Political Reform in the Gulf
From 8-10 October 2010, the twelfth Development Conference was
held in Bahrain. The Conference is a forum for intellectuals and
political activists in the Gulf. The participants discussed the
 |
| Muneera Fakhro |
experiences of national assemblies in four of the Gulf States: Kuwait,
Bahrain UAE and Saudi Arabia. The Bahraini thinker Ali Fakhro called
for ‘conciliations between all Islamic political movements and liberal
and nationalist ones. This is in order to form a strong bloc before
taking any political move’. The General Coordinator of the forum
Muneera Fakhro expressed her regret at the failure to involve citizens
in decision-making: ‘we in the Gulf, are still run by a small political
elite, and the current situation does not constitute the minimum
of our aspirations’. She added that ‘our message to decision-makers
today is that we are mature enough to practice democracy. We are
well qualified and deserve democracy, and nothing but democracy’.
Kuwaiti MP Rola Dashti criticized the large number of ministers’
questionings in the Kuwaiti National Assembly, and that the ministers’
concerns are limited to merely providing services rather than addressing
crucial issues, and called for amending the Constitution. On the
other hand, Ali Fakhro noted that ‘the presence of the state in
the Gulf is very strong and with it comes a very weak society’ claiming
that the state has engulfed and weakened society in the region.
He also called for adjusting the balance of power between the two,
through a reconciliation of state and society, and creating a strong
political bloc from all political movements. Shamlaan Al Esa said
that ‘no democratic experience can flourish in a closed society’
asserting that the cultural aspect must be taken into consideration,
as it is the root of the democracy crisis in the region. Saudi participant
Mohammed Sadhaan flagged the absence of democracy in his country
as the main obstacle in the face of reforms in the entire region,
and if addressed ‘all the Gulf States will enjoy democracy’.
|
