Prime Minister Learns What “Transparency” Means

Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson drew harsh criticism for remarks he made about an impending vote of no confidence against Interior Minister Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir.

The Pirate Party announced earlier this week that they were considering submitting a vote of no confidence against Minister of the Interior Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir. They contend that her refusal to step down during police investigations of her ministry, amongst other things, has ruined the credibility of the ministry itself.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson told MBL that he believes Hanna Birna has acted appropriately throughout the matter, adding that he questioned the premise of the Pirates’ proposal.

“There isn’t really a lot one can say about the proposal,” he told reporters. “It is a bit peculiar that that a no confidence vote over the leaked memo should come from the Pirates. I thought they were the biggest supporters of leaks, legal and illegal.”

The PM’s quip did not go unnnoticed by the Pirates, who issued a statement clarifying for Sigmundur what “transparency” entails, DV reports.

“The Pirates stand for transparency in government and the individual’s right to privacy,” the statement reads in part. “The individual’s right to privacy means protecting the powerless from the abuse of the more powerful, and transparency means opening the powerful to the supervision of the powerless. Ergo, privacy is for the individual; transparency is for the public sector. It is a serious matter for the whole nation that the Prime Minister does not understand what government transparency entails.”