Keith Vaz has been called the Teflon MP, most notably by the Telegraph in England. Vaz, a Goan-origin British resident and Minister of Parliament for Leicester East has survived many scandals, some that date back to when Salman Rushdie had a fatwa on his head. Now, many say Vaz will struggle to even tread water, leave alone swim for safety, in the current issue. He was practically caught with his pants down, on tape, discussing very explicit details about sex and drugs with male prostitutes of Eastern European origin. The sting, revealed by the Sunday Mirror, has really hit Vaz hard and that even led to him stepping down from his position as chairman of a current affairs committee.
A week or so before that in India, AAP minister Sandeep Kumar was sacked by the party, after a CD surfaced, where the minister was filming in sexual congress with two women. There were many who defended either of the men, stating that the incidents were private and should not affect their position within the party or the country. But there are others who differ. They say that although private lives are private indeed, incidents such as these are illicit (both men are married) and therefore cast aspersions on their morality.
Does this weigh heavily when anyone considers a candidate? Will a happily married man carry a little more weight than a single man, or one who is divorced? Will a single mum or dad become a successful politician? What kind of stability are we looking at?
Experts argue that there is some truth to the fact that a man or woman in a stable relationship will appear to be more steadfast than one who is not. One who is cheating on their spouse can easily cheat on the people. So is that really true? Would YOU vote for someone who is of ‘questionable’ morals?
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Politicians are supposed to be our leaders and role models and hence made of stronger moral fiber than the average citizen. People look upto them for leadership and to make tough decisions so when scandals like the ones that have put Keith Vaz and Sandeep Kumar in the limelight take place, it makes them look weak and corruptable. Family is still looked upon as one of the most sacred institutions and if a person can cheat on that, he is capable of doing anything.
Nathaniel D’Costa, digital strategist
I feel that everyone, including public figures, is entitled to living their private lives in total privacy. But as public figures they become role models for society so certain issues that might be considered private for an ordinary individual can become a matter of reasonable public interest. Since they are people holding high profile positions their health, behavior, opinions, family, property etc does matter as they are in a position to influence decision making which reflects on the lives of the people they serve.
Shawn Martins, ZP member
