Losing Faith in Democracy! [Archives:2001/04/Viewpoint]

As journalists, politicians, businessmen, decision-makers, and intellectuals, we all seem to be much interested in what is going on in the political arena. We are anxious to know what the stands of the various political parties will be in regard to upcoming elections and constitutional amendments.
The issue of the upcoming local council elections and referendum, both to be held on February 20, has topped the news headlines in newspapers and magazines, and as Yemen Times, we were no exception.
However, while I was going over one of the newspapers looking for articles about this issue, I found an interesting little cartoon. In the cartoon there was some sort of an objective tragicomedy display of our situation in Yemen in relation to democracy. In the cartoon, there was a poll box, with an open slot for voting cards. A skinny poor citizen, who seemed to be staring at the box, was asked by the official standing near by, “So, what would you like to get out of these elections?” The poor citizen answered politely, “All I want from the elections is that they give me the wooden box they are using to put these papers in, perhaps I could manage to built a cart for my business.”
This simple cartoon explains many things at the same time.
First of all, it explains a simple reality; most Yemenis are yet to understand what their rights are, and how they could be used to serve them.
Second, it expresses the economic burdens faced by Yemeni people in the present time.
Third, it shows that even those people who know about elections and democracy, have lost hope in the elections and in the democratic process. They see it as routine, and sometimes believe they are pre-decided.
Even though this cartoon may not reflect the reality, it explains to us that we still have a long way to go. In fact, we have most of the road ahead of us.
I sometimes wonder: Do people in the streets know what these elections are all about? Do they trust that their vote would make a difference? Do they believe that every vote counts? Do they believe that elections may be pre-decided or not neutral?
I know that the answers of the above questions are not to be predicted by me, as they require not only a survey, but reading the minds of these people, as they would probably not express themselves in a clear and frank manner.
I know that frustrations could drive the public to lose trust in the democratic process resembled in the elections. But having an election is still much better than having nothing at all. Going to the polls to vote is still a healthy process, even if these people think that the results may be pre-decided. At least this way, when a clean and accurate election process is carried out, we would not need to teach them how to vote all over again.
It may be true that some have lost hope in democracy in Yemen. But only the government and leadership could stop this from continuing. It is not difficult to establish a clean and neutral election process. It only requires a strong commitment by the decision-makers. Once a clean election is carried out, all we need to do is wait for the democratic process to regain the trust of the people. It is a slow process, but it is still, worth the patience.

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