It was during the late 1980s, in an interview on one of the BBC Radio international current affairs programmes that the former USA Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, whilst dissecting some developing international crisis, declared, “… that power was the ultimate aphrodisiac…”
What is it about power that drives persons to pursue it with total reckless abandon? Then, having claimed the highly sought after prize, lose all sense of balance and morality in the futile attempt to cling on to it in perpetuity? Why is it that very few persons, having drunk from the elixir of power, are able to relinquish the trappings of the highest office in the land?
Today, the world is littered with examples of this human folly and the accompanying tragedy of the suffering endured by populations caught under iron fists of these despots. Syria is a prime example of this kind of disaster, where the slaughter of human beings and the destruction of property have become everyday by-products of a civil war which has raged for almost eight years, as president Bashar al-Assad desperately hangs on to the reins of power, with no apparent regard for the consequences.
Is it the path that has to be followed or cut in order to attain higher office, or is it the trappings and burdens that accompany such a position, which, once attained, creates the apparent changes in the before seemingly honest candidate? Or was he a wolf in sheep’s clothing all along just lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting population? What is it about the seat of power that gives the successful winner the sudden confidence to pronounce on all subjects, whether it be economics, medical or scientific matters, legal or financial interpretations? Newly elected leaders might experience an overnight doubling of their self-confidence, but, unfortunately, one’s IQ does not going increase in a similar manner.
The burdens of leading a country must be tremendous, and mistakes and poor decisions are par for the course. Why do some leaders suddenly assume that they are infallible and every utterance from their lips must be received as coming from the smartest person in the room? The advice and experience of advisors are totally ignored, as their roles are diminished to that of wallpaper and posing for photographs at the signing of agreements or new laws.
The examination of the subject of power has fascinated man from time immemorial and has generated several maxims. The 19th century British historian Lord Acton’s “Power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely,” and Abraham Lincoln’s “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power” spring to mind. Does power really corrupt? Or does it provide the opportunity to reveal one’s true moral and ethical standings in life?
Over the last three months we have witnessed a quest for power, where most of the vocal communication, ironically, has been provided not by the persons identified to assume the position of leadership, but rather by the apparent ‘seconds in command’ which forces the question, at this critical time, who really is holding the reins of power?
STABROEK NEWS EDITORIAL
