Djokovic, Johnson, Hong Kong’s ‘partygate’: why this is the year of #YouToo

As my British Airways flight was approaching Cape Town last November 25, my neighbour, J.D., said something to me that has stuck to this day. The only unmasked passenger I saw throughout the 12-hour journey, J.D. revealed he didn’t like a mask on his face. Feeling mellow, at heart a libertarian and blissfully unaware South Africa had reported a new coronavirus variant to the World Health Organization the day before, I merely replied that a mask was useful as I was freezing (seated by an emergency exit). But I couldn’t help wondering: who likes to wear a mask, apart from the Japanese? Manners maketh man. It is in trying times when one’s character, or the lack thereof, is unmasked, through choices one makes. In the past fortnight, Hong Kong, the UK and the world have been transfixed by reports of people in positions of power, influence or responsibility behaving as if coronavirus measures did not apply to them. In Hong Kong, numerous senior government officials – including Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui Ying-wai, who is in charge of coronavirus measures; Commissioner of Police Raymond Siu Chak-yee; and Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption Simon Peh Yun-lu – plus newly minted Legislative Council members, have had to serve time at Penny’s Bay following a birthday bash with over 200 attendees in honour of a Hong Kong delegate to China’s National People’s Congress. Along with false positives and phantom guests who did not register their presence as required by law, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s absence surely must be one of the event’s weakest links. Lam was very disappointed. In the UK, after weeks of Downing Street’s denials about a garden party at his official residence on May 20, 2020, when the country was under lockdown, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has at last apologised for what he still insists was a “work event” “technically” within the rules set by him, as his principal private secretary’s email invite to 100 colleagues to “bring your own booze” to “make the most of this lovely weather” became public knowledge. Nationwide, tens of thousands of people have been fined for breaching lockdown rules and many have had to say their goodbyes to dying loved ones via Zoom. One member of parliament has described Johnson as “socially distanced from honesty, responsibility and integrity”. In two pandemic years, how our politicians have failed the world And in a true sign of sports transcending national borders, Novak Djokovic, the world’s reigning No. 1 men’s singles tennis player vocal in his opposition to vaccines, tussled with the Australian government for cancelling his visa upon his “medically exempt” arrival in Australia after he failed to meet an entry condition (vaccination). Djokovic previously mentioned his “freedom of choice”, which meant Melburnians would just have to be saddled with an unvaccinated alien in their midst. The false statement about his travel history on his Australian travel declaration? His agent’s “human error”. Djokovic’s countrymen’s health didn’t concern him much, either. Shortly after testing positive on December 16, 2021, the basis of his medical exemption to take part in the Australian Open, Djokovic attended public events unmasked despite Serbia’s 14-day self-isolation rules. He also fulfilled an interview and photo shoot commitment because he didn’t want to disappoint the journalist. With Djokovic’s parents equating him to Jesus and Serbia’s president feting him as a national hero, would the journalist have chosen to meet Jesus and risk being infected, if Jesus had let him make his own choice? Don’t browbeat parents into vaccinating their kids. Persuade them A federal circuit judge quashed the cancellation of Djokovic’s visa as procedurally unfair because border officials had made their decision 48 minutes too early. Australia’s immigration minister has since exercised his statutory personal power to cancel Djokovic’s visa for a second time, “on health and good order grounds … in the public interest”. A full federal court unanimously agrees. Good character always is an entry condition under Australian law. In seeking to absolve themselves of responsibility, the likes of Djokovic pleaded errors of judgment – or in plainer language, being an idiot. But you don’t get to be the crème de la crème of Hong Kong’s political world, prime minister of a G7 country, or the world’s No. 1 tennis player, if you are an idiot. Instead, they each suffer from too much intelligence, while thinking everyone else is an idiot in sticking to the rules. Since the novel coronavirus was identified in Wuhan in January 2020, governments across the world have imposed draconian restrictions, in the name of public health, on all aspects of our daily lives. As the third year of the pandemic looms, we have normalised such restrictions so much so that partying, travelling unvaccinated and flying unmasked are for people who consider themselves powerful, rich or intelligent enough to be outside the rules that apply to the masses. As we come to live with the coronavirus, political leaders, marquee sportspersons and others in positions of power, influence or responsibility must be role models with a moral compass. Just as allegations against Harvey Weinstein in 2017 led to the #MeToo reckoning, so must Covid-19, with millions dead, mark the dawn of #YouToo. Ultimately, in a pandemic, we are all role models with power, influence and responsibility for others and ourselves, so I hope J.D. wore a mask on his return home to London. A restaurateur should know his desires and preferences are not agreeable to everyone’s palate. One can always be a little humbler. Phil C.W. Chan is a former senior lecturer in public law and global governance in Australia