Boycotting the elections is a democratic practice [Archives:2008/1202/Opinion]

Nazar Al-Abbadi
Freedoms granted to individuals and groups are viewed as the spirit of democracy, which the national options are based on. However, these freedoms, even if they are governed by certain legislations and regulations, remain unable to translate popular ambitions on the ground if they ignore the moral values related with how to practice them.

The main problem faced by democracies of developing countries is related with how political parties and organizations in these countries practice their democratic rights and freedoms. They practice their rights and freedoms within frames of partisan loyalty that don't differ from the tribal fanaticism, which was known during the Pre-Islam Era (Era of Ignorance).

Like generations of the Pre-Islam Era, Parties and organizations in developing countries build their options and decisions on malicious considerations, thereby granting a seemingly absolute immunity to irresponsible allegiance under the guise of tribal affiliation. This is the main reason why such behaviors lacked the simplest ethical values, and therefore Islam gave a top priority to fighting this kind of behavior.

The strange contradiction between the contemporary philosophy and the type of culture, practiced by some political parties infected Yemen with chronic trouble and broke any existing relation between democracy and development. Democracy turned to be a source of conflicts, seditions and political chaos that are inevitable to hinder any development programs and produce numerous challenges to Yemen's national sovereignty.

When participation in the elections is accepted for the purpose of opportunistic projects and deals at the expense of national unity as eyed by Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), it undoubtedly destroys any democratic transformations made on the ground, as well as erases all the philosophical meanings on the basis of which democracy was established.

Democracy with values

Behaving this way while the nation is facing dangerous challenges such as terrorism, sea piracy and international conspiracy to internationalize the Red Sea, this means that our democracy has lost its moral values. Nothing will remain relevant to democracy except for conspiracy and treason irrespective of factors and pretexts provided by those opposition parties to justify their practices.

A few days ago, the JMP member parties declared to boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections, and therefore distributed a statement to its branches and fans countrywide urging them to instigate citizens to boycott the elections too. They denied the fact that democracy exists in Yemen.

These parties should remember that boycotting the elections is a democratic right like deciding to participate in them. Boycotting the elections proves the broad scope of freedoms granted to all political parties and organizations in Yemen.

JMP's declaration to boycott the upcoming electoral process means that the opposition coalition selected an anti-democracy option. It prefers violence to dialogue and bloody coup d'etat against the regime to the peaceful transfer of power via ballot boxes.

The most dangerous thing is that the opposition coalition declares rebellion against Constitution of the Unified Republic of Yemen that legalized electoral practices for the sake of achieving peaceful transfer of power and representing people.

Two options before the government

Such a step is a dangerous development because it makes the state before two options: First, the government should violate the Constitution and laws in order to make illegal and unconstitutional deals with JMP for power-sharing. Second, the government should take a decision to freeze democracy and Political Parties and Organizations Law, currently placed in effect, and resort to the traditional arbitration system in order not to let the opposition parties hurt Yemen's sovereignty.

The government may adopt the second option if it wants to confront any malicious attempts, which aimed at fueling seditions in the nation and driving wheels of development backward, particularly after the opposition parties raised slogans advocating secession.

Source: Al-Gumhoria.net
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