time of Louis XV who procured the Élysée Palace (now the President’s official residence) to house his mistress, The Marquise de Pompadour. More recently French President François Hollande’s affair with actress Julie Gayet was exposed when he was photographed on a scooter taking baguettes to her hotel, while his first lady was at home reading the newspaper. Similarly, President François Mitterrand was known to have a mistress and a daughter (with that lady) for many years and in all of this the French citizens understand that these matters were between the leaders and their respective spouses. These issues therefore never became political issues simply because there was no political market for it.
The emergence of a now notorious “sex tape” in one of our neighbouring islands therefore speaks volumes about us as a Caribbean people that is sadly not flattering since it reflects our comparative lack of political maturity. This assertion can be supported from several perspectives, but the most significant is the obvious fact that the producers and distributors of this tape presumably believed that there was some political dividend to be reaped from its release at this time.
The election might well demonstrate the extent to which such a belief is wrong. However, this does not negate the fact that there is a section of our community that is backward in its thinking. Worse yet, if such persons were correct, it would mean that the salacious content of a private conversation, which has nothing to do with the successful management of a country, would be enough to convince voters to elect someone who they otherwise had little use for. In practical terms it would be like giving a priest a A380 to fly because you like his morals and implies that either the proponent of such logic is unintelligent, or believes his electorate so to be.
The most unfortunate aspect of all this is that its impact will be felt most by the innocent and one would have thought that the proponents would have given a moment’s thought to such consequences before producing and distributing this tape. The “older” gentleman is closer to his life’s end and he has already had an enviable career in academia and politics regardless of the outcome of this election. In years to come when he is spoken of in Caribbean history books the characterisation is likely to be no different from that of Sir John Compton and Sir Vere Bird who are both said to have had similar “weaknesses”.
The future reality for the young mother and her two innocent children is an entirely different matter and it is unfortunate that the producers of this political nastiness did not give this a moment’s thought. Sadly, her life from this point onward will be defined by her role in this drama, as was the case with Monica Lewinsky several years ago. Lewinsky was similarly exploited by Ken Starr in his campaign against Bill Clinton and in her book she noted substantial challenges in finding decent employment and building a career, while Clinton is revered as an outstanding former president who just had a human failing.
Sadly, people in the Caribbean do not also yet understand the extent to which someone’s wife might agree to endure a life of political nastiness, but their children are often needlessly humiliated.
One suspects that the outcome of all this on the proximate election will be minimal. However, it is a matter about which there can be no certainty. There are; however, a few clues not least of which is the assumption that most voters will see this vulgar move as an opposition strategy highlighting its inability to match its opponent on the battlefield of policy and competence. The question then is will voters reward such an admission of inability with the coveted prize or will they do as the French have done and reward competence, leaving moral judgements for the wives of leaders who should be the only persons rightfully entitled to be concerned about these matters.
Peter W. Wickham is a political consultant and a director of Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES). Email peter.w.wickham@gmail.com
