There will be many people who think I am a prick for even raising this, but bear with me.
The events of the past week or so have been utterly embarrassing -- and devastating -- for Green MP Golriz Ghahraman, and in a vacuum of little or no information in a quiet news period, the story of the shoplifting allegations against her built and stayed in the headlines.
At first, it was a case of “nothing to say,” and Green Party leaders were left floundering but still did their utmost to defend her. Much has been written and said about the PR response, particularly Ghahraman’s silence. Yes, she was overseas but surely putting out a simple statement that she was aware of the allegations would have been achievable.
As they say, nature abhors a vacuum; bored media like silence even less – especially on summer days when there’s a story that looks as if it may have green shoots that will grow into something bigger.
The public statement Ghahraman then put out was predictable – stressed, mental health issues and the death threats – but at least she acknowledged that we should “expect the highest standards of behaviour from their elected representatives,” apologised and resigned.
It was 100% the right thing to do, particularly for the Green Party, because getting list MPs to resign, especially when you’re on $163,000 and future job prospects look uncertain, can be tricky. We’ve seen it before with other MPs.
But here’s where I start to wonder whether these kinds of public statements are disingenuous. Stressed. Sick. Death threats. We’ve heard it before from some of our MPs, so I start to question whether these declarations are more about softening public sentiment peppered with a helping of self-pity.
As I said, it sounds harsh – and I certainly do not condone anyone having to put up with abuse and death threats – but it took a while for Ghahraman, who has long been vocal on a number of issues some may see as controversial, to say … anything.
When she did, she didn’t address the alleged victims other than thanking the Ponsonby boutique Scotties “for the kindness and empathy they have shown me”. But in shoplifting cases, the real victims are those who risk their own money – private capital – and work day and night to establish a business.
Business stress
Shoplifting is a serious crime. Quoting a Retail NZ report late last year, Stuff reported that around $1.3 billion is lost to shoplifting and “internal crime” which includes employee or supplier theft and/or fraud. On top of that, retail businesses lose an additional $1.1 billion in external crimes like burglary.
My mate, who runs a vegetable and Mad Butcher outlet, told me huge slabs of fillet steak walk out the door weekly – and they don’t do it by themselves. For him, that is profit margin in a hugely competitive market and it’s close to breaking him.
I also reflect on the “stress aspect”. MPs shoulder a heavy workload, but Ghahraman isn’t a minister and is not in a government negotiating with Winston Peters on a regular basis. She’s a List MP in opposition, with plenty of administration support around her in Wellington and Auckland. While she has a number of portfolio areas, she is not an electorate MP, with local demands and constituents, nor does she chair a select committee.
Her diary is organised by staff members. Her travel is organised and paid for by Parliamentary Services. She has offices and staff in two cities and all transport in between work and home and wherever is paid for by you and me. MPs aren’t limited to four weeks annual leave like the rest of us, their leave rules are unwritten and at the behest of the party and the party whip who runs the house and has a big say in which MP must be where and when.
The Greens are, apparently, a compassionate lot so I can’t imagine they pushed her to the brink of despair. The situation in Gaza will be more than playing on her mind and rightly she has been vocal about this issue – and it is part of her job to do so.
Ghahraman has health issues, which involve regular hospital checks – never a nice thing – and she has been upfront about these.
She has also reported receiving death threats. I’ve had a number over the years, too. Police take them seriously and usually get to the bottom of it. They reassured me that most threats remain just that, and it’s usually a sad soul with a computer as his only friend and a car that won’t start. But I acknowledge issues around personal safety are often more acute for women.
So, she’s stressed in a job where work is full on; there are death threats and toxic social media criticism. Physical and mental health challenges. Ghahraman was a child asylum seeker and our first MP from a refugee background, so her early years weren’t easy either.
It is a lot, but here’s where I struggle to understand. Many of us face stress and trauma, but don’t go and commit an alleged crime. I’m also curious to know what the Green Party knew about. Did they do enough? Did they do nothing? Was she honest with them? Honesty might be the issue here, perhaps.
No one’s perfect
Ghahraman is not the first MP to be investigated by police, who have an inhouse senior officer in charge of investigations like this because of the extra scrutiny that comes with being a high-profile person accused of a crime. Former Act MP Donna Awatere Huata was jailed for fraud, and Labour MP (later independent) the late Taito Phillip Field was jailed for six years for fraud, corruption and perverting the course of justice. Former Justice Minister Kiri Allan is currently before the courts on driving charges. Others have faced police investigations.
We can’t expect all these people to be faultless. They’re flawed - like all of us – and sit in a Parliament representing a diverse society.
No one is perfect. I once stole a pile of chocolate bars from people’s letterboxes once, as I delivered newspapers (along with a free chocolate sample). The chocolate didn’t always make it into the letterbox, but when I got home my mum sent me back out to deliver the chocolate back to those letterboxes that missed out.
I learned my lesson. Most of us know right from wrong as we get older. Commenting on Kiri Allan’s situation, Mental Health Foundation chief executive Shaun Robinson told Radio NZ while we need to be mindful of those dealing with mental health issues in high-stress positions, they need to be held responsible for their actions. Robinson described it as a mix of empathy and responsibility.
I’ve seen MPs do silly things, but sometimes it’s not the action itself. Rather, it’s the aftermath (or cover-up) and I believe playing the “mental health card” is becoming all too familiar for our MPs when they’re backed into a corner.
I am concerned that it risks diminishing it for others with similar issues. The more it is played, the less we believe it. Being an MP is stressful but there is support, possibly more than the average person gets, and on salaries like an MP’s, affording help is more possible, too.
But, as I wrote at the beginning, even in questioning it there will be those that say I’m a jerk.
There’s also the issue of what opposition parties are meant to do for us: hold the government to account. A refreshed opposition should be holding this new government to account, especially over its clash with Māori, but, sadly, they’re now having to deal with this issue.
It’s a giant stick for the coalition government to beat the Greens with but whether it uses it or not, the damage has already been done.
