Time to vote the liars out

Since mankind started organising itself into political hierarchies, the ruling elites have been lying to those who are ruled. This violation of the ninth of the Ten Commandments comes in different shades. Sometimes it is just a white lie or expedient omission; other times, politicians blatantly lie through their teeth.

Malaysia is no exception to the rule of lying politicians. In fact, all politicians lie, and it is a fact we have come to accept, often grudgingly in the past.

But of late, Malaysians have been dished out with lies so appalling and frequent that we have come to accept them as part of our political landscape. More worryingly, some of us justify the lies told by politicians as though it is the latter's moral right to deceive, fabricate, and even slander.

Have we lost our moral compass as a nation? What kind of example are we setting for our kids if we not only let those in power lie and cheat but also cheer their deceitful ways, as though we are rooting for our football club?

We must draw a line in the sand. Lying has no place in our society, much less in the corridors of power. When politicians who promised to reduce our fuel prices, do away with the Sedition Act, or scrap political appointments in government-linked companies when they came into power did not keep to their words, why do some of us explain away the broken vows?

It is one thing for politicians to drink their own kool-aid, but it would be downright silly for voters to lose their sense of objectivity, or worse, their moral bearings. Does a robbery victim justify the crime committed against themselves? Would the victim come to the robber's defence and say "I could have been robbed by a bigger robber"?

If we allow this to continue, are we not encouraging politicians to continue lying? Are we allowing politicians to tell even bigger lies with each successive election cycle because we embolden them instead of punishing them? If so, in no time, the snowball of lies will only demolish the very foundations this nation is built upon.

When the governed lose trust in those governing, we are setting ourselves up for a dystopia. When we justify being lied to, we only expedite the journey.

It is time politicians stop lying, whether it is the prime minister or the opposition leader. But more importantly, it is time we become honest with ourselves, too.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.