By Brian Kinyanjui
The basis of being in politics is not just for leadership purposes but to serve the public. In order to do so one must have their lives open to the public scrutiny. Therefore ones life becomes the public’s own to draw an example on what a model leader should be. Times have soon changed and this seems not the case anymore around the world.
American president Donald trump has had a over a dozen women come out in public and accuse him of sexual misconduct with a combination of unsavory public behaviour. This sort of behaviour was the sort that led to public uproar in America which initiated an impeachment process for former President Bill Clinton for the Monica Lewinsky affair. This has however changed over time to have a more permeable society on what can be considered as respectable conduct.
Adding to the long list of women who have come out to accuse President Trump of sexual harassment is Jean Carroll who seemed to not have startled any waters in Washington. Many leaders both Democrats and Republicans found nothing about what Miss Carroll had to say new. Sexual misconduct directed at the man in the oval was not news anymore at the capital.
Sure thing, the law in the United States dictates that the burden of proof is always in the victim or the complaint and not the accused. Yes, making a case from a crime or violation allegedly committed years ago is difficult and most times it goes out of the window but when it’s more than a dozen and doesn’t puzzle people then the problem might not be the crime alleged but the public.
This sort of behavior is however not unique to uncle Sam but present from Africa with former Gambian pageant winner Toufah Jallow, accusing former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh of rape at a religious event a day before Ramadan to now in the United Kingdom. Where Boris Johnson has had rumours in the media of disorderly conduct after female screams and yells were heard from his apartment which he shares with his girlfriend Miss Carrie Symonds. Their neighbours dialed for the police and handed a recording of the scuffle. Mr Johnson has refused to respond terming his matter with Miss Symond as a private one. And that there is the problem.
The world has been experiencing a shift on the terms of public service and standards Politician are held to. Boris Johnson is hoping to become Britain’s next Prime Minister after Teresa May’s resignation under the conservative party. Mr. Johnson also has court proceedings for having misrepresented information relating to Brexit to the British public.
He has also been on record to referring to the French as “turds”, same way president Trump is on record with extensive and explicit vulgarity on grabbing women to former president Jammeh having multiple women come out and accuse him of sexual harassment during and after his presidency.
Public officers are meant to serve the people on a public capacity. Their deeds and actions are traditionally supposed to be open to scrutiny by the public for their deeds stand as a default representation of the people that elevated them to public service. Yes, one may argue that laws differ from one state in a region to the next but the point here is, that even with such disparity, the ethos and demands of a society from a public officer all fall on decent, dignified and admirable behaviour for the collective depiction of a state. That is what is expected.
Otherwise, It is therefore disturbing when seekers of immense power granted by others don’t seem to want to fall under scrutiny or in the above mentioned cases, the laws understanding of scrutiny but rather their own. That now can be termed as politically incorrect.
Brian Kinyanjui is a student at Daystar University
