Politicians Behaving Badly
This week saw another NSW politician in court on charges concerning his behaviour.
He is the Labor MP for Macquarie Fields. His charge involved claims of infidelity, a suicide attempt and an ugly physical clash. Chaytor’s political future depends on the verdict to be delivered in Campbelltown Local Court this Friday.
Chaytor and his live in girlfriend of three years, Fee Fen Njoo, agree on much of what happened that day, December 10, in their Glenfield home. The case centres around the charge of his physical assault on her. This comes just after the far more serious charges against Mr Milton Orkopoulos, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, who is accused of supplying minors with drugs and of sexual abuse of boys. He has been expelled from his Party and from Parliament even though the case has not be heard yet and he has not been found guilty. Some time ago a current minister of the Government was accused by the newspapers of sexual assault of a female member of staff in Parliament House. She decided not to press charges. John Brogden, while leader of the Opposition was publicly accused of groping female journalists while intoxicated. Another Labor member Peter Black MP of Murray Darling, behaved badly while drunk in Parliament House as did National Party member Andrew Fraser. MP for Coff’s Harbour who assaulted Joe Tripodi after a drinking session and was suspended for 8 days. The Independent Commission Against Corruption has also investigated other charges against members, one of whom resigned.
You would not expect any such behaviour from Rev Fred Nile or myself. We do not drink alcohol or take illegal drugs, and we have long standing marriages of over forty years each. To help us, we have elders in our local churches and a watchful Christian Democratic Party Executive, all of whom believe that there is no room for hypocrisy in the personal lives of their parliamentary representatives. If they suspected such we would be faced with the issue and if guilty would be expected to resign immediately.
Neither Fred nor I claim to be better than other Parliamentarians, but we do claim that our lives have a right to be scrutinized, that our behaviour must match our beliefs, and that as Christians we are expected to set a standard in personal morality. We recognize we are under constant scrutiny, and we pray that by God’s grace we would never succumb to anything that would bring dishonour on His name or that of the Christian Democratic Party.
REV THE HON. DR GORDON MOYES, A.C., M.L.C..