Here is an interesting development: in order to promote a consistent electoral message of the Democratic Party of Japan as the party of clean politics -- a reputation the party had enjoyed until last year-- DPJ Party Leader and Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio has demanded the resignation of House of Representatives member Kobayashi Chiyomi. Kobayashi has been in danger of losing her seat ever since her former campaign accountant was arrested for campaign finance violations. She had not been forced to resign her seat before now because forcing her to step down whilst leaving Hatoyama and DPJ Secretary-General in their posts would have looked sexist. With Hatoyama resigning today as PM and Party Leader, and Ozawa apparently accepting a Hatoyama request that he (Ozawa) resign as Secretary-General due to the drag that investigations into Ozawa's fundraising organization have had on the DPJ's support numbers, Kobayashi's number has seemingly, finally, come up.
Fascinating...at the moment he stands upon the verge of his losing control of the party he founded and spent his family's fortune in building, Hatoyama is finally free to order the changes needed to restore its former good name.
Photo of Kobayashi Chiyomi courtesy the official DPJ website.
No comments:
Post a Comment