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POLITICS-QATAR: Poll Widens Room for Openness in the Middle East
By N Janardhan
DUBAI, Apr 30 (IPS) - Whether it is perceived U.S. pressure or the Qatari
ruler's own commitment to reforms that led to Tuesday's approval of the
country's permanent Constitution, that referendum is a major step toward
more political openness in the Middle East, say regional analysts.
A total of 96.6 percent of the 71,665 Qataris who exercised their
franchise voted in favour of the draft Constitution that widens the doors
for democracy - albeit still without political parties.
Some 85,000 people above the age of 18 were eligible to vote in the
country of about 750,000 people, of which only 150,000 are nationals.
''It is another sign of progressive democratic change in the Arab
world,'' political analyst Inad Khairallah said in an interview. ''Apart
from the liberating effect on Qataris, the referendum will pressure those
(countries) without any semblance of democracy to take the big step, and
push those with democratic traditions to double up.''
A string of elections has either taken place recently or is scheduled to
take place soon in the Gulf.
Qatari parliament polls are due next year; Kuwaiti parliamentary
elections have been announced for July; Oman's municipal polls are
scheduled for October; and Saudi Arabia is contemplating major political
reforms. Bahrain conducted parliamentary polls after 28 years in the second
half of 2002.
Qatar's Constitution, yet to be approved by the emir, provides for the
separation of executive, legislative and judicial powers. It also keeps
executive power in the hands of the emir and his cabinet and stresses the
need for an ''independent'' judiciary.
Legislative power would be vested in a Shura (Consultative) Council made
up of 45 members, two-thirds of who would be elected and the rest appointed
by the emir. The Constitution keeps political rule in the hands of the Al
Thani family, stating that the country's rulers will be descendants of the
incumbent emir.
But it also offers ''equal rights and duties for all citizens,''
upholding the rights that saw Qatari women voting and standing for office
in the first-ever municipal elections in 1999. In the second municipal
polls held earlier this month, a woman was elected for the first time, even
if she ran unopposed.
Under the new Constitution, the Qatari consul general in Dubai, Yousuf
Saad al-Mana, said: ''Everyone will get the opportunity to express their
opinions and demonstrate their feelings in a free atmosphere without fear.
It is a welcome step as there was no tradition of this kind in the history
of the country.''
As for the absence of a role for political parties in the Constitution,
Mohammad Jaham al-Kawari, a spokesman for the referendum committee,
confirmed to the Qatar News Agency that ''the setting up of political
parties, which historically has not existed in Qatar or the Gulf in
general,'' is not mentioned in the document.
''The nature of social relationships has not favoured the emergence of
parties'' in a region where a tribal system predominates, he explained.
''I can proudly say that I voted in favour of the Constitution since it
is a positive move that will guarantee us, Qatari citizens, a host of
rights in issues related to our country and also oblige us to execute
duties as nationals,'' Qatar's 'The Peninsula' newspaper quoted Hamad
al-Azba, a bio-engineering student, as saying.
The 150-clause Constitution also states that no Qatari citizen can be
banned from the country, a provision designed to placate opposition members
who largely live in exile.
Qatar says that the referendum was not called due to pressure from the
United States, which is seeking to neutralise anti-U.S. sentiments in the
region, especially after Sep. 11, by encouraging more democratic reforms.
Washington has come under fire from critics who argue that the United
States uses double standards in democracy, given its support for
non-elected governments in the Middle Eastern countries that are its
political allies.
When he unveiled a 29-million U.S. dollar programme to encourage
political reforms in the region last year, U.S. Secretary of State Colin
Powell had put Qatar alongside Bahrain and Morocco as examples of
''reform-minded states in the Arab world'' that should be encouraged.
In any case, this week's vote is expected to further improve
Washington-Doha ties.
Qatar was the nerve centre for the U.S.-led war on Iraq, hosting the
forward base of the Central Command headquarters. On Tuesday, the U.S.
government moved its combined air command centre from the Prince Sultan
airbase in Saudi Arabia to Qatar's Al Udeid airbase.
At the same time, however, Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa
al-Thani, who assumed power in 1995 after deposing his father in a
bloodless coup, is widely credited for introducing elements of democracy in
the country.
Among these are changes that have greatly improved press freedom - seen
in the coverage of regional issues and events by the Qatar-based Al Jazeera
television station - and encouraged women to take part in public life.
In a televised address Monday, the emir said: ''Consultation has
distinguished Arab and Islamic society since the dawn of time ... and forms
a pillar of any enlightened society. The Arab and Islamic nation needs to
adopt this principle (consultation).''
''If this principle had been in practice for a long time, the situation
would not have reached this level,'' he said, referring to differences
among Arab countries over the invasion of Iraq in March.
Referring to political changes on a wider canvas, Khairallah also says
that the nature of ''democracy'' in Iraq would greatly influence future
governments in the region, but dispelled the belief that U.S. influence
would be the determining factor in this.
''Cultural and societal factors are very different here from what
Washington thinks it is. Imposing Western-style democracy will strengthen
Islamists rather than weaken them, as see in Algeria and Bahrain,'' he said.
The 1992 elections in Algeria and the poll in Bahrain elections last
year saw Islamists win a majority of the seats.
While the Algerian military prevented the Islamists from forming a
government, Bahrain allowed Islamist members of parliament to take oath,
but only after ensuring that there was a mechanism that would neutralise
Islamist influence in legislative affairs.
Since political parties are not allowed in most Middle Eastern
countries, religious places tend to become the centre of political
activities and the main channel of information dissemination. As a result,
they wield the best influence during elections.
''Democracy will have its own flavour in the region. It will neither go
as far as Western countries' expectations nor stay behind as they are
today,'' Khairallah added. ''The changing socio-economic factors - growing
population, weaker economies, better education and high employment -
rather than external pressure will determine political changes.''
(END/2003)
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