How obsessed with power are Egyptians?

Power is apparently a source of true pleasure for many Egyptians, something most of us adore but paradoxically are completely forbidden to practice. Our desire for power has always come at the high price of favoring a few powerful citizens to the detriment of our nation, and obviously at the expense of powerless Egyptians.

In a nation such as Egypt, where rule of law does not fully function, possessing power not only enables people to chew off more by sharpening and strengthening their teeth; it also empowers their digestive systems to easily absorb the chunks they bite off. In Egypt, power is substantially more valued than wealth. Money is known for its ability to gently open all locked doors, but power breaks doors down without the need to knock.

Many Egyptians who do not deserve to be empowered in the first place have been blessed with power and allowed to abuse it. Whereas it is easy for powerful people to become corrupt if they so choose, wealthy citizens who are corrupt can only flex their muscles if people with power permit them to do so.

The state is fully aware of Egyptians’ obsession with power. It adeptly manipulates this scarce commodity for which there is such high demand; it accords power to a few citizens for a while then retracts it. Being part of the state authority is the highest status coveted by Egyptians eager to exert power.

The state enables those obsessed with power by appointing them to select political positions where they can wield their power. Once they are no longer needed, it removes them from the executive position of authority.

Many Egyptians seek to achieve power by establishing their own private entities, whether commercially structured or in the form of non-governmental organizations. These entities are founded to give a certain status to power-seekers that they would not be able to achieve independently. This phenomenon has led to a situation where we have plenty of entities with identical missions and activities, differentiated only by the people in command.

Egyptians prefer to think, act and behave like big fish in a small pond, rather than like small fish in a big pond. So they form their own ponds and work on inflating their power within them to dominate their habitat, like sharks, even selecting fish to live with them in peace. This has resulted in too many unneeded, isolated ponds, all designed to allow inflated fish to swim at their convenience.

This excessive grasp for power has prevented us from either teaming up to realize one another’s strengths, or engaging in a dialogue aimed at minimizing our dissimilarities. We can only harmonize separate entities and complement one another’s deficiencies if we are ready to modestly give up the power we have assumed. Moreover, living in isolated ponds has prevented us from engaging in any kind of true competition that would benefit society.

For reasons that I am not aware of, Egyptians who are obsessed with power always shout when expressing their opinions. They probably believe that a loud voice, and aggressive and egotistical behavior, bolster their authority. This behavior is widespread in Egyptian society, even among preachers in our mosques, who tend to pass on religious values in very loud voices, contrary to the teachings of Islam.

Power differs radically from leadership, which we certainly lack. Leadership is about mobilizing people by bringing out their best qualities, while powerful citizens suppress people with their invalid ideas and actions.

We need to apply legal, constructive methods to regulate and channel strength and power in the service of advancing our nation. Establishing a truly progressive nation and a civilized society will only be possible when we depower this tiny segment of Egyptian society that is allowed to exert power over the rest of us in the absence of the rule of law.

• Mohammed Nosseir, a liberal politician from Egypt, is a strong advocate of political participation and economic freedom. He can be reached on Twitter @MohammedNosseir.