Voters need facts and clarity
German Chancellor Angela Merkel knows a lot about leadership, having run the European Union powerhouse for 15 years. Germany has benefited from her cautious, steady hand on the tiller during the pandemic.
Other countries have not been so fortunate, and Merkel last week pointedly called out some other leaders’ shortcomings.
“As we are experiencing firsthand, you cannot fight the pandemic with lies and disinformation any more than you can fight it with hate or incitement to hatred,” Merkel told the European Parliament.
“The limits of populism and denial of basic truths are being laid bare. In a democracy, facts and transparency are needed.”
The top two countries for Covid-19 infections are the United States and Brazil, with four million cases between them. Their populist leaders have consistently downplayed the danger of the coronavirus, spread disinformation, and ignored realities on the ground to reopen economies. But spin is useless in a pandemic. Health facts cannot be argued with.
As our September election nears, Merkel’s words are a reminder that leaders’ characters and methods matter, because voters find out the hard way in crises if there are major deficiencies.
Covid-19 has tested leaders on whether their basic goal is to do the right thing. The best leaders manage to be themselves while being strategically smart. They can make big calls and take sensible steps. They show at least some ability to anticipate and avoid political pitfalls.
Leaders who are basically competent and well-meaning can still appoint the wrong people, not think through the implications of decisions, get bad advice and be indecisive. Sometimes experiencing major difficulties can build knowledge and confidence for future challenges.
Our Government tried to staunch the bad news on testing and quarantines, changing frontline personnel dealing with the brief. Four cases of returnees escaping from managed isolation have stirred new outrage, although they represent a tiny fraction of the thousands of people who have passed through.
There is still no evidence of community transmission but we are not alone in having these challenges. Two people were fined after fleeing Sydney hotel quarantine in the past week.
Yet, the risks are not trivial. Victoria’s new outbreak is a major wake-up call.
National has also gone through upheaval with a scandal involving private Covid-19 patient details. It is not a good look for the party’s new leader, who is still establishing his bona fides.
One thing we do not want to do is introduce another virus from overseas: The politicisation of this health crisis.