In contemporary society there are a lot of debates regarding politics and leadership. One of the hot topics is access to the information. Can a legislator not disclose particularly sensitive news or they are obliged to always tell the truth? While, at the first glance, it might seem that no information should not be kept secret, deeper study shows that in some cases lying is necessary for the security of people, for instance, cases related to national security. However, I believe statesperson should be as honest as they can, as transparency regarding knowledge is one of the core values of democracy.
Primarily, if the government often withhold information, people with time lose their trust in the institutes and come up with the different conspiracy theories. Not only it worsens effectiveness of communication between people in power and general public but also contributes to dishonesty within the structure itself. That in total leads to lower trust in administrative power and destabilize internal affairs.
Moreover, officials are more prone to abuse when they have exclusive access to knowledge. What begins as a justified act of secrecy can easily become a tool for manipulating public opinion, covering up scandals, or shielding leaders from accountability. There are a lot of examples of governments invoking national security to justify their actions – there were many times when security was used as an excuse. The more information is kept secret, the less oversight there is, creating a perfect environment for corruption.
Furthermore, in critical cases closure of truth can lead to the tragic events. For instance, when there is a terrorist attack, not telling people its scale and manipulation with numbers can provoke criminals and make situation more dangerous for victims and survivors. While it is true that such cases should be handled with grace and carefulness and in that realm information can be kept private, total secrecy might be detrimental.
In conclusion, the topic of the accessible knowledge to government things is quite controversial. There are a lot of layers to the issue. However, I stand by the idea that keeping information closed leads to erosion of trust, corruption and abuse of power. Officials should be held accountable for their mistakes, and for that we need open communication. Only then can we ensure that government truly serves the interests of the people, rather than its own.