Why are Finnish PM Sanna Marin’s party videos bothering you?

“I have nothing to hide. I have not used drugs and therefore I have no problem taking tests,” Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin said after a leaked video of her partying and dancing wildly with friends at a private event surfaced online and went viral.

Thousands of people came up with comments like “irresponsible and inappropriate” to define the video and Marin’s actions when she was seen dancing hip-to-hip with male pop singer Olavi Uusivirta in Helsinki.

But the Finnish PM defended the actions and her love for partying; she insisted that “everyone needs fun and relaxed evening out” and added that there is “nothing inappropriate” in the leaked video.

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This is not the first time she is facing criticism for partying. Last year in December, Finland’s prime minister Sanna Marin had to apologise for going clubbing after coming into close contact with a COVID-19 positive case.

Critics even questioned her judgment when she chose not to isolate herself as she said she had been fully vaccinated. She was actually asked to isolate, but said that she missed the text message that advised her to avoid social contact as it was sent to her work phone, which she had left at home. Many saw this as her being ‘irresponsible’.

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After the recent video was leaked, the 36-year-old, who is married, said that her only regret is that those videos were not meant to be seen by everyone as it was a private party.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with letting loose after juggling multiple responsibilities in the office. A 36-year-old can do such things unapologetically.

But it has left the people divided as critics are saying that this behaviour is not appropriate for a world leader while others have defended her right to enjoy a private event with friends.

The criticism has basically been centred around the fact that she was on duty as prime minister at the time and people questioned whether or not she would have been in a position to make decisions in case of a sudden crisis.

But Marin said, “My capacity to function was good. I didn’t expect to have any meetings.”

Well, personally speaking, if I see a movie star dancing next to me in a nightclub, I will be excited for sure. But if I see our Prime Minister dancing next to me at a posh party in New Delhi, it might bother me.

But considering her age, Marin’s approach to being a world leader would be different and people should accept that. She was the world’s youngest prime minister when she assumed office in 2019.

Moral policing can’t be done just because she is a woman. Had it been Obama’s private party, people would have a different mindset while writing the headlines and defining it. It is sad to see how the entire chapter has been treated in the public domain. It was uncalled for.

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When a country’s prime minister is defending herself on claims that she took drugs is too much. Marin even submitted to a drug test to prove her innocence. Was there a need? I guess, not.

Her governance during the Covid pandemic earned her praises as Finland did a better job than most of the European countries.

She was even commended when she defied Russian President Vladimir Putin and applied to join The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The main question why is the Finnish prime minister’s party video bothering a certain segment? It was not illegal so comparing it with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s “partygate” scandal would be wrong.

Finland achieved its independence from Russia in 1917.

It was an impoverished, agrarian nation at the start of the 20th century, with a per capita gross domestic output that was less than half of that of the United Kingdom and the United States, who were leaders at the time.

Finland is a small industrialised nation with one of the highest living standards in the world.

Amid ongoing Russian-Ukraine war fallouts, climate change, and coping with the effects of the coronavirus, this youthful PM has been leading her nation amid apocalyptic-seeming times.

And if she wants to blow off some steam in a private and confined environment, there shouldn’t be any harm. She is not answerable to ‘you’, who is apparently bothered.

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