Watergate revelation a timely reminder of gains

If ever there was a valuable lesson for governments of the day, it is the Watergate scandal. In so many ways, the events 33 years ago this month that led to the downfall of an American president set the rules for how democratically elected officials should act.

Unfortunately, judging by the closed-door approach administrations are increasingly adopting, the clock is being turned back to before the now-infamous June 17, 1972, burglary at Washington's Watergate complex.

Before then, politicians seemed beyond reproach. They spoke to the media only when they felt like it and interacted with their constituents the most at election time. Officialdom was at arm's length from the populace.

Then came the night that two journalists from The Washington Post newspaper were told to check out a report of a break-in at the offices of the opposition Democratic Party in the Watergate building. Their investigation unearthed a web of corruption that resulted 26 months later in the resignation of the late president Richard Nixon.

But while the reporters were hailed for their work, the high-ranking official nicknamed Deep Throat who fed them clues was viewed as either a hero or villain, depending which political camp was making the assessment. This week, the whistle-blower revealed himself to be former FBI deputy director Mark Felt.

Whether Mr Felt, now 91, should have revealed top-level wrong-doing in the way he did is a moot point compared to the wider implications of his actions.