“If you’re going to make a mistake, make it a good one!” Ardern’s government didn’t make just one big mistake managing COVID-19, they made several.
Despite her oft-repeated claim of going hard and going early, Ardern went too hard and not early enough ensuring long term economic effects of lockdown that could easily have been avoided. Even the hard and early lie pales into insignificance this week with the arrival of new COVID cases. All avoidable of course, and not the fault of the “team of five million” who did their bit. It was Ardern’s team who dragged us backwards.
Ardern disavowed responsibility for departures from quarantine protocols that she promised: testing on days three and twelve and strict isolation. Instead, the un-tested “Thelma and Louise” were given leave to drive to Wellington taking COVID with them.
The Director-General of Health, Ashley Bloomfield, fronted up alone with the bad news and apologised. Ardern did not.
“Of course, I feel huge remorse that this has happened, but I am making sure that we are fixing the system.
“If I had any personal responsibility for what happened here of course I’d take that, but my job is to lead, I wear that, and I keep going,” Ms Ardern said.”
On the subject of leadership, Ardern is selective. When other world leaders chimed in unison that it was wrong to change history by removing statues that remind us of uglier times, Ardern sidestepped the issue saying that the decision should be made by local authorities.
When Ardern was “crushing” COVID, she fronted daily. When her team failed and blame was in the air she was distant – a fair-weather leader. Ten days prior she had basked in the international praise that drew her coy response giving credit to the “team of five million.”
“Congratulations to New Zealand, which, as of June 8, 2020, has effectively eliminated the threat of Covid-19 on its soil due to a series of strict lockdowns, strong government leadership and the ability of its residents to band together and follow the rules. As they say in this part of the world, good on ya!”
10 days after floating from the rafters, Bloomfield lands with a thud and fronts up to deliver the bad news and a personal apology for the MOH’s neglect of COVID protocols. Mike Hosking calls it a calamity and overseas media agrees. A newspaper reported:
“Now media from across the globe have taken a keen interest in how the Ministry of Health is “bungling” its handling of Kiwis returning from overseas and heading into quarantine.
The Telegraph called the incident and introduction of the military a “fiasco” while Bloomberg called it a “quarantine bungle“.”
Ardern was forced to come up with a plan. She announced the appointment of the assistant chief of the Defence Force, Air Commodore Darryn (Digby) Webb, to oversee all quarantine and managed isolation facilities. Stuff reported that “Ardern tasked Webb with a ‘start-to-finish audit’ of the existing systems and written protocols at the border.”
The problem with that announcement is that Webb has actually been doing that job for the last four weeks.
Her last-ditch attempt to promote the appearance of being in control of COVID raises the question: if Webb is the saviour of quarantine and isolation facilities, surely the first thing he did when appointed was to carry out a comprehensive audit and assessment? And if he did that, why were the promised two tests in 14 days not carried out and why were people in isolation mingling unrestricted?
Ardern has run out of options. Who is she going to call now? Surely it is time for her to bail, or will she do a Bridges and hang on until someone pushes her out?
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