"Criticism of the NATO membership-seeking leader, Sanna
Marin, 36, over parties she’s attended showed the difficulties of keeping life
private in the age of cellphones and social media.
HELSINKI — Sometimes a prime
minister just wants to have a little fun.
Last December, Sanna Marin,
Finland’s 36-year-old leader, was spotted clubbing in Helsinki with friends
into the early morning hours without her official phone, on which she had
received a message warning her that she had been exposed to the coronavirus.
She publicly apologized after facing
criticism for failing to immediately quarantine.
On Thursday, Ms. Marin was facing
more scrutiny in media and political circles after videos leaked to social
media showing her dancing energetically, striking poses and singing with
friends at private parties.
The chatting on the videos left her
facing questions about the possible presence of illegal drugs, with one voice
saying, “This gives you a great feeling.”
But there was no direct evidence that
drugs were being used.
Still, that was enough for the
opposition leader, Riikka Purra, chair of the Finns Party, perhaps mindful of
elections next April, to suggest that Ms. Marin should volunteer to take a drug
test.
The dust-up raised the question of
whether Ms. Marin, who leads the Social Democratic Party and became one of the
world’s youngest prime ministers in December 2019, was being held to a
different standard.
In response to the videos, Ms. Marin
denied knowledge of any illegal drug use at any party she has attended, telling
the Finnish state broadcaster YLE on Thursday that only alcohol was consumed.
She said that the parties she has attended were in private residences some
weeks ago, and she expressed her displeasure at the latest leak.
“These videos are private,” Ms.
Marin said. “They were recorded in private premises. I am displeased that they
have been published. What they are about is that I was spending an evening with
friends, partying, admittedly
boisterously, dancing and singing.”
The parties drew some popular
cultural and media personalities, including the singer and songwriter Alma and
her sister Anna, the radio personalities Tinni Wikström and Karoliina Tuominen,
and Janita Autio, a photographer who took a photo of Ms. Marin
at a rock music festival in a leather jacket, shorts and boots that
subsequently went viral.
Ms. Marin said that her security
officers were on duty when she was at the parties but that they were not inside
the residences.
Emilia Palonen, a political
scientist at the University of Helsinki, says that it is difficult these days
for a prominent politician to have true privacy.
“She surely trusted in the videos
not being spread,” Ms. Palonen said. “But one is never free in this day and
age. These days videos can be made anywhere and she was clearly aware” that she
was being filmed.
That said, in this polarized political climate, Ms. Palonen
said, “Her partying can be associated with irresponsibility.”
Indeed, some on social media seized on the videos to suggest
it was unbecoming behavior given the problems people are facing today.
Petri Kuittinen, who identified himself on Twitter as a
father of four, linked to the leaked video and commented:
“Finland is suffering from record high electricity prices, lack of health care
& elderly care professionals and this is how our leader is spending her
time!”
But Fabian Zuleeg, chief executive
of the European Policy Center in Brussels, asked: “Can
someone explain to me why it is seen to be in any way a problem that a politician
goes to a party and dances (if it doesn’t take place during lockdown that is)?”
Ms. Marin became prime minister
after her predecessor had to resign over his handling of a postal workers
strike."
Komentarų nėra:
Rašyti komentarą