Time to shed the arrogance

When the B.C. Liberals scored an upset election victory in 2013, a number of political observers (myself included) wondered at the time whether the miracle win would breed arrogance among the victors to the point where they thought they were bulletproof from losing power.

For evidence that this has indeed happened, look no further than the controversy raging over the B.C. Liberals’ wanton disregard for following the law when it comes to making information public where it is warranted.

It’s not just that these folks seem to think they are above the law. No, it goes further than that: they think the law in question (which governs freedom of information) really doesn’t matter to the public, and therefore following the rules set down by that law doesn’t really matter either.

Certainly, the B.C. Liberals may well be correct in gauging the public’s disinterest, although they may be underestimating public opinion this time around.

However, it’s important to remember that the party seemed bruised and battered by the so-called “quick wins” scandal involving the courting of ethnic voters (aside from avid political watchers, who can recite what that was even about?) going into the last campaign and the scandal ended up mattering not a whit to the electorate.

Scandals rarely defeat governments, and the last election outcome appears to have embedded this fact into the brains of many currently running the show.  The current brouhaha over deleting emails may well pass from memory by the time voters head to the polls again 18 months from now, or at least not be the deciding question when people mark their ballots.

But that does not excuse the actions of so many – refusing to make documents, improperly deleting emails, subverting the rules regarding the release of information to the public – who think winning elections counts for everything, and all else takes a distant back seat.

This dismissal of the need to be accountable and provide openness is cavalier at best and sneeringly undemocratic at worst. The investigation by B.C. privacy and information commissioner was justifiably scathing and harsh in its findings and judgment.

This mentality – that “winning” is all-important and little else matters – can leave vacant the moral and ethical high ground voters still expect to see occupied by those they vote for. Stephen Harper and his Conservative party learned that lesson in a very painful manner in the recent federal election, a contest that turned out to be more about values than anything else.

It’s time to shed the arrogance and start following the law. Otherwise that sense of being bulletproof may one day prove to be delusional.

Keith Baldrey is chief political reporter for Global B.C.