Where and how least expected:Democracy at Work [Archives:2006/916/Opinion]

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January 30 2006

Certainly, the recent parliamentary elections in Iraq and this week's Palestinian legislative council elections have much that could be said about them in many respects. For one thing, the fact that they took place at all in what are considered Arab territories under occupation, with the general belief that they were as fair and free as any election could ever be under occupation, is really not saying much for the “unoccupied Arab states”. These “sovereign states” are still denying their citizens the right to any semblance of free and fair elections for any of their leaders or representatives in Government and really this is not a very good situation to swallow. The fairness of the Palestinian elections is demonstrated by the fact that Hamas, the more hated faction by the Israeli occupier did, in fact win the majority and sent the ageing Fath or Fatah Movement looking for ways to save its face and position of leadership as the voice of the Palestinians in their long and challenging fight against the most aggressive and repressive occupier of all times in the modern history of the Holy Land. While the outcome of the Iraqi Elections has yet to get the final stamp of approval from the occupier, very few are crying that they have been cheated out of any office entitlement and thus one can safely surmise that the elections were indeed fairer than one has seen or could hope to see in any of the Elections of the “Free” Arab states. This situation is indeed a mockery of the claims to the liberties that the Arabs enjoy in the “independent” states they live in and certainly tells most of the Arab populations that somehow they are really being cheated.

For all intents and purposes all the talk of democracy and freedom in the Arab World, outside the occupied territories, is just that talk and no substance and a source of humiliation for the citizens of these territories. Yes, the occupied territories are under a war environment per se and yes they are undergoing severe hardships in life and still live in an unpredictable environment. Nevertheless they have elected officials they can now put to account, if they fail in delivering their promises to their voters and this is a magnificent, yes magnificent leap in Arab political life. This should have been forthcoming to the many Arab states starting half a century ago, when the great nationalistic movements that brought many of the existing regimes to the helms of power in many of the Arab states. After all the factions that propped up these regimes promised to return power to the people and replace the cruel rule of colonial rule or despotic monarchies. The fact is that this never materialized and in some of the newly found independent or progressive revolutionary states, one can easily discern that life may have become even harsher than under colonial rule.

Having said that, it is noteworthy to mention that the results of the Palestinian Elections clearly show that the Arabs of occupied Palestine were going to express their dissatisfaction of Arab die hard orders as bluntly as possible, and the poor showing of Fath is a remarkable example of how regimes or factions can easily loose touch with their constituents and the latter can easily loose faith and confidence in them. Hamas has shown itself to understand what it is that the Palestinians really want and has in more than one way delivered directly to the people, while displaying organization astuteness, integrity and a true to commitment attitude. An ongoing direct interaction with the masses with charity and social services has given Hamas the right to speak on behalf of the Palestinians, in addition to a long list of martyrs, including a large number from its top echelon leaders. Without looking closely at the way their adversaries are working, Fath and the other established Palestinian factions failed to understand that it is performance and results that really matter to the citizens of a society and if the faction does not deliver or performs in a manner that attracts respect from the constituencies they claim to work for, then they might as well pack up and leave. That is indeed the essence of democracy and Fath had all the chances and the resources to keep its prominence. However its inability to take on the fight in a manner that reflects sacrifice and a more transparent and accountable way of operating was bound to be costly when facing an adversary like Hamas and when trying to establish the foundations of real democratic Government. Even the Israelis and their American allies are at a loss in trying to cope with the new situation in the Holy Land and while they are screaming wolf here and there, there is really no choice for them, but to try to get Hamas to project a more “peaceful” stance. What these Western mentors have forgotten is that, for most Arabs and especially Moslems, Islam is indeed the answer, because for all intents and purposes, all the “secular” orders have been total flops as leaders and managers of societies. There were no surprises in the Palestinian elections, but they should be viewed as a signifying poll that the die hard but rather archaic authorities that relied on corruption, the power of the gun (against their own people), or foreign power recognition and backing really have no place in the hearts of the Arab populations that make up their respective constituencies.

If anything could be said about the death of the heroic Yasser Arafat is that he tried to keep his organization (at least as far as he was concerned) as clean as possible, but such a feeling must be transmitted throughout the organization. No one could doubt the dedication that Yasser Arafat had to his people's cause, but personal commitment that is not backed by institutional astuteness, especially when there is an organization that has shown that indeed there is an alternative, is bound to result in a debacle brought on by the people, who after all really matter the most.

One can then surmise that, with Fath characteristically far better relatively speaking, most of the other existing Arab regimes will face an even greater fiasco, if their constituencies were to be given the chance to enjoy a fling with the ballot box that they cannot touch or interfere with. God forbid that we have to wait for an occupying power to take over their respective countries to give the rest of the Arabs the same privilege as their Iraqi or Palestinian brothers. But surely, the present status quo is far from being healthy either.

Hassan Al-Haifi has been a Yemeni political economist and journalist for more than 20 years.
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