Why do politicians lie?

Just the other day after a meeting with the defunct Bangladesh Muslim League, PM Khaleda Zia proclaimed whatever development took place since independence was the work of BNP as if to suggest obliquely that "My husband and I did it all" and thus invoked the familiar question: "Why do politicians overplay accomplishments?"

When it comes to their leaders, the western columnists pose the question more bluntly: "Why do politicians lie?"

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While inaugurating a meeting of Jubo Dal on January 18, BNP Secretary General AM Bhuiyan made the following allegations, among others (my responses in parenthesis):

• The main objective of AL is to foil the elections, therefore, they are making various excuses. (Untrue)
• On reforms of the Election Commission (EC), the opposition does not know what they want. (Untrue)
• Price hike of essentials is always a temporary phenomenon. The price depends on many factors for which the government does not have much to do. (Partly true)
• If Zillur or Tofael were made the chief of the caretaker government, the opposition would still not accept it. (True, because AL wants reforms)
• AL wants reforms in the EC, but they do not want to sit for any discussion. (Untrue)

The next day Bhuiyan extended an olive branch to discuss the voter list issue inside or outside the parliament. Being afraid that AL might actually take the bait, he wasted no time to reiterate his allegation that AL wants to foil the elections since it has no chance of victory. On January 22, Khaleda virtually echoed the same barrage of misinformation as if Bhuiyan handed over his script which she simply read with more snappish tones.

All these comments are clearly defensive, notoriously deceptive, and deliberately distorting. However, two ministers, Nizami and Moudud often talk more rubbish, possibly because of who they are and where they come from. Nizami (and also the PM on January 22) implicated the AL as being linked with terrorism since AL suggested that terrorism will recede if the government resigns, Jamaat is ousted, and reforms in election commission, and car taker government are made. Moudud commented that AL's rejection of the dialogue deepened the public suspicion over the party's hand in the recent string of bombings.

I read newspaper stories that Nizami lives on his salary supplemented by his wife's school teaching paycheck. He misuses official vehicles much less than all of his counterparts. But the question is, who funds his election expenses? To me, Nizami's activities are hypocritical, who pretends honesty on trivial matters but serves and parties with colleagues who are openly disrespectful to Islamic values and thoroughly dishonest. Most of all, they all resort to deception, including Nizami, who at every opportunity implicates AL and the print media with falsehoods.

After any political party or organization met the PM for terrorism dialogue, the same outcome emerged every time. She would let loose her anger and frustrations to falsely implicate the opposition for inciting extremist violence simply because AL would not fall prey to her traps. Much to the ridicule of most citizens, she forbade all dialogue participants from condemning Jamaat and its leader Nizami. She scared off the BNP faction who criticized the Jamaat by sacrificing an elected MP from the party.

In a democracy, it is an irreparable disservice to the voters when the government functionaries and opposition politicians resort to deceptive statements. The situation gets worse when the state uses TV and other media to sway public opinion by spreading misinformation. That is why in the western democracies there are no state run broadcast or print media for splashing ruling party propaganda. During my last month's trip to Bangladesh I noticed that one BNP functionary gets more BTV coverage than all the opposition leaders combined just because that office bearer is the PM's son. This is an unashamedly naked misuse of public property by the ruling party.

Most people I talked to realize that BTV is Khaleda's propaganda machinery as it was for Hasina during the last government.

People in Dhaka city have become so used to numerous arduous distractions that they have become hapless and docile. For example, most people find the government and opposition parties insensitive to their discomforts and inconveniences. People are crying out to ask when the primitive tactics of hartals, lock-outs, and street agitations to score political gains would end. Most people would love to see:

• BTV privatized or shut down or renamed PTV (propaganda TV) to truly reflect its current role. Better yet, name it KTV or HTV depending on whether Khaleda or Hasina is in power.
• All government-run radio stations in the country shut down or sold to private ownership. Providing unbiased news and views is a prerequisite to a well functioning democracy.
• Political gatherings in Paltan Maidan legally banned. Such gatherings cause endless hardships for businesses, urban and city dwellers, traffics; city roads and footpaths become spattered with filth and repulsive.
• All Bangladesh dailies should start running a column to be captioned "Lying Caught on Tape." This will act as a great deterrent against distortions of facts.

Politicians lie because they often get away with lying. They have to lie because they have to raise funds to get elected. They lie because the public does not want to hear the truth about the economy, job prospects, budget deficits, energy prices, and so on. There is evidence to indicate that good liars win elections while their truth telling rivals mostly lose. Whether it is the instinct to reconcile the conflicts between expectations and reality or to justify the indefensible, all politicians in every country resort to deceptive statements -- it's the nature of their work.

This demeanour becomes a way of politicking in the absence of transparency and media access to vital information.

There is even scientific evidence correlating deceptive behaviour with leadership qualities. A 1993 study by Colgate University psychologists Caroline Keating found that the best liars among pre-school children emerge as leaders during play periods. With adults she found that "leaders are the best misleaders." A succession of philosophers, from Plato to Machiavelli to Disraeli, has observed that lying is a legitimate element of governing. Sissela Bok, a Harvard philosopher who has written extensively on the subject, said that politicians often claim an ethical basis for deliberately misleading the public.

Now some tips: when politicians start talking and utter the following phrases: "to tell you the truth" or "honestly speaking" or "as a matter of fact" or "as a matter of principle" and so on, journalists must start zooming in their video cameras to record the lies that are sure to follow.

The author is Professor of Economics, Eastern Michigan University.