Rumour has it that ...

IT'S madness that we don't know when the elections will be held, don't you think? Rumour has it, that it will be before Hari Raya. Some say before the fasting month starts.
Then there was talk that the prime minister's favourite number is 11, so it might be then. But election day is usually on a Sunday and April 11 is a Wednesday and May 11 is a Friday. So maybe not the 11th but multiples of 11 might work? April 22 is a Sunday, so that is a possibility.
Perhaps its during one of the next few long weekends, but it's wedding season, and there are some who have planned to be away on holiday. Then again, it has to be when school is not in session, so it could be during the next school holidays.
Maybe it'll be on April 29 coz May 2 will be "too late" to hold the elections as the deputy prime minister had said last week. Out of curiosity, if the elections are held after May 2 does it mean we were fed fake news?
So as we wait in anticipation, the rumours spread and we continue to play the guessing game. Candidate lists are being drawn up, and well, by next week, some parties will reveal their hand.
Maybe some find it exciting but it just sounds like a big messy build-up that does not benefit the people.
Why not tell us when the elections are so we can plan our lives a little better to make sure that we are able to cast our votes? So that people can take leave, plan their journey especially for those who are working abroad or outstation. It would really make our lives easier.
This teasing of dates is quite unbecoming. It also is undemocratic.
Everyone has the right to take part in their government. Not all of us want to be politicians but voting is the right of every citizen. So for an election to be clean, the date of the elections should be made known in advance to ensure these rights are not limited by unnecessary obstacles.
But this seems to be how the country is run. Like a thief in the night, laws are approved without the public knowing its contents, processes are bulldozed and ignored, people are replaced which all just feeds the growing distrust that people feel towards the government and authorities.
One example of many happened on Monday when the Anti-Fake News Bill 2018 was tabled in Parliament without its contents made public earlier. This bill not only affects you and me, but it concerns anyone – yes anyone of any nationality, who holds any citizenship. All that matters is that what is deemed fake news is about Malaysia or if the person or people it affects is Malaysian. The offence is punishable even if it happens outside our borders. This bill comes with a hefty and disproportionate fine of RM500,000 (yes, that many zeros) and/or a maximum of 10 years jail-time.
So what is fake news then? Is speculating when the elections might be fake news? It might very well be it seems. According to the bill, fake news is "any news, information, data and reports which is, or are, wholly or partly false whether in the form of features, visuals or audio recordings or in any other form capable of suggesting words or ideas."
This broad definition can be interpreted in a way that penalises personal messages and conversations. So when you are sent a message about when the elections might be, two things happen I would say.
First, you consciously or subconsciously verify the information and who sent it. If the message makes sense, then you might check who sent it to determine its validity and your trust in that person's thought process. And then you might choose to forward it on or not.
What this bill does is, it basically makes your life easier by saying, life would be simpler if you didn't need to think about what is true or false. When you receive a message that requires you to think and verify its contents, just remember what you could do with RM500,000 and 10 years of your life. Best to just not think or have an opinion and if you do, just don't share it with anyone and remain oblivious and ignorant.
But who determines what is true and what is false? That question is probably worth RM500,000.
If we say it often enough it will be true?
It's just like teaching a child basic maths or testing/teasing a child who already knows that 1+1=2. No, it's 3, you insist, not 2.
And you keep at it until the child is confused and believes that 1+1 is in fact 3.
Why? Because the adult said so, because the person who has authority over me insist that it is.
Now try convincing an adult that 1+1= 3 and the adult might just get weary and agree with you to avoid a difficult situation. But if we say it often enough, does it make it true?
Well, with this bill rumour has it, if the authorities say it often enough, it must be true even if it's fake news. And in time, we won't be able to think it through for ourselves or remember the truth. And this is the future of our country.
Comments: letters@thesundaily.com