Only humble beginnings, please
Updated On: 17 June, 2023 08:17 AM IST | Mumbai | Lindsay Pereira
Why are more and more public figures in politics embracing the myth of poverty to burnish their credentials?
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UK PM Rishi Sunak claimed he drove a VW Golf before the media revealed his collection of luxury vehicles. Pic/Twitter
I was shocked to discover that UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was caught pretending to be a common man, claiming he drove a VW Golf car before the media revealed his collection of luxury vehicles. How could this be, I wondered, given that he was related by marriage to one of the humblest families in the history of humankind? I was also surprised to read about how his humble wife avoided millions of pounds in taxes on foreign earnings. There must have been some mistake, I thought. An accounting error, perhaps, or something to do with outsourced software. But no, it was all true, and I had to lie down for a while and try to accept it.
As a recovered from the shock, I arrived at a worrying realisation. It feels as if anyone wanting to enter politics these days is compelled to play down their wealth, as if to divert us from the fact that most of it is probably ill-gotten. I’m not saying all politicians or wannabe politicians are liars or thieves, of course, because there must be one or two of them who are vaguely trustworthy. Having said that, it is worrying that anyone even remotely interested in entering the political arena now feels the need to portray themselves as more down to earth than they really are. Some of these people allegedly turn to PR agencies that plant stories about their simple lives, and hope they go viral on Twitter or something. I presume the hope is that some delusional folk may be swayed by their humility and accept them as our new presidential candidates or something.
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