Opinion

Is This a Democracy?

By CHRISTINE CUNANAN-NOMURA

The Japanese government kept former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's illness a secret for 22 hours. In fact, not only did they deliberately withhold information from the press and the public, but they actually gave out false information.

Before Chief Cabinet Secretary Mikio Aoki finally held an emergency press briefing at 11 p.m., April 2, and admitted the real story, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) had told the media that the prime minister had stayed at his official residence all day April 2.

All along, it turns out that the prime minister had been rushed to Juntendo Hospital at 1 a.m., April 2, and then he lapsed into a coma later that evening.

Although few Japanese believe such actions have grave implications, I was very distressed by these efforts to mislead the public.

First, these actions reminded me of the dark era in recent Philippine history under the rule of former President Ferdinand Marcos. In his final years in power Marcos became very ill, but this was kept a secret for a long time. The Office of the President continued to pretend everything was normal and issued false statements about Marcos' activities.

Many other nondemocratic governments have also distorted facts because so much depended on keeping their respective leaders healthy and in power.

True, the Japanese government only maintained such a situation for 22 hours. However, I believe that the mere fact that there was deliberate misrepresentation is a concern.

A lie is a lie, whether big or small. The fact that the PMO knowingly gave out false information is wrong. This office is supposed to be a reliable source of information. If you cannot trust what the PMO says, who can you trust?

While withholding information may have been necessary, there was no need to tell a lie about the prime minister's whereabouts. The Japanese government is in a stable situation; the country will not collapse if its leader falls seriously ill.

Having worked as the foreign information officer of the Philippines in Japan, I know very well that many situations are highly confidential. When I could not release sensitive information to the media in the course of my job, I simply said, "This matter is confidential" or "I'm sorry, but we are still waiting for confirmation of the situation. We will update you as soon as possible."

According to media reports, however, the main reason the Japanese government withheld information and lied was to give the Liberal Democratic Party time to plot its next moves. If this is true, then what has happened is a completely unacceptable, selfish action by the ruling politicians.

Cabinet Secretary Aoki tried to excuse the situation by saying that Obuchi's secretary was upset, prompting him to provide false information. If so, then this is the most worrying.

The PMO should be staffed by individuals who are capable and trained to handle even the most serious emergencies with calmness, maturity and a sense of responsibility. I believe this is the least the Japanese people — and foreigners living in Japan — should expect of such an important office.

There is no excuse for lying in such circumstances. In most other democratic First World countries, the staff members who acted so irresponsibly would have been fired automatically.

Shukan ST: April 28, 2000

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