Current location:travel >>
VOX POPULI: LDP lawmakers’ remarks about political funds create a paradox
travel8People have gathered around
IntroductionThere exists a famous paradox involving a Cretan who claims, “Cretans always lie.”If we assume this ...
There exists a famous paradox involving a Cretan who claims, “Cretans always lie.”
If we assume this statement to be true, it implies that the speaker, being a Cretan, must also always lie.
Consequently, the statement “Cretans always lie” cannot be true, creating a contradiction with the initial assumption.
I remember hearing this paradox in junior high school and being utterly confused by it.
Now, let us shift our focus from the Cretan’s statement to the statements of certain lawmakers, who are often called “sensei,” and assume they are true.
Senior members of the Liberal Democratic Party’s faction once led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe uniformly made a claim at a recent session of the Lower House Deliberative Council on Political Ethics.
They claimed they were not aware that so-called “kanpukin” funds--part of the money raised for the faction through fund-raising parties that exceeded the quota of individual politicians and was returned to them--were not declared in the political fund income and expenditure reports.
The Abe faction members said they believed everything was being properly handled.
In 2022, it seems, they apparently paid no attention to the words of then faction Chairman Shinzo Abe about this matter.
At the time, Abe reportedly decided to stop the practice of refunds, calling it an “opaque" scheme that could “raise doubts.”
It’s hard to imagine that these politicians did not ask Abe what he meant by “opaque” given that the boss’s decision would reduce the political funds they desperately wanted.
Subsequently, the faction’s policy concerning this matter flipped back to continuing the dubious practice.
If these politicians still claim they were unaware that the funds were not being duly reported, that would mean all the blame falls on the faction’s clerical staff responsible for accounting.
If the politicians are telling the truth, it means that despite knowing the practice to be illegal, such staff kept completely silent, informing none of these senior members of the faction.
However, this whole scenario seems implausible.
Instead, it seems likely the initial assumption that the faction leaders told the truth at the council session is incorrect.
The statements of these sensei lawmakers lead to contradictions.
Far from dispelling political distrust, it seems their remarks have only deepened the feeling.
Are Cretans always liars?
We can enjoy such a paradox because it is an intriguing play on logic.
Politicians’ claims, however, are part of the real world.
We cannot afford to be merely bewildered by their words.
--The Asahi Shimbun, March 3
* *
*Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Stellar Sphere news portal”。http://chile.downmusic.org/content-1c799994.html
Related articles
Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. to lead Indianapolis 500 field in Corvette pace car
travelINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. will drive the pace car for the 108th ru ...
【travel】
Read moreKate Bosworth is a vision in sparkly low
travelKate Bosworth, Jordin Sparks and Brooks Nader led the celebrity arrivals at the Smile Train Gala on ...
【travel】
Read moreChina's Long March
travelA Long March-6C carrier rocket carrying four satellites blasts off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch ...
【travel】
Read more
Popular articles
- Yu Darvish extends scoreless innings streak to 25 in Padres' 9
- Somalia wants to terminate the UN political mission assisting peace efforts in the country
- The Wire star Jamie Hector speaks out about a possible REBOOT of the hit HBO series
- WWII soldiers posthumously receive Purple Heart medals 79 years after fatal plane crash
- Insider Q&A: CIA's chief technologist's cautious embrace of generative AI
- Chris Gotterup closes with 4 straight birdies for a 64 and the 2nd
Latest articles
OpenAI pauses ChatGPT voice after Scarlett Johansson comparisons
Honolulu agrees to 4
Ashley Roberts puts on a leggy display in a sequinned gold thigh
Vermont Legislature adjourns session focused on property taxes, housing, climate change
Saudi Arabia is going to sponsor the WTA women's tennis rankings under a new partnership
Netherlands' Joost Klein booted from Eurovision 2024
LINKS
- China unveils ambitious plans to expand its space station
- Macao's electoral affairs commission for chief executive election takes office
- There's spring in real estate recovery
- Xi, Portuguese president exchange congratulations on 45th anniversary of bilateral ties
- Xi extends Spring Festival greetings to all Chinese
- Lawmakers vigilant of use of AI in fraud
- Xi's visit before Spring Festival touches hearts
- China Focus: China strives for vitality after COVID management downgrade
- Works from Fine Arts Exhibition of Chinese Women Artists
- Bridge on Xiong'an Expressway in place