Goamandal is an ancient land, replete with myths and legends. And because this ancient land is not stuck in the past, these myths and legends continue to grow. Not too long ago, a young man, socially conscious and responsible, a modern Shravan Kumar if you like, placed a chair in a pothole in a Parvarim road that was itself inundated with water. This water hid the dangerously deep pothole that could potentially kill a biker or seriously damage a four-wheeler. Thanks to this chair placed within the immersed pothole, motorists could now avoid potential death.
Sometime after the chair was placed in the pothole, the people realized that this chair was no ordinary chair, but the very chair which had played an important role in recent Goan history. This chair had begun life within the hallowed precincts of the Goamandal Svasth College. The chair was prestigious, it was used by doctors to rest, or as they sat before their desks getting work done. Things changed, however, when one of the local politicians, charged with concern for the hospital and inflamed with this passion, upbraided one of the doctors of the college – while sitting in his chair. The doctor was humiliated, his colleagues felt the slight too, and they went on strike. They demanded an apology. The minister’s gesture in response, the striking doctors refused; seeing it as a meaningless token! The matter now spiraling out of control, was taken to the prince’s office. The prince pursed his lips and thought hard. He thought, and he thought some more. He looked at the problem from various angles, wondering how to resolve the matter, and eventually he pronounced his mind on the matter.
The matter was serious he proclaimed, an apology was in fact required. However, since the offense was caused not just to a single doctor, but to doctors in general, the apology had to be made not to the particular doctor, but to the chair in which the doctor, and then the politician, sat on.
The wisdom of Solomon! The heavens opened up and showered petals on the chair, as the apology was tendered, and on to the wise leader who resolved the problem!
As often happens in such cases, however, the chair was now too symbolically loaded, and too politically sensitive to continue in the Goamandal Svasth College. In a land where ethics and morals were compromised casually, it reminded too many people of their failings. Another role had to be found for it, and thus it was, that having been discarded, it was put to use, in the Parvarim pothole.
Like all tales, this legend has a moral to offer us. It allows us to grasp the difference between two Latin terms from Catholic political theory that while often used interchangeably, are, in fact, distinct. The first is auctoritas, the second potestas. Auctoritas translates to prestige, the influence that a leader has, that ensures that persons take what he says seriously. Potestas, on the other hand, is legal power, it could even be understood as the physical ability to get things enforced. Auctoritas is a manifestation of socially recognized knowledge, while potestas is a manifestation of socially recognized power. In Catholic political theory, both are necessary, to guide the res publica or the public realm. In other words, the ideal leader has both moral authority, and power.
What happens when a leader does not have both auctoritas and potestas? Where a leader has only auctoritas, the leader may simply give a word and it commands attention, respect, and is acted upon. Where this leader is working in a scenario where there are competing leaders, however, and where these leaders see him as a challenge, and command physical power – i.e. potestas – he may have to cede ground to these powerful men, even though he commands moral power. In the case where he only has potestas, the people he governs do not respect him, but only fear him. They do not willingly give their consent to his rule, and he gradually has to turn towards the greater use of brute force. There comes a time, however, when the brute use of force is simply too much for the body politic, and it simply snaps, leading to regime change.
In our legend, the chair while in the college and used by the doctors, was the embodiment of both auctoritas and potestas. It gained its importance from the fact that diligent doctors, sat on it while going about their task of saving lives and providing hope. When the minister sat on the seat, and more so when he upbraided the doctor, the chair was emptied of auctoritas and was the embodiment of potestas alone. The minister was simply exercising his capacity to command power, there was no moral value to his actions. This emptying of auctoritas was complete when the prince commanded the apology to the chair, now fully embodying potestas alone. In fact, the apology was due to the person who embodied the auctoritas of the healing physician – the doctor who had been insulted. But this was not where the apology was directed, because it was the minister’s potestas which was being protected.
In the legend, the chair regained auctoritas only when it was placed in the pothole. This happened not because of any particular merit of the chair, but because it was now hailed by critics of the prince’s regime, as the chair of humanity. This critic demonstrated that the regime of the prince was devoid of any respect for humanity. If he did respect the people, he would have ensured that the roads are not potential deathtraps for the citizens. In other words, the chair regained auctoritas only because of the actions of the anonymous activist, demonstrating how it is always persons, and because of persons, that things obtain respect. Things have no value in and of themselves.
Not a week ago, an ambulance overturned on the highway near Guirim. This was, of course, a mishap waiting to happen. After all, while building works have taken over the centre of the highway, traffic is forced to crawl on a road that is riddled with potholes. There can be no doubt that, had we lived in a civilized, and functioning, democracy, this incident of an overturning ambulance would have been recognized as evidence of the Chief Minister losing auctoritas, requiring him to tender his resignation, and hand over the reins to someone more competent.
We do not, however, live in a civilized and functioning democracy. Instead, we are on the road towards hell. But we can, thank goodness, still question! The current regime may have potestas – we know that they are very competent in acquiring power – but do they have the auctoritas?
(A version of this text was first published in the O Heraldo on 8 Oct 2025.)
