In an atmosphere where concepts are confused and values inverted, it becomes necessary to recall the obvious truths that have lost their obviousness:
that governance is a function, not a favor —
and that a ruler’s achievements are not gifts to be thanked for, but duties for which he is accountable.
We are often accused of seeing only flaws, as though recognizing positives requires silence about negatives.
But responsible criticism, in essence, is a form of loyalty to reason and genuine respect for the public good.
For he who loves his country does not flatter it when it is faltering — he cries out to awaken it.
The gravest delusion of ruling systems is believing that their accomplishments entitle them to own the future — that they deserve permanence or special privilege, as though serving the nation were a favor bestowed upon the people.
In truth, governance is not an honor but a mandate.
The government, in its core definition, is an executive apparatus, entrusted with implementing public policy and serving the national interest.
When it says, “We have protected the country from chaos,” it is merely describing part of its duty, not performing a favor.
Do we thank the doctor for not killing his patient?
Do we decorate the policeman for not shooting the innocent?
Do we immortalize the judge for refraining from injustice?
Such is how standards collapse — when a regime believes that its existence is an end in itself, that its achievements justify silencing criticism, suppressing pluralism, or perpetuating power without accountability.
Worse still is when citizens are asked to show gratitude for what should be their right — as though they owe their lives to the system, rather than the system owing them service.
The imbalance between ruler and ruled begins when the ruler transforms from a public servant into a guardian over the people, from an accountable official into a patriarch to be obeyed.
When dissenting voices become “conspiracies” and opposition becomes “treason,” the system loses its internal balance — even if it appears outwardly strong.
What is needed, therefore, is not for governments to stop speaking of their achievements, but to remember that these achievements are not a lifetime guarantee of legitimacy.
They are merely steps along an endless path of accountability and review.
Legitimacy is not inherited, nor permanent — it must be renewed daily through the consent of the people and the government’s respect for their minds, not merely through its management of their affairs.
Respect for nations is not earned solely by achievements, but by a government’s stance toward freedom, dignity, criticism, opposing opinions, and truth.
