How greyish Honour has become!

By: Ahmed ELNAHAS – Castelfiorentino, August 25^th 2013.

1.      John Dennis Profumo: On the helm of the British Foreign Office (Secretary Of State), resigned in 1963, for his relation with Christine Keeler at the time the lover of a Russian spy.

2.      Richard Nixon: USA President resigned office in 1974 for the Watergate scandal which revealed his abusive spying on the Democrats.

3.      Willy Brandt: German Chancellor; resigned in 1974 the moment he discovered that his advisor Günther Guillaume had worked for the STASI.   

4.      Arnaldo Forlani: Italian Prime Minister was forced to resign because of his intentional delaying to render public the directories of the members of the P2 Lodge of the Free Masons.

5.      Gary W. Heart: Front figure of USA Democratic Party, pulled out from 1988’s presidential race for the Sex Scandal involving him with the model Donna Rice.

6.      Fernando Collor De Mello: President of Brasil, was discharged in 1992 via impeachment procedure for the accusations of corruption and tax evasion.

7.      Helmut Kohl: German Chancellor, resigned in 2000 from the Honorary Presidency of the CDU for illegal finances scandal.

8.      Moshe Katsav: Israel President, self suspended in 2007 after being accused of sexual violence, illegal interceptions and fraud.

9.      Ehud Omert: Israel Prime Minister in 2006. Abandoned office in 2009 being involved in a series of corruption cases.

10.  Eliot Spitzer: Governor of New York in 2006, resigned following a prostitution scandal.

11.  Michael Martin: Speaker of the English Chamber of Commons. In 2009 resigned for the messy expenses reimbursements to the delegates.

12.  Karl T. Guttenberg: German Defence Minister, resigned in 2011 for accusations of plagiarism (cheating); he would’ve copied part of his graduation thesis.

13.  Dominique Strauss-Kahn: presidential candidate in France. In 2011 ended his race for the accusation of attempted rape in a New York hotel. Sacrificed his office at the IMF top floor.

14.  Michèle Alliot Marie: French Foreign Minister resigned in 2011 after a holiday in Tunisia paid by a businessman tied to Ex President Ben Ali.

15.  Christian Wülff: German President, resigned in 2012 for the scandal of a facilitated loan obtained through a businessman friend.

These are only my random choice from a much longer list of politicians and public figures who stepped aside leaving the glamour of power and the lights of fame, to hide in the shadows of oblivion for a variety of reasons, on top of which reigns ‘Shame’.

However another major motivator, though fallen down the rankings compared to previous centuries, is still there appearing among the first ten reasons for abdication or resignation: ‘Honour’!

If we recall well our history, we shall discover that most of our leaders, politicians, public figures and public servants have always maintained a tight grip over the post at any cost (even dishonourably), considering the position the sole provider of their wellbeing and the most solid assurance of their private interests; while loosening their grasp on the Public Interests in terms of office priorities.

Acting right or wrong, being successful or not, productive or not, honest or not, they always kept their post to the very last instant. They were always either forced to step aside, or given an alternative task, even promoted, or killed.. Yet never got tried before justice even when caught in flagrant guilt.. And they never resigned their mission by their own free will.. Lest very few exceptions proving the rule: Honour as a moral value, same as many values in the verge of extinction,  has become so flexible that it shares a vast grey area together with Dishonour!!

Can you figure out why is that? If and when you find out…

Pass On The Word.