Politics, Ruling intellectuals and Democracy [Archives:2007/1059/Opinion]

By: Hooria Mashour
One of the basics of the political theory that we learnt is that democracy means the majority ruling or the nation self-governance. Nowadays, democracy also became an international demand within the globalization rather than just a local public demand. In fact, most of the people of the third world countries became more disappointed and hopless to witness any real transformation or change in their current regimes. This disappointment can be due to poverty which destroys the middle class that represents the majority of people. As a result, greater part of the people keeps struggling to get essential living staff rather than anything else. On the other hand, educated intellectuals who played a key role in the transformation movement are either drowned in the political game so that some of them were obligated to sell their thoughts, stands and believes to anyone who pays more. However, we can't blame them all as some of them were forced to be involved in such practice due to poverty but some others liked it and took it as a profession.

This comes as preface ahead of the introductory meeting for declaring the Arab Democratic Convention and the foundation of Arab Democratic Movement which is currently hosted by Yemen. The meeting was attended by high political intellectuals from all over Arab world. Nevertheless, some of them think that such Convention project is even worse democratic representation than the current Arab regimes. This leads us to questioning: Are those who claim that they belong and represent the civil society and represent the Arab nations demands, are they extend and natural outcome of ruling bodies? Are their opinions express about what the people need or what the ruler need? Are they really able to reflect the public needs or they just swim with stream to keep up the benefits and interests they got? Is this a cheat over democracy or a real desire to pave the way for democracy in the Arab nation, such away which is seems to be full of hinders?

Two days ago, a son of an Arab leader declared that his ruling party is more capable to carryout reforms and transformation more than other parties. He justified his statements saying that his party has experienced the governance or the power -so it is better to use some body who knows how to deal with a situation rater than using inexperienced one! We are to question again; who deprived those rulers, who are in power for more than two decades, to conduct real reforms then? And weren't they fresh and inexperienced long time ago?

The actual democracy is to accept the change and not to suppose that we are genus and others are brainless. I can be look optimistically at the rulers if they act positively in accordance with their continuous declarations about democracy and human rights and if they allow others to contribute in such transformation.

Finally, are we required to change the political theories and adapt it with the rulers needs which was even supported by Fatwas of religious scholars who didn't relay on religious sources as long as it meet the ruler desires. Those new scholars even adapt democracy to meet the interest of the leaders and ensure keeping the shape of the republic regime while they change its content within the absence of real transformational movements.
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