On Feb 13, my two boys came back from somewhere and I asked them if they heard that the general election has been called, and Parliament dissolved? They both said yes, but then they asked, \”But, why did the PM lie about it?\”
Yes, why did the PM lie about it? In fact, my 17-year-old son continued, \”He did the same thing when people were speculating about his marriage.\” Point made to me.
Now, how do I respond to a 17-year-old when he asks you why did the PM lie? Finally, I said, maybe he did not get the King’s approval and therefore he could not say anything truthful about the elections. But then again, did he have to lie about it?
Or, then again, did he really in fact even get the King’s approval, since it was not the King’s Palace which announced the dissolution of Parliament, but rather the PM himself. Malaysiakini reported Lim Kit Siang saying that maybe the King did not in fact give his consent.
Well, frankly I do not know why the PM lied. Maybe someone should ask him. Call it a white lie or whatever, but to my 17-year-old it was a lie, and our PM lied to the nation. My son, like all children, has been taught never to lie, and still he struggles with not lying.
That is why ‘white lies’ become easier or half-truths become easier. Maybe also to the PM ‘white lies’ are not lies! Any really spiritual person will, I suspect, never lie, even if at times he or she does not tell the whole and total truth about a matter based on discretion.
He should apologise
This problem of white lies and grey lies is worth considering. When is a lie only a lie? A lie is one when you state some fact which is not one, but do it with an attitude of absolute certainty and honesty. Based on this, did the PM lie? Yes, he did. He knew that he would seek out the King to declare Parliament dissolved on Feb 13, 2008.
Moreover, this fact was what the newspaper reporters were searching after, and he had been cornered about it the very day before. He should have simply dismissed them with some half truths but which would not have been meant or designed to mislead. For instance he could have said, \”only the Agong really knows!\”
But when he told them that Parliament would not be dissolved, he therefore lied. He had positively confirmed that there would be no dissolution of the Parliament on Feb 13, and this story almost every newspaper carried. Maybe even the radios, because how else did my kids know.
Consequently therefore, my only request to the PM is that he should apologise to the nation for both his lies; the one about his marriage to Jean Danker and this one about the dissolution of Parliament. If not, that alone is cause for many citizens not to take any so-called \”promises of the PM\” seriously.
At the last general election, he made many promises about corruption, integrity, transparency, open tenders, honour and dignity of the Parliament etc, etc. The nation believed the PM; and in fact, more than 90 percent of the constituencies believed the PM.
I was one who campaigned with all friends and family to give Pak Lah a real chance. We did, as a nation. My sincere apologies to all, friends and family, because I did not know then what I know now, that the PM can be a habitual liar!
Actually, when we review those promises against all his small lies, these appear to be very big lies. Corruption is now far worse than ever before and our ranking has slipped. On \”open tenders,\” I am told by senior government officers that they are being \”directed to give out projects to politically-linked players even without a due process.\”
Some of these directives come from the PM’s Office, maybe the 4th-floor. None of these are open tenders, in traditional real terms, as per the Treasury circulars. Officers are instead directed to simply put up a \”nota Kabinet\” to rationalise their purchase decisions, often at ridiculous prices. As I have argued many times before, a ‘Cabinet Note’ is only that, a note to inform and update the cabinet about a subject they are already aware of. It cannot be the basis of a major decision or contract of award.
But then, as they say, Malaysia Boleh! Yes, you can even allegedly write a judicial decision for the judge even if you are the defence lawyer.
Camouflaged truths
How should ordinary people react and respond to these small lies and big lies that the PM tells? To me, a lie is a lie is a lie! No amount of convincing can support a lie told by someone in leadership; and especially a PM who talks about integrity. I may be wrong but I do not think that the former prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad even used the word integrity too many times.
