It is natural for every person to want to show others what they are capable of. Yet not all demonstrations of ability are the same. Many people take pride in their capacity to influence events and believe that proving their intelligence, education, or powerful connections will earn them respect.

Such attitudes may bring a certain degree of prestige or influence, but genuine respect can only be earned through actions that benefit others. I raise this issue because I fear that those who have dragged the governing board into courtrooms, and perhaps even toward imprisonment, God forbid, may believe that legal action alone will bring them honor and respect. Innocence is possible, but imprisonment is also possible; public authority has no permanent friendships.

I fear that some plaintiffs may think they can gain esteem merely through prosecuting others. Yet even those who advocate for cleaner public life and the fight against corruption expect more than that. They want tangible achievements that improve people’s lives.

Let me go back five months and quote what I wrote on June 4 about “Ould Safia”:

Regarding the interview with Qassimi, some people said he had requested time to prepare his answers before recording. Personally, I see nothing wrong with that. In fact, I wish all officials would prepare their statements carefully before meetings, sessions, or interviews.

Qassimi said there were rumors claiming that he helped some people while refusing to help others. These are not rumors but reality. I do not know whether this reality helps or harms him, but I am convinced that he welcomes its spread because it reinforces the image of a man who can grant favors when he wishes and refuse them when he wishes. People understood the message. However, Ould Safia’s mistake was that he spent too many years trying to convince people of this power and focused on it excessively.

End of the June 4 article.

We would be unfair and ungrateful if we claimed that Ould Safia did nothing for Ahfir while serving at the regional level. Nevertheless, I still believe, although half of my opinions may be mistaken, that what prevented his star from shining more brightly was not that he helped some people and not others. Most people do that. Rather, it was his desire to display his power, including his ability to prevent or block things.

Returning to the topic of the day, I would advise those who seek to demonstrate their strength by dragging others through legal proceedings to be cautious. People appreciate practical benefits far more than they enjoy watching legal battles and personal disputes.

Let me also add another passage from my June 4 article:

Qassimi said that Ahfir would become the marketplace of Saïdia, a cow full of milk that everyone would want to benefit from. This meant that the elections were not as insignificant as many people believed.

End of quote.

Today, several months later, and still regarding the elections, it appears that those elections were indeed far from insignificant.

Since I have referred so often to my June 4 article, I will conclude with the same ending:

When I was twenty, I loved new ideas and disliked conservatives. Today I am older and have become one of the people I once criticized. I know that my son probably says now: “Things will improve when the older generation is gone.” I used to say the same thing. But when the older generation disappeared, things did not get better; in many ways, they became even more complicated.

 

By Jelloul – 2010