Ketupat & Co.

Politicians Lie, Voters Forget, Repeat Forever “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool.” — Richard Feynman Every election season begins with a familiar ritual. Politicians step forward with bold promises, voters listen with cautious optimism, and reality quietly takes a back seat. It is a cycle so predictable that it almost feels designed, yet it continues to repeat with remarkable consistency across time and place. Politics today often resembles performance more than governance. Campaigns are carefully constructed to capture attention, and promises are crafted not necessarily to be fulfilled, but to persuade. The more ambitious and emotionally appealing the pledge, the more effective it becomes in winning support. Complex issues are simplified into digestible slogans, difficult trade-offs are ignored, and inconvenient truths are postponed until after the votes are counted. In such an environment, honesty becomes les...