Is it often necessary, even desirable, for political leaders to withhold information from the public? The statement raises a variety of issues from people to people from different countries, with different backgrounds and different education experiences. On balance, I tend to agree with the point that it is necessary for political leaders to withhold information from the public at proper moment and in aspect as the following reasons.
One reason for my fundamental agreement with the speaker is that withholding information is necessary in some time as it can bring many benefits. Focusing on the society, withholding the economics policy, such as increase the interest rate, is necessary because the policy will turn out in vain if the people have known it in advance. In area of military, it is necessary to conceal the deployment of weapons and armies, or it will make a great harm to the security of the population in that country. For personality, there is no doubt to withhold the details of country's president for that it will take more disadvantages than advantages.
Even though there exists many necessities for withholding the information from the public, but withholding information should be proper, otherwise it will bring harmfulness rather than goodness. Some significant event, such as SARS exploding in china 2003, not withholding the information should be the proper action. However, in order keep the society stable and prevent panic, the Chinese government withheld the information at first time. But this action not only didn't come into effect, but also made people living in Beijing more threatened. During that time, all universities had to stopped the class and all students were forced in the school yard and keeping away from crowded. It brought a inconsiderable bad influence. This example indicates that withholding should be used properly or it will do harm back.
In addition, I think the extent of a society withholding the information facing the emergency is a standard to measure the maturity. For the reason that everyone is a complete rational person and with high moral standard level, so when emergency happening the non-rational persons and people with low standard level may cause the great panic for the whole society. Apart from this, letting the people to know all the information in all areas is also a non-representative measure, for that it will bring them trouble which do not belong to them. If you know that the area where you are living at is a place that the where the nuclear weapon concealed under ground, how would you feel and what would you do? If you know that there exists extraterrestrials and they even living around you, how would you feel about it? So it is unnecessary and impossible to let all people know all information.
 In the final analysis, to some degree it is not necessary even desirable for political leaders to withhold information from the public because everyone has right to know. Thus the statement is correct in this aspect. However, if we expand our horizons and from the perspective of society as a whole to appraise this issue, there is indeed for political leaders at proper time to withhold the information from the public.