A recent episode in an old Astro serial about a famous lawyer in old China touched on this important aspect. Imagine a group of rebels holding a local government official hostage. The lawyer came into the scene to act as mediator when told that it involved his former 'daughter-in-law' and her husband. In front of those present, he got an assurance from the police officer that for releasing the hostage, no action will be taken against the rebels. Yet when they stepped out of the building, a group of archers shot them dead. The corpses were hung in the town centre for all to see, as a deterrent.
The danger in not holding on to words of honour means loss of credibiity in any future situations. Somehow, RPK's fugitive status comes to mind. He asked for reassurance that he would not be arrested and charged if he agrees to come back to Malaysia. So far, no BN leader is willing to assure him. Even if he agreed to come back on that guarantee, some of us would half expect he would get into trouble later on some excuses. That is the lack of credibility we are dealing with here.
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