Hypocrisy, the Greens and politics

FEW would dispute that hypocrisy is rampant in politics and in life.

Sometimes it is blatant and warrants sharp criticism. Sometimes hypocrisy becomes part of survival and compromise.

The charge of hypocrisy is especially telling for those who would inhabit high moral ground. Thus, fundamentalist Christian political parties have been especially vulnerable to allegations when their leaders fail to practise what they preach.

The Greens, too, have protected an image of righteousness and idealism which makes them prone to greater falls. They have pointed out the abysmal failings of humankind in a warming world. They have made it clear they stand with the oppressed, the poor, the migrants.

This makes the run of Greens’ scandals all the more damaging. Each hurts the ‘‘brand’’ because of the nature of the apparent hypocrisy. Further, the Greens’ handling of the crises has been undermining their ideals of openness and transparency.

Fine words are all well and good. What happens when they are tested?

The Elizabeth Kerekere furore was messy. Both she and the Greens came out poorly.

Dr Kerekere, an LGBTQI+ activist, was elected to Parliament as 9th on the Greens list in 2020.

Suggestions of hypocrisy and being above the rules arose in early 2022 when she broke Covid regulations by flying from Gisborne to Wellington despite being a Covid household contact. She had to resign as party spokeswoman for health and acting spokeswoman for Covid19 response.

Then came accusations of bullying against her before the last election where she had been placed 4th on the list. Counteraccusations of bullying and ‘‘dirty politics’’ were raised from within the party. It looked bad for a party which emphasised fair treatment of employees, those in power imbalances and respectful decisionmaking. Dr Kerekere resigned from the party, although not from her seat in Parliament.

A bigger blow to the Greens came with the Golriz Ghahraman stealing from shops revelations and last week’s admission of guilt. Somehow, the former United Nations lawyer and a highly respected star of the Greens had stolen expensive designer clothes.

What did this say about a party concern for poverty and the downtrodden, about waste and extravagance and capitalism itself?

Perhaps this could be put down to the particular troubles of one person. After all, it was not as if Ms Ghahraman did not have the salary to afford expensive apparel if that was her priority.

Piggybacking Ms Ghahraman’s appearance in court comes another potential scandal which questions the adherence of the Greens to their values.

MP Darleen Tana has been suspended while an ‘‘independent’’ Greens investigator looks into her possible involvement with and knowledge about her husband’s bike company and accusations made against it of migrant labour exploitation.

Ms Tana informed the party about an employment case against her husband’s company on February 1. The Greens secretly removed her as small business spokeswoman.

Ms Tana told the Greens about a second case on February 9, but it was only at the end of last week, after being flushed out by a journalist, that the Greens instituted the investigation.

While the Greens might claim delays because of respect for fair and due process in both the

Ghahraman and Tana cases, changing a spokesperson in secret is impossible to justify.

All this is in the wake of the Greens winning 11.6% of the vote in the last election and some of its leaders celebrating as though they had won Lotto.

Their high horse is not looking quite so high, despite the near moribund Labour opposition and a coalition already lurching and under fire.

Nevertheless, the Greens retain a dedicated support base and a strong, albeit tarnished brand.

Meanwhile, there was no lack of Labour ministers crashing and burning last year, and National MPs were, for a spell, frequently behaving badly.

The worst hypocrisy resonates with voters, and it should be called out.

Hypocrisy is, of course, found among us all and in every organisation and company. The Greens just seem to have gone out of their way to prove they are no exception.