The power of compassion

“Women don’t need to pretend they are men to occupy high office,” write Supriya Vani and Carl A Harte in their meticulously researched book Jacinda Ardern: Leading with Empathy. This biography of New Zealand’s 40th Prime Minister focuses on how a you­ng socialist, once considered too nice to be in politics, has rewritten the rules.
 
Ardern has earned a place of respect across the globe with her empathetic leadership. Her finest moment, undoubtedly, was the decisive stand she took against terrorism and Islamophobia in 2019 after the Christchurch mass shootings that kill­ed Muslims attending Friday prayers. Her gesture of wearing a headscarf while comforting the families of victims was backed up by gun law refo­rm. She showed that she meant business.

 
Vani is a peace activist and author. Harte is a writer and book editor. They have put together a memorable volume that places Ardern in her own local and national context for international readers who might be unaware of her family background, early influences and political training. They celebrate her successes, and address the challenges she has faced.
 

Ardern wanted to be a clown, psychologist, writer and policewoman at different points of time in her life. Her mother, Laurell, had to give up careers in office administration and teaching to raise her two daughters — Jacinda and Louise. Her father, Ross, worked as a police sergeant. What inspired  Ardern to enter politics?

 
The authors emphasise that “her inclination for public life seems to derive from the women of the family, who were no shrinking violets.” They add, “That some of (her) women ancestors set out alone from the United Kingdom, making the longest voyage of migration in human history to New Zealand (some 14,750 miles), says much of their mettle.” Through this lineage, the book gives crucial insights into what went into the making of Ardern.
 
Her aunt, Marie, guided her entry into the Labour Party at the age of 17. Her grandmother, Gwladys, was an ardent Labour supporter and a secretary of the Piako Labour Electorate Committee. Ardern was also closely mentored by Helen Clark, the 37th prime minister of New Zealand. These role models, a bachelor’s degree in communication studies, work experience, personal charisma, and her commitment to social justice, gave her an edge.

 
The authors present Ardern as a person who expresses her strength through compassion rather than bullying, and as someone who is not easily rattled by ill-natured attacks from her colleagues — men and women. She has been at the receiving end of statements such as “Zip it, sweetie” and “Don’t be so precious, petal.” She has also been called “my little pony.” Seeing a woman, and a young politician, succeed has brought admiration but also nurtured jealousy.
 
It is evident, however, that Ardern does not believe in turning the other cheek. She seems to know when a comment is not worth dignifying, and when it needs to be called out. When her decision to take maternity leave to have a baby with her partner Clarke Gayford — while she was serving as PM — was questioned, she spoke up for herself and for other women. She asserted that they could have both — a career and children — if they wanted.

 
Though Ardern now identifies herself as agnostic, she was raised in a Mormon family. Her work ethic and lifestyle choices were deeply influenced by her membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as LDS or the Mormon church. She chose to exit when she saw that it endorsed some practices that contradicted her values.
 
The book reveals that Ardern’s social studies and history teacher Gregor Fountain, who initiated her into activism, had predicted that her feminism and Mormonism would clash. The authors quote a senior church leader, Bruce R McConkie, who wrote in 1966 that “a woman’s primary place is in the home, where she is to rear children and abide by the righteous counsel of her husband.” Ardern found this blatant misogyny unacceptable.

 
Vani and Harte point out that “the tipping point” which led Ardern to walk away from the Mormon church was its response to the Civil Union Act of 2004, which recognised gay marriage rights. The church’s opposition to this act “triggered a spiritual crisis” for Ardern. It brought to the fore a “cognitive dissonance” that she had been feeling but had not fully examined until then.
 
This book establishes Ardern as a sincere ally to the LGBTQ community. It is amply clear that she did not jump on to the cause to mobilise a group of voters or to boost her own progressive credentials in a targeted campaign. She was courageous enough to do the right thing even if that meant fielding criticism and public censure from fellow Mormons.

 
Ardern’s quote in the book explains what she went through. She says, “Even before the Civil Union Bill came up, I lived in a flat with three gay friends and I was still going to church…and I just remember thinking, this is really inconsistent — I’m either doing a disservice to the church or my friends. Because how could I subscribe to a religion that just didn’t account for them.” Few politicians today would embody integrity in this manner.
 
This book argues that wearing her heart on her sleeve has worked for Ardern. It makes people trust her. She has spoken about the death of her cat, taken her infant to high-profile meetings, and most recently, held a special press conference for children as they need extra support to make sense of the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on their lives. Gentleness is a rarity in political discourse. Hopefully, others will follow in Ardern’s footsteps.