New Zealand needs to develop options for removing leaders when their decision-making abilities are impaired, the authors of a study of former Prime Ministers say.
Professor Nick Wilson
Independent researcher Dr John Horrocks and Professor Nick Wilson from the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, Pōneke, say the performance of at least four former New Zealand Prime Ministers has been impaired, in three cases by poor health, and, in the case of Robert Muldoon, by his heavy drinking.
In an article published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, Dr Horrocks says the last minute withdrawal of US President Joe Biden as the Democratic candidate for the November 2024 US election highlights the complex risks to a country's wellbeing and security when a leader's performance is impaired by infirmity or illness.
Of the four New Zealand Prime Ministers studied, two died in office, Michael Joseph Savage (who served as Prime Minister from 1935-1940), and Norman Kirk (leader from 1972-1974). The third, Joseph Ward (Prime Minister from 1928-1930) died shortly after resigning his position, while the leadership of Robert Muldoon (from 1975-1984) was impacted by bouts of heavy drinking at critical times.
Professor Wilson says the Prime Ministers were all reluctant to accept limitations to their authority, despite urgings from associates who considered that they were no longer able to make sound decisions, or were too ill to carry out their work.
Dr John Horrocks
There was a culture of secrecy and denial surrounding the illnesses of the three earlier Prime Ministers, Savage, Kirk and Ward.
Less than three weeks before Savage died from colon cancer at the age of 68, the public were being reassured by his associates about his health. An article in the Labour Party paper, the Standard reported the Prime Minister was, 'not only fit, and looking very fit, but is in daily consultation with his Ministers'.
Ward's second term as Prime Minister was marked by poor and hasty decisions, frequent absences from Parliament as a result of illness and attempts by close associates to minimise the extent of his sickness and general debility. He died at the age of 74, with his death certificate noting 'senile decay', diabetes and thrombosis.
Kirk died in office at the age of 51, after 15 years of ill health with diabetes, blood clots, and likely a number of transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs). He is thought to have had a TIA in his hotel room while on a visit to India in 1973, when he was left temporarily paralysed on one side of his body and unable to speak.
All four leaders were at times protected by political associates who helped conceal the degree to which their ability to govern was impaired.
Professor Wilson says this mirrors the situation in the US, where there have been at least nine US presidents for whom important health information has been withheld from the public.
"In the most recent instance, Joe Biden's aides attempted to mask his failing capacities by reducing the number of his press conferences, media appearances and meetings with members of Congress. Their efforts proved futile when millions of viewers saw him fumbling with his notes and losing track of his arguments in the presidential candidates' debate with Donald Trump last year."
Professor Wilson says all four of the New Zealand leaders in the study made poor political decisions, including Muldoon, who appeared drunk when he called a snap election in 1984.
"Given that leaders play a critical role in determining when and why countries go to war, New Zealand should give serious consideration to safeguarding its democratic system from the risk posed by a leader with diminished capacity.
"Requiring independent medical assessments both before and during office could reduce the chances of having political leaders with diminished understanding of their own limitations."
Professor Wilson says other options for New Zealand that are used in other countries could include term limits for Prime Ministerships and 'recall systems', where voters could petition for a politician to be recalled.
"Maintaining a strong media with investigative journalists could also help expose failing leaders and attempts by their enablers to hide their impairments."
The research paper, 'Case Studies of Health-Impaired Prime Ministers in Aotearoa/New Zealand' is published in the New Zealand Medical Journal.
