POLITICS-UAE: On the Road to Democracy

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Meena S. Janardhan

DUBAI, Dec 7 2005 (IPS) - Modest as they seem, new policy changes announced by the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, favouring greater citizen participation in governance, are being hailed as the first steps towards full-fledged democracy.

According to Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, professor of political science at the UAE University, Sheikh Khalifa’s announcement on Dec. 2, marking the country’s 34th National Day, ‘’will eventually lead to achieving our goal of direct legislative polls.’’

Under the announced plan, half the members of the Federal National Council (FNC) will be indirectly elected by a college of councillors while the rest would be appointed by the rulers of the seven tiny emirates that make up the UAE.

Prof. Abdullah told IPS that the announcement was particularly encouraging because the country needed to ‘’catch up with what is going on around us and to move forward the political situation in the UAE, which has been stagnant for up to 20 years.’’

In keeping with the democratisation trend, on Monday, the first ever polls were held for the board of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, while new guidelines were announced by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry to allow elections to its board.

The chambers are powerhouses within Dubai and Abu Dhabi which lead the other five emirates that form the UAE , namely, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah and Umm al-Qaiwain.

UAE’s importance stems from the fact that beneath its desert sands lie an estimated 98 billion barrels of crude oil or 10 percent of the world’s proven reserves, as well as the fifth largest natural gas deposits. In recent years, the UAE has diversified into a provider of services and a leader in the manufacture of petrochemicals.

The country also has the demographic peculiarity in that its population of four million people includes 3.2 million non-nationals (about 50 percent of the population is of South Asian origin), presenting a challenge for democratic politics.

The President’s statement said: ‘‘In the years ahead, our march requires a bigger role for the FNC by empowering it to be an authority that would provide great support and guidance for the executive arm of the government.’’

Under the decision, the ruler of each of the seven emirates will constitute a local council which will have 100 times the number of FNC representatives. The local council will then vote to elect half the representatives of each emirate to the FNC, with the ruler appointing the other half.

Also announced was a proposal recommending amendments to the UAE constitution that would be submitted to the FNC during its next session. This move is aimed at increasing the number of seats in the FNC, now standing at 40, to match demographic changes.

‘‘We will also recommend that the legislative terms of the next councils be increased so that the council takes the necessary constitutional measures to prepare for direct elections,’’ the President said encouragingly.

‘‘The decision to introduce these reforms stems from the firm conviction of the UAE leadership about the importance of achieving wider and more effective participation of the citizens in the building and development of the country to reinforce and protect the gains and achievements of the country,’’ the Sheikh said.

Experts in the region have for long been calling for developing a reform policy where change would not be measured just in terms of elections, but will also take into account policies dealing with constitutional development, women’s rights, freedom of the press, corruption, administrative transparency, human rights and education reforms.

Highlighting some concerns that need to be addressed, Abdullah said: ‘’First, we need to apply the universal principle of elections at the local and national levels; second, an elected national council should be the norm; third, a legislative body should replace the consultative council; fourth, women need to be well-represented, either through free elections or a quota system.’’

Abdullah also emphasised that there must be adherence to ‘’the principles of political freedom, independent civil society, freedom of speech and an independent media’’.

Reacting to the announcement, Hamad Natoof, a national, said, ‘‘ Many countries in the world are shifting to democracy and it’s the UAE’s turn to do so now. I wish everyone will be able to vote soon, especially women.’’

A statement alluding to possible changes was earlier made by Gen. Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE armed forces, during the release of the Oxford Business Group special report ‘Emerging Abu Dhabi 2006’ in November.

The Crown Prince’s statement also included details about reforms for the emirate of Abu Dhabi, the biggest of the seven emirates and capital of the UAE, which is bound to have a bearing on the other six emirates.

‘‘Over the next five years, Abu Dhabi will undergo major reforms in both political and economic sectors. We will focus particularly on encouraging private investment and outsourcing more government services. My priorities lie particularly in two areas- education and health,’’ he said.

In many of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, internal dynamics are beginning to be more influential than ‘‘external pressure’’ in effecting changes. The impact of external factors- the Iraq crisis, U.S. democracy agenda and possible roles by the European Union and the United Nations- also lurk in the background.

However, U.S. officials attending a two-day ‘Forum for the Future’ conference in Bahrain, earlier this month, assured Middle East nations that Washington did not intend to force the pace of democratic changes in the region.

At a press conference, U.S. assistant secretary of state Daniel Fried said, ‘‘Democracy is not imposed, dictatorship is. There are certainly no plans to use force to impose reforms.’’

Founded in 2004, the ‘Forum of the Future’ is a joint initiative among countries in the Middle East, North Africa and the G8 nations. Its aim is to promote democracy, greater freedom and economic growth in the Middle East region.

The setting up of two new institutions under the Forum were announced in Bahrain- the 54 million US dollar ‘Foundation for the Future’ that will help non-governmental organisations to promote democracy and the 100 million US dollar ‘Fund for the Future’, which will give grants to small and medium businesses to spur economic growth.

Most experts suggest that while there is a desire for change from the ‘‘top’’ and ‘‘bottom’’, fear of negative consequences is a limiting factor. They say that political reforms demand creating the right regional environment and making the best of international conditions in the Middle East.