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In a surprising, but not completely unexpected, turn of events, WP MP Raeesah Khan admitted to lying in Parliament when she accused the Singapore Police Force of mishandling a sexual assault case.
Politics aside, I find myself pondering the importance of integrity in a leader. Some will argue that we should forgive as everyone makes mistakes. While others will argue that we should not forgive as integrity is an absolute.
As I think about this question, I have come to realize that - like most things in life - it depends. There are some mistakes that can be forgiven, and there are mistakes that should not be.
What separates the two types of mistakes is not intent as we all lie for "good" reasons; or severity as a lie is a lie however many times it is repeated or complex the lie is; or impact as how few or many are hurt by the lie is irrelevant. To me, what separates the two is the immediate beneficiary of the lie.
I believe determing the immediate beneficiary of the lie is important, as it frames the leader's intent at the point of lying.
If the lie advances the leader's immediate self-interest i.e. feel important, gain sympathy, win votes, etc, then the lack of integrity should not be forgiven as the leader was likely thinking of themselves first. If, however, the lie does not give the leader any immediate self-benefit then I think the leader…
