Woman votes in Palestinian municipal elections in early May
Photo: AP
Ready for democracy
Arabs don’t need “democracy lessons” in order to hold elections
A spirit drifts over the Arab and Muslim countries - the spirit of democratic elections.
Such horror can be summed up in one sentence, which is constantly repeated by undemocratic and anti-democratic leaders, as well as simple dictators: If we ask the people who they want as their leader, they would choose the dark Islamic zealots.
Therefore, experiments of democracy need not be rushed, and a non-zealous tyrant would be preferred over an imposter posing as a zealous dictator who would cheat his way into power.
Such an argument is currently being made in Ramallah, Bahrain, Tashkent and Cairo.
Because of it, the Palestinian Authority is proposing to postpone the elections for its legislative council, the Uzbek army is spraying live fire into civilian demonstrations and killing hundreds, thousands are thrown into jail in Egypt without trial and people’s rights are being crushed in Syria.
It is because of this argument that the experiment of democracy was stopped in the Gulf states and the rule of monarchy continues in Saudi Arabia.
Deceptive argument
Such an argument is deceptive in nature. No anti-democratic, zealous Muslim regime was ever established through democratic elections. Not Khomeini's reign in Iran, not the Taliban’s in Afghanistan, not the Sudanese regime.
The only time a party seen as being radically Muslim ever won an election in an Arab country was in Algeria in 1992, when the Islamic Front for Salvation won 55 percent of the votes. However, the Algerian army did not allow the winners to reap the benefits: It declared the results of the election void and pushed the country into a deadly civil war, that rages to this day.
No zealots have ever reached power democratically. But there are several examples of successful elections that have sprouted moderate governments, such as in Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia and Ukraine.
Germany not a good example
Here’s the part where history buffs will kick in and say: Maybe it hasn’t happened yet in the Muslim world, but it has already occurred here in Europe. That is the most dangerous precedent of how democratic governments have turned into fascist regimes – the rise of the Nazi party in Germany. After the German people voted for Hitler’s faction, he was appointment Chancellor and immediately activated the Emergency Laws, cancelled the democratic rule, established his Nazi dictatorship and the rest is history.
Is that example persuasive? Not really. The Nazi party never won a democratic election. At the height of its power, it only received 34 to 37 percent of the votes. The keys to the leadership were handed to Hitler on a silver platter because the democratic parties in the Wymer Republic failed to establish a coalition – even though they had a staggering majority – and also because of the weakness of mind of the German president.
It was no coincidence that Hitler cancelled the democratic and free ballot after he seized power. He was afraid to confront the people. The Bolsheviks in Russia also feared the people’s judgement after 1917, as did the Khomeinists after 1979.
The fear of holding democratic elections also stems from past experiences in Eastern Europe after the fall of Communism. The claim “the people are not ready for elections” was made then as well, as were the fears of the rise of power by extreme nationalistic or religious forces. But no such thing happened.
Democracy is not scary. Democracy purges the filth and exposes the dangers. Democratic elections force each party to formulate a platform, deal with voters and answer questions. Democracy can also defend and counter-act against any attack made against it by some large, suspicious party with fascist, Communist or Humeinistic tendencies.
The Palestinians, the Saudis, the Uzbeks, the Egyptians, the Iranians, the Syrians and the Chinese are entitled to democratic, confidential and free elections just like the Americans, the Poles, the Israelis, the Turks and the Taiwanese. People don’t have to take preliminary lessons in democracy or suffer through authoritative regimes to make them “mature for” or “ready enough” to implement their basic right to vote.
Just as people know, from birth, how to make love, people know how to make democracy.
