Latham's True Colours

Thank goodness the Australian people had enough sense not to vote for Mark Latham as Prime Minister last year!

The revelations of his attitudes towards his colleagues are absolutely disgusting.

It is understandable that he might be angry or disappointed at the way that the Australian people rejected his party at the elections last year. I can understand that he might be a bit short-tempered due to his illness. Perhaps he feels cheated by the turn of events around the time of the tsunami- the media at the time treated him quite unfairly for not speaking publicly, even though he was very ill at the time.

However, the comments he has made about politicians in interviews are all about bitterness and blame.

It seems that Latham has taken seriously his mentor Gough Whitlam's call in 1975 to “maintain the rage”. Apparently he has even railed against Whitlam who did much to promote Latham in the ALP.

One thing I have learned over the years is that you don't make yourself look good by trying to make others look bad. You certainly don't make yourself look good by heaping insults and accusations on others, even if they are true.

One of the factors that people look for in a leader is the increasingly rare quality of graciousness. This means the ability to make allowances for the short-comings of others and to forgive those who fail us in some ways.

People who can only see the faults in others do not gain anybody's respect. We need to be built up, encouraged and thanked for our contributions, not blamed, discouraged and rubbished. This is particularly true of leaders, to whom we look for inspiration.

Leaders who scorn their followers will soon find themselves with no followers at all.

Politicians who are successful over the long haul are people who show respect for their colleagues, co-workers and for the people who elected them in the first place.

This is true of leaders in every sphere of life. Business people may be ruthless in their deals, but to get anywhere they have to treat their employees with respect.

Teachers may be full of knowledge, but they will not impart that knowledge to students if they don't respect them.

There is a tendency for those who seek public office to become arrogant. Often they are people who are naturally quite talented, but allow the recognition of their position to go to their heads. They then start to believe that they are intrinsically better than the people around them.

What all of this says is that our government system is not so much about the policies of the parties, but the characters of the individuals who represent us.

In an era where media image of political leaders massaged and refined, we need to make sure that when we vote for someone we know who they really are and what they really stand for.

Often, it is the people whom the media decry as being staid or boring who offer the best qualities of leadership. The media want excitement but the nation needs stability.

Prime Minister Latham would no doubt have given us plenty of excitement. But at what cost?