Dear Editor:
As President Morsi of Egypt must have recognized by now, and as lots of Egyptians certainly have, engineering a power grab for the benefit of the nation or a particular group, is a temptation that politicians and those in authority sometimes succumb to.
I believe power can be intoxicating. The ego boost that results can induce delusional thinking in those that attain control, believing themselves to be beyond any ethical or administrative constraints.
In Canada we have smaller but no less fascinating examples as witnessed by allegations emerging from the corruption enquiry in Quebec, the conflict of interest court ruling against Mayor Rob Ford of Toronto and the parliamentary budget officer’s plans to take the federal government to court. All this suggests, as our neighbours to the south often mentioned, the need for checks and balances between executives in authority and those they represent and over whom they have authority.
Relationships need scrutiny, even our most personal ones. Human nature being what it is, we need to be aware of or develop mechanisms, including ultimately even demonstrations like those in Tahrir Square, as correctives to power grabs.
George Jason