It turns out that what people thought was a sign of Boris Johnson’s  clear conscience was actually his notoriously bad memory.

Case in point:  the former British prime minister was turned away from a polling station on Thursday for forgetting to bring his voter identification card.

Ironically, it was Mr Johnson who introduced the  contentious 2022 requirement when he was in office in the first place. 

British media reported that Johnson, who quit in 2022 following a scandal-ridden premiership, was initially turned away at a polling station in Oxfordshire, southern England, while trying to vote in local elections taking place across the country.

A spokesman said Johnson had voted Conservative but did not deny that the ex-PM had initially failed to produce the said ID.

As prime minister, Johnson’s government introduced the ID requirement to crack down on possible voter fraud but it was heavily criticised for its potential to disenfranchise parts of the electorate. 

Previously, voters only needed to give their name and address to be able to vote.

Last year, in the first vote where the new rules were implemented, around 14,000 people in England were denied a vote in local elections after being unable to provide an ID.

To Malaysian eyes, the need for a photo ID seems perfectly reasonable and the criticism against it, baffling if not a little thick. 

As if to underscore “thick”, it appears that a recent survey by YouGov showed that 14% of Britons were still unaware of the voter ID requirement.

When he was Premier, Mr Johnson often came across as a  bumbling, self-deprecating, slightly rumpled sort of fellow who always seemed in need of a haircut. 

It might have been a carefully contrived persona but he certainly seemed to have a bad memory. It could have a  lot to do with his fluctuating weight: he would walk into a room without knowing why and usually end up at the fridge looking for a clue.  

The enduring irony about his tenure was that he led the Conservative Party to the heights of popularity only to be forced to resign two years later over a series of scandals that, truth be told, would have seemed only mildly irksome in Malaysia. 

It is a credit to the UK that its people will not put up with serial lying. Here we would have dismissed it as having déjà vu and amnesia at the same time: when one realises that he’s lied about the same thing previously. 

One former premier, now languishing in jail, suffered from that curious malady for most of his ten-year tenure. He usually took something for it – loot – until he was forcibly ejected from office. 

Again, one is struck by the apparent apathy of the Malaysian populace that it can actually  countenance the ”forgiving” – house arrest? – of a criminal who stole billions from his country while in a position of trust. 

Its mere notion would have been pilloried in the UK. 

Indeed, it seems strange that  Mr Johnson is now held in such low esteem by the British public.  Donald Trump brought shame to his country but is now odds-on favourite to return as President. 

Mr Johnson’s unpopularity seems to have shifted to the Conservative Party which could face a heavy defeat at the next general election.

The Labour Party, the Conservatives main rival, is in a happy place. It does  not have to do much; it just needs not to spectacularly screw up any time soon. 

The man waiting in the wings is Keir Starmer, 61, a dour looking politician who seems all but sure of becoming the UK’s next leader. 

He does not, apparently, have memory issues. In fact, his memory is so much like an elephant that the beasts frequently consult him.

ENDS