I Cannot Tell a Lie

Nearly 300 years ago, a six year old boy was supposed to have uttered the words, "I cannot tell a lie, I cut the tree". His name was George Washington, and he grew up to be an American President.

This tale has been told and retold to underscore two points: firstly, it serves as a reminder to all parents that it is quite unwise to allow children to run amok with sharp axes or hatchets, and secondly, it shows that honesty and integrity are values to be treasured in any person, more so when that person is in a position of social or political importance.

While American historians still argue about the veracity of that tale, we should all feel honored that we ourselves have our own version of this tale, though with a decidedly Malaysian twist.

In recent statements, the Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman quoted George Washington almost in verbatim, and affirmed the fact that he knew when the next general election would be held:

The Star (Friday, November 16, 2007): Election Commission chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman has indicated that he knows when the next general election will be called.

"I can’t lie to you that I don’t know when the next general election will be held," he said.

As the position as the EC chairman comes with a certain degree of responsibility, there were many in this fair land who did not doubt that Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul did indeed know the dates. After all, as the EC chairman, his position warrants him to be a man that emphasizes strict adherence to duty and sacrifice.

However, the fact that he had the gumption to publicly announce that he knew the dates for the general dates - when even Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was in the dark about this issue - raised more than a few curious eyebrows, leading to whispering in dark corners of possible collusion between the ruling coalition and an independent and impartial election commission.

Thanfully, our beloved Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi himself rose to the forefront of this with a none too gentle rebuke to Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, and this did much to disabuse many a conspiracist theorist of any possible allegation of collusion:

The Star (Monday, November 19, 2007): Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the power to dissolve Parliament is exclusively his.

The Prime Minister said it was not possible for Election Commission chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman to know when the next general election would take place.

"How would he know? I have yet to dissolve Parliament to pave the way for the elections. It's I who will decide when to have Parliament dissolved," he said at a press conference after his visit to the Islamic Civilisation Park in Pulau Wan Man here yesterday.

A day later, Tan Sri Abdul Rashid publicly retractment his admission - though oddly enough this seemed to have only appeared in the Sun - saying that he did not indeed know the dates for the next general election:

The Sun (Tuesday, 20 November 2007): After getting some flak for saying he knows when the next general election will be held, Election Commission chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman yesterday backtracked and said that he did not know the dates.

He said the EC will only set the election campaign period and polling date after the King has approved the dissolution of Parliament.

"Curiouser and curiouser", as Alice in Wonderland would say.

Indeed, it is quite curious that the EC chairman to have even made that statement in the first place, much less know the dates (if he did indeed know). Had Tan Sri Abdul Rashid deliberately misled the public about this matter, or had the reporters perhaps jumped the gun on this? If the former, then it would not be the first time that his detractors have accused him of this:

The Sun (March 28, 2007): Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman was criticised today for a recent statement in which he challenged opposition parties to bring him to court if they thought the commission was unfair or not transparent.

The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) also questioned Abdul Rashid for saying the EC’s role was not to make law.

Repeating earlier calls for Abdul Rashid to resign, coalition spokesman Sivarasa Rasiah described his statement as “misleading” as he had ignored recent developments where the courts had addressed the role of the EC and the process and conduct of elections.

If the latter, then it should be the reporters who should be bent over for misleading the public, and possibly defaming the character of Tan Sri Abdul Rashid. Yes, perhaps this explanation would fit best, since most of us cannot in good conscience say that Tan Sri Abdul Rashid was caught in a lie, any more than I can say that it was our beloved Prime Minister was the one lying.

Or does this misunderstanding - or perhaps a misquote - bode for darker deeds?

Conspiracy theorists in Malaysia are naturally having a field day with this issue - an alleged collusion between an independent and impartial election commission with that of the ruling coalition - especially with the latest news that the tenure for the EC chairman may be extended for another year, as shown below:

The Star (Tuesday, November 20, 2007): Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman may stay on for another year following the proposed amendment to the Federal Constitution to extend the retirement age of EC members from 65 to 66.

Scheduled to retire on Dec 31 as he reaches 65, Abdul Rashid now has the option of staying on one more year because the bill states that the new age of retirement applies to a member of the EC appointed after the coming into operation of the proposed act.

That this bill is tabled by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abd Aziz, and that the extension of the tenure of Tan Sri Abdul Rashid into the coming election year requires that our already badly tattered Federal Constitution be amended, is sure to further stoke the flames of conspiracy theorists far and wide.

But as Tan Sri Abdul Rashid so passionately put it, "If they will show me evidence that the commission has rigged elections, then I will – in fact, all members of the commission – will resign" (The Star, Tuesday, November 20 2007), conspiracy theories can only go so far without proof.

I'm not sure George Washington would have approved.