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I would like to
start by clarifying that the subject of this article,
i.e., Elections and Democracy, is not related in any way
to what took place recently in both, Egypt and Lebanon.
It is merely about a model that exists in parts of the
Arab World and is now being infiltrated to other parts
under a variety of pretexts and justifications including
such catchphrases as the Greater Middle East or the New
World Order.
My commentary is about the prevailing system in the Arab
world or at least large number of countries in it.
Holding such elections or promoting and endorsing them
only advances a phony form of democracy and adds nothing
to the current political status of Arab states. Also it
does not contribute positively to Arab cultural or
social values. Therefore these calls for elections and
democracy do not carry with them any seed for
modernization nor do they contribute to an improvement
in the general Arab political scene or ideological
background which is the repository of our heritage and
customs in particular in the Gulf Countries and in
general in the Arab world as a whole.
I am aware that there are many who do not share my views
or agree with my theory. Some may even go as far as
casting doubts about my loyalty to my country and the
Arab Nation. Some others might invoke a fictitious
conspiracy theory or rely on an extremely shallow
analysis of the subject in order to refute all ideas
that do not, in their opinion, conform to conventional
wisdom.
In order to clarify my position even more, I would like
to state that I am an Arab citizen of the United Arab
Emirates, whose Government is headed by a President
Ruler of one Emirate and who is assisted by a
Vice-President and Ruler of another Emirate. They, in
turn, answer to a Higher Council made up of the Rulers
of the seven Emirates. The Higher Council of the Rulers
has the ultimate responsibility of governance in the
country.
I repeat that as an Arab Citizen of the United Arab
Emirates, I am proud of belonging to this country to
which I have an absolute loyalty and devotion. My
feelings of loyalty are sustained and reinforced by the
wise actions adopted by the Rulers in their governing of
the Federation. These actions, rare in our part of the
world, have been successful in creating a modern forward
looking state that provides the perfect atmosphere for
development in a spirit of coexistence among its
citizens and among the other residents and expatriates
in the country.
The State takes care of its citizens from cradle to
grave and grants them social and economical benefits
including free education, free medical care in the
country and abroad if necessary; free, modern and
hygienic housing in addition to help and substantial
financial support to the younger generation in their
quest to get married and start families.
The State has also launched several initiatives to
benefit its citizens, including a number of huge
projects where investment is affordable to the rich and
poor among them regardless of their age or gender, to
enhance their financial well being.
I will not discuss the issue of democracy in its Western
form or the Eastern variety. That is because the concept
of democracy has bred controversy wherever it has been
discussed. As I have said earlier in this article, I am
a convinced supporter of our country’s system of
governance and prefer this system to any other;
especially a system based on phony elections resulting
in a vague form of “democracy”.
My discourse shall instead be about the total freedom we
enjoy in the UAE, which is in no way restricted as in
some of the so called democratic nations in the world.
Here, a citizen may address his Ruler directly, face to
face, and then go public with his opinion about all
matters with total freedom. He could sue the Government
to protect his rights if he faced any injustice that
affected such rights, which are protected by the Ruler,
as well as by valid laws. He could as well point out to
any failure in the performance of the Authorities. Our
media enjoy immunity and great freedom to tackle all
political, economic and social issues without any
censorship. Is this democracy or not? What other
benefits could democracy contain? Do we need more
freedom or a broader form of democracy in view of the
transparency that exists between the State and its
citizens and the Arab and foreign expatriate
communities?
I might add that at the level of the performance of the
local Authorities and Departments, the government has
since their inception guaranteed the highest quality of
service, free of red tape and bureaucracy. Departments
operate on the most modern systems and corruption that
plagues similar institutions in the rest of the Arab
World is non-existent. We do not suffer from briberies
and favoritism, which is widely spread over most Arab
Authorities. Doesn’t that constitute the highest form of
freedom, and doesn’t it serve the citizen in a better
than anything that might have been formed via elections?
We are proud of the way our Rulers conduct the affairs
of the country and the affairs of its citizens.
I hereby humbly call upon all of our Arab brothers in
other countries to emulate our experiment, not only
where their Laws are concerned, but also with regards to
the relation between the Ruler and the Citizen, who must
constitute in all circumstances a common team that works
for the same goals and vision.
This represents the uniqueness of the UAE experiment
where the leadership is there to serve the country and
the community. That is a further proof that the practice
of governance in this country is more important that the
theories that underline the calls for change in other
countries. The limited scope of my article does not
permit me to refute in detail the arguments of some that
the system of government in the UAE is unique to the
country and cannot be transposed to other Arab
countries. Those who promote such arguments use the fact
that we are an oil rich country, which makes us rich and
therefore different.
I am not embarrassed to admit that UAE is a rich oil
exporting country. However, oil is also there and in
larger quantities in other Arab countries, in addition
to other natural resources, like their water, their
climate, as well as the succession of great
civilizations on their soil, which turned parts of the
Arab Homeland into unique natural museums.
In my opinion the only difference is a simple one and
that is the fact that the UAE government uses that God
given gift for the service of the nation, while others
have taken possession of it. I will say no more on this
subject in order not to offend anybody and also in order
to stay within the subject I set out to write about. I
only wish to stress that the wealth of countries should
be used for the prosperity of peoples, and not those who
hold authority. Peoples should be able to enjoy such
wealth naturally, and not as a mendacious gift from
their rulers. The relationship between the state and its
citizen should be built on transparency whereby the
wealth of a nation should be made to serve its people.
That would help avoid future unpredictable and dire
consequences which I am now trying to warn about.
For, by avoiding good governance and transparency and
the equitable distribution of wealth shall condemn a
society to a regime of ignorance and poverty, which in
turn shall open the door to illegal and suspicious
practices and to political turmoil.
Allow me again to sate that I am against all forms of
imported democracies, and against those forms of
elections which only help to weaken our Arab homeland.
I call all Arabs, regardless of their backgrounds to
digest the experiment of the UAE which cooled down our
flaming sands and turned our country into a unique
modern model that surpasses even many parts of Europe.
I call on them all to follow our suit, and visit this
country to see how the citizen and the expatriate, Arab
or foreigner, live in full freedom and democracy. I am
positive that you would then abandon all slogans of
democracy and elections which bring you nothing but
hatred.
Khalaf Ahmed Al Habtoor | 
