Chapter 3e
Power Resides with the People
Authority is responsibility, rather than power


True Democracy, (from the Greek, demos, meaning ‘the people’, and kratia, meaning ‘power’ or ‘rule’), requires that all political power must be derived from, and must remain accountable to, ‘The People’, the citizen-members of the organization, (or of the nation).

In order to function effectively, however, an organization must delegate authority. An orderly hierarchy of responsibility and authority is essential to the smooth functioning of any organization in pursuit of its established goals.

If History has taught us anything, it is surely that people are susceptible to the corrupting influence of power. Democracy is a means of equitably sharing power among diverse and often clashing interests. To succeed in creating, establishing, and maintaining an equitable sharing of power, the rules and procedures of a democratic system must prevent power from concentrating in the hands of those charged with the responsibility of authority. To the extent, and ONLY to the extent, that an adequate system of checks and balances is established, which successfully prevent the concentration and entrenchment of power, will an organization (or a nation) be successful in maintaining truly democratic functioning over time.

In the bedrock culture of a truly democratic organization, authority must be regarded as responsibility, rather than power. To ensure that it is, authority must always remain constrained by accountability. Whenever authority is allowed to break free of the constraints of accountability, it will, by the dictates of human nature, seek to entrench itself, and Democracy within the organizational system will quickly begin to erode.

It shall therefore be the guiding dictum of the organization we seek to build that all authority that is entrusted into offices of responsibility shall always remain ‘checked and balanced’ by direct accountability to those from whom trust was extended, (The People). We must resolve that the single most important overriding intention of the rules and procedures set forth to guide the functioning of this organization shall be to ensure that those to whom authority is delegated shall remain cognizant that they are charged with responsibility, rather than ‘power’. Proper organizational measures shall be provided in the organization’s constitution, and instituted throughout its infrastructure, to ensure that all who are entrusted with the authority of an office shall not forget that they are the ‘employees’ of the citizen-members, not their ‘bosses’ or ‘rulers’.

THAT is the very essence of True Democracy.

The highest purpose of this organization shall therefore be to create and maintain a democratic system of functional checks and balances that will effectively prevent authority from exceeding accountability, in order to prevent power from becoming concentrated and entrenched in the hands of those entrusted with the authority of office. The seat of power itself must always remain among The People, where it belongs, and not in the organizational hierarchy that The People create to facilitate their business and objectives.


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