Punishment for Mr. Garthy for undermining the authority of the Diet
Yoshikazu Azumaya, also known as “Gersey,” was expelled from the Diet for the first time in 72 years.
Photo = Jiji Press Photo
Name tag of Rep. Garthy (real name: Yoshikazu Azumaya), who was removed from the plenary session of the House of Councillors following being expelled, in the Diet on the morning of March 15, 2023.
The reason, as reported, is that he broke his promise to “return to Turkey and appear in court,” but in essence, it boils down to “undermining the authority of the Diet.” This is clear from the remarks of Muneo Suzuki, chairman of the Disciplinary Committee of the House of Councillors, who decided on the disciplinary action this time.
“It is extremely disappointing that the promise was not carried out, and it is regrettable. At the same time, it will be the worst thing to invite political distrust, so here is also to protect the authority of the House, we must respond firmly.” (TV morning news March 8)
If you translate this into the words of the common people, it means, “I’m going to do it with a bang so that I can’t make fun of it any more.” If people like Mr. Garthy who don’t follow the rules get carried away, the authority of Congress will fall to the ground, and the public’s distrust of politics will be accelerated, saying, “I will vote for whoever I vote for.” So let’s banish him from politics here and there.
I know how you feel. In fact, there are many people online and on social media who support the disposal, saying, “Of course. It was too late.” However, if you really don’t want to invite political distrust, removing Garthy’s parliamentary eligibility will have the opposite effect. On the contrary, nonpartisan voters, especially young voters, will be put off by this punishment, and distrust of politics will be accelerated.
It will crush the public’s desire for “change”
There are two main reasons why I say that. The first is that, even though he insists on defending the authority of Congress, he treats “the will of the people” unexpectedly lightly.
People who don’t like Mr. Garthy will probably be angry, saying, “Why did such a person get elected in the first place?” He was elected with a considerable support of regarding 287,000 votes.
Of course, there will be many people who put it in for fun. However, there are many people who voted for “change” because they might not expect anything from “existing politics”. Depriving Mr. Gersey of his life as a lawmaker means crushing the will of the people. Even when it comes to “protecting the authority of parliament,” we should be a little more cautious.