Maybe that was also why \”the popular Chinese culture and community\” really appreciated the former minister of health, when he told the truth about his extra-marital affairs. At least he did not tell a small lie but a big truth. He told the truth about \”how he got caught with his pants down, not denying the visual and visible facts.\”
This is unlike others who have become celebrities and have found equally clever ways to lie or at least tell half truths like, \”it smells like, me sounds, like me, and moves like me, but it may not be me.\” Half truths are no truths, but lies camouflaged as truths.
At least the ordinary and simple secretary in the Lingam case made some startling revelations, although disclosing that she was even allegedly ‘bribed’ by the ACA, which the ant-corruption watchdog later denied.
Under the Pak Lah administration, a police officer who squealed against the system and the current leadership of the police was charged with corruption; when no-one saw fit to take action against this individual before he \”started talking.\” And, even a deputy minister was embroiled and implicated in this accusation. I do not even want to start to talk or think about the infamous APs dished out by MITI..
All this reminds of my Professor Harvey’s now world famous \”Abilene Trip phenomenon.\” This is a situation when all who take the trip to \”no-no land,\” all know it is wrong, but after they reach there no one has the courage to speak up and tell the truth that they were part of the reason everybody else also went on the trip to Abilene. Instead, they blame one another or find a scape goat to lay all the blame upon. Sounds familiar?
Harvey, in his book called \” The Abilene Paradox and other Meditations on Management ,\” has a chapter called \”Eichmann in the Organisation.\” Based on the Eichmann’s Nuremberg Trials, Harvey applies the moral argument which is the anti-thesis to the Eichmann plea: \”That he was only following orders,\” to argue that all moral, ethical and spiritual humans have a clear and distinct choice between matters of truth and falsity; between truth and lies, and can make choice against blind obedience.
Therefore such obedience is never blind. The Nuremberg Trials established that such moral choices against the absolute value of clear rights and wrongs cannot be denied even in the face of fear of self-survival.
Self-defence is no argument when involuntary but volitional actions lead to the death of another. I can only feel for the late MGG Pillai for the wrong done to him by cronyism and corruption of the justice system in Malaysia.
Disgusted and disillusioned
As an ex-government officer I am currently disgusted and absolutely disillusioned with the cronyism and corruption that has befallen the public services of Malaysia. The late Osman Yeop, the first VC of University Utara Malaysia and the person who started an Ethics Course at UUM used to often quote the \”boiled frog theory.\”
The public services of Malaysia have become victims of the boiled frog theory. They are so comfortable with their status quo and the protection of that status quo, that they have lost the moral courage to speak and stand for truth; when and where necessary.
The PM recently launched a book about the late Abdullah Salleh, former chief secretary. He was a man of integrity, and I remember one actual incident when one intake of senior PTD officers decided to \”protest a decision like rebel rousers\” during their induction course, and after they were appointed into the PTD service.
He walked into the room with about 12 of the \”culprit officers,\” and simply told them they could resign, if they did not want to be in the public services and to stand up for the right and true values. Many of them broke down and cried, promising never to start another mutiny. Today, we have gone the other extreme; most dare not stand up for truth, when it matters most. But, the real question is: is the leadership setting the right example?
I am sorry to say that the politicians are clearly not; starting with the PM’s lies. It may be a small lie but it cannot come from the PM, if we are serious about integrity of the institution. But, at least there appears to be a glitter of hope. Some individuals and public servants are beginning to speak up for truth and righteousness under the present chief secretary’s tenure. In fact, I am waiting to see if the corrupt and ignorant MPs are nominated for the general elections as government candidates.
If they are, we will get more lies, more cheating and more corruption. Then, please let us all vote against the government and say that we cannot accept people who lie; whether small or big.
The PM, as head of the BN, has said that \”BN would ensure only able candidates who can serve the people with honesty, integrity and efficiency are fielded in the coming general election.\” Tell me sincerely, how do we believe the PM? Do his words, \”honesty, integrity and efficiency\” mean the same thing to all of us? When he lies, he does not seem to think of it as a lie. How then can I trust him again with even bigger words like honesty, integrity and efficiency?
Let us all please pray that God will continue to have mercy on Malaysia through this 12th general election.
