Do Uganda’s politicians ever value truth?

By Oweyegha-Afunaduula

One writer said, “No one has ever doubted that truth and politics are on rather bad terms with each other. Truthfulness has never been counted among the political virtues in the political realm anywhere in the world. Inherent to the intention to deceive and to lie is a mental phenomenon that is studied by both from a psychological and a philosophical perspective”.

It is almost impossible for modern politicians to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth (Gaby Hinsliff, 2003). Getting the truth behind lying in politics can be extremely difficult for simple minds. Even sophisticated minds good at deciphering the truth in a complex world of lies and half truths frequently find themselves at a loss. Trading falsehoods and allegations of dishonesty is common among the politicians on either sides of the political curtain.  Otherwise, often it is government politicians who spend a lot of time, energy and money trading lies, falsehoods and allegations of dishonesty to divinise themselves against these vices they tend to be very good at.

“Politics should be regarded as less like an exercise in producing truthful statements and more like a poker game,’ said author Glen Newey, reader in politics at the University of Strathclyde cited by Hinsliff (2003).  Glen Newey, cited by Hinsliff (2003), concluded that the drive towards an open and accountable modern democracy – forcing Ministers to answer ever more exhaustive questions on issues they used to be able to gloss over – creates a ‘culture of suspicion and makes it more likely that politicians will resort to evasion and misrepresentation and lies’. He added, “When journalists or other parliamentary colleagues start to probe at that area which the Government wants to keep secret, you are likely to be pushed further and further towards the territory of lying……. Politicians need to be more honest about lying.’

Apparently, Newey added: “Not only is lying ‘sometimes justifiable’ where there is a public interest, for instance where national security is at risk, but voters even have a ‘right to be lied to’ about things where they would rather not know what had happened, such as what was done during a war”.

MPs regularly complain that an unfair assumption that they are all liars is eroding public confidence in politics (Gaby Hinsliff, 2003). Citing psychologist, politicians who do lie are usually very good at it. They are the type who may be referred to as pathological liars. However, Wiseman, cited by Gaby Hinsliff (2003), says most (pathological liars) in the end get caught in their game because keeping a consistent yarn (of lies) together, if you are leading a complex life, which most politicians do, is pretty hard.

My article “Truth and lies in politics: Do Uganda’s politicians ever value the truth?”

If Ugandans have suffered anything adversely it is not guns or tear gas but falsehoods, half-truths and lies, especially in the Executive, Parliament and before, during and after elections. This suffering has gone on for a very long time and there seems to be no end to it.

Currently we are being fed on lies as to who were the culprits in the acts of reigning chaos and violence during the North Kawempe Constituency during the by-election that saw the National Unity Platform winning their seat back.

It is easy to see who the victims will be after the by-election, in a political environment where some politicians believe they can never lose an election, or think that the attitudes of voters, increasingly young ones, have not changed over the decades.

My view is that so long as politicians that tick by falsehood, lies and half-truths predominate in our socio-political environment, the truth will have no space in politics, and for that matter in leadership and governance.  The implications for the young generations will have dire consequences well in the future. The truth will continue to be an endangered species in the politics of Uganda. The victims of lies will continue to be criminalised and accused of treason.

To put Uganda on the right path, all Ugandans and their leaders must agree that Uganda belongs to all; not to a small group that believes that not does Uganda belong to them but also all people, all power, everything and the future. However, to agree to agree is not easy, because those in power regard those outside power that want to provide alternative leadership and governance as criminals. Accordingly, all lies, falsehoods and half-truths can only perpetually and continually come from this group until some accident occurs and the group in power sees itself out of power.

Personally, I feel more worried about lying in public life that has consumated the political realm of Uganda wherein shame is no longer a valued trait. Even if there is a difference between white lies and real lies, our psychologists and sociologists must take it as an opportunity for them to study “The Hows and Whys of Lies” in Uganda’s political realm.

Soon the young generation will not like people who tell them the truth all the time. That will be the end of clean leadership and clean governance in Uganda. It will be a fundamental change ushered in a country where ethics, morality, integrity and honesty were highly valued. Clearly our leaders and governors are misleading or doing disservice to our country and the future generations of Ugandans politically for selfish ends.

Is it true that our politicians just can’t help lying?

For God and My Country

Oweyegha-Afunaduula is a member of Center for Critical Thinking and Alternative Analysis