JUST looking around the world today one cannot fail to observe the rebellions that are being orchestrated by citizens of autocratic regimes, especially in the now, and probably historically forever, luckless Africa. For the record, we will classify the heads of most of these jurisdictions as those in which such autocrats would have been ruling virtually and unapologetically for at least twenty (20) years.

This means that it has nothing to do with the ideals of a party or movement to which they once belonged, but to the actual ruler in persona.

Inevitably, those people perpetuate their own personal traits onto, and, influence ideology and doctrine by wielding their superior, ultimate and unquestionable power so as to subject the masses.

This is the excuse under which they hide to ultimately perpetuate their self- found power.

The description of this power is candidly described by Lord Acton (1834-1902) in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost bad men.”

Perhaps Sir William Pitt, the British Prime Minister from 1766 to 1778, puts it a little more succinctly in his speech to The UK House of   Lords in 1770:  “Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it.”

It was once also mooted that if you take the narcissism out of leaders there would probably be very few of them left.

Some of these absolute rulers were legally voted in by the then populace; others by constitutional succession, heritage/lineage, coups, or, by the now popular, ‘default’ or ‘best of the bad lot’.
They continued to solidify their status by rigging elections, nepotism, graft, coercion, violence, mass killings (ethnic cleansing) and virtual subjection of the masses.

Where and when do they stop? The preferred and proven answer is that they just don’t. They just carry on merrily, oblivious to the basic needs of their subjects and listening to the lip service of their so-called ‘advisors’.

Cognizant of the immediate above, did any leader in the Caribbean ever resign? Never the day. They were either voted out,deposed by coups, civil insurrection or died in office.

Coming closer to our own Guyana – it took the late President Forbes Burnham, a victim of his own folly, (the neglect of the medical facilities in Guyana) to die while in office. The same cannot be said for the late President Cheddi Jagan since he did not hibernate during the years of  PNC rule, but died  naturally, also while in office.

During their reigns, drastic changes were made to seem subtle, since no one wanted to rock the proverbial and literal boat. Everyone was so absorbed in eking out their own living and not finding the time nor possessing the inclination to pay attention to the everyday running of their country.

The rulers were content that their subjects lived, in what they considered as the parfait harmonie.

However, amongst the populace there will always be the upstarts and dissidents. The revelations of these disgruntled people would, at sometime, reach  the ordinary citizenry and incite them to move against the ruling cabal en masse.

In today’s world, the use of  communications by the electronic media is so swift and effective that new leaders can influence the would-be followers from great distances.

The hierarchies, knowing fully well of the ramifications of an upset to the applecart of their tenor, would resort to any means at their disposal to quell rebellions in order to maintain the status quo in their hitherto peaceful countries.

Their thrust for retaining and increasing the power that they wield is unquenchable. In other words, they cannot envisage themselves as being other than in charge.

Most of the present turmoil in the world today are originated by the younger generation for the simple and fundamental reason that they want betterment for their children.

There is also the urgent need for constitutions to be revamped or written to ensure that the maximum leaders and the members of their Government serve and not rule the people.