Governments Come and Governments Go Capt Mohamed Hassan Al-Tahir

Governments Come and Governments Go

Capt Mohamed Hassan Al-Tahir

Date: August 5, 2026

Political life resembles traffic in a crowded city:

cars enter and others leave, but the road remains the same.

 Through this metaphor, we can understand that governments, no matter how long or short their stay,

are merely passersby on the stage of history, which records them by description and function.

Scholars say that to understand anything in the world, we need to ask two essential questions: description and function.

– Description defines the type: for example, we say this is a car, or that is a government.

– Function defines the degree: there is a vast difference between an old “Commer” car and a modern BMW.

Both serve the function of transportation, but with different levels of efficiency and comfort.

Governments are the same: they may be similar in description, but they differ in function — in their ability to :

– serve people,

– manage resources, and

– shape the future.

In the songs of Mustafa Sid Ahmed, governments embody this model, where we find the famous phrase:

“Governments come and governments go.”

 This sentence is not just a description of the movement of power, but a philosophical vision that governments are not eternal, and that the true measure of governance is its impact on people’s lives, not merely its survival in office.

Success and failure in governance are not measured only by decisions or material achievements, but also by the foundational narratives governments leave behind:

– A government may fail economically but leave behind an inspiring national narrative.

– Another may succeed in development but fail to build trust or justice.

Narratives are what remain in the memory of nations after governments depart.

Don’t Open the Hood : One day I met a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. We exchanged the usual questions about family and children, and about the news of life that carries us all forward, each in his own way. During the conversation, I mentioned that I had undergone some routine medical checkups and tests — not because of any complaint, but simply for reassurance, as medical guidelines recommend for people at my stage of life.

He smiled knowingly and said:

“Don’t open the hood.”

I looked at him in surprise, and he continued:

“At this age, we are like old cars. They move along the road and fulfill their purpose, even though they carry hidden faults we don’t know about. If you open the hood, you start discovering a defect here, a leak there, a part whose lifespan has ended, and perhaps faults that cannot be repaired at all or whose spare parts no longer exist. If the car is still running…

don’t open the hood. Agreed?”

The story of “Don’t open the hood” can also serve as a powerful metaphor for governments.

An old car may keep running despite its faults, but opening the hood reveals its fragility.

Likewise, governments may appear stable, yet inside they carry structural defects, corruption, or institutional weakness.

The difference is that a car can continue despite its faults, but a government’s faults may mean the collapse of the entire society.

Conclusion :

Governments come and go, but nations remain. The difference between one government and another is not in its name or its duration, but in its function:

– Did it serve the people or burden them?

– Did it leave behind a narrative of success or one of failure?

Just like cars, the issue is not simply having a “government,” but

– what kind of government it is,

– what function it performs.