Tuesday, Jun 28, 2011

Gulf News

Minister cites Expansion of electoral rolls for FNC polls

Dubai The expansion of the country’s electoral rolls from less than 7,000 to more than 80,000 Emiratis for the Federal National Council (FNC) elections in September confirms the commitment of the UAE’s leadership to increase political participation and empower the council, a top official said yesterday.

Alluding to the recent Arab Spring revolutions, Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, Minister of State for FNC Affairs, told a gathering in Abu Dhabi that included army and police top brass that “regrettable events inflicting the Arab world and the violence against Arab peoples has proved that the UAE’s ambitious but gradual political programme is right and best fits the country”.

Stressing that the UAE has to be cautious considering the “difficult” region it is situated in, Dr Gargash said the programme should not be judged by its first or second step.

“It is an ambitious but gradual programme that has unanimous agreement, continuously developing and leading the UAE to a brighter future while safeguarding our political, social and economic stability,” Dr Gargash said.

Changing priorities

He added that the UAE is also taking into consideration the fact that the priorities of Emiratis may dramatically change all of a sudden.

“Housing, education and health care may be the top -most priorities now. But political events in the Arab world showed that political participation might surge ahead suddenly, which calls for a plan to safeguard our country’s security, and social and political stability.”

On September 24, more than 80,000 Emiratis will elect half the members of the 40-seat FNC.

Dr Gargash said the success of the first elections in 2006 created strong awareness and knowledge among citizens, especially about the concerns and processes related to political development.

This has helped in further highlighting the UAE’s vision to expand the number of citizens in the electoral colleges.

“In Abu Dhabi alone, more than 30,000 citizens will take part in this year’s polls. Up to four polling centres are required in Abu Dhabi and in Sharjah,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tarek Hilal Lootah, Undersecretary of the Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs and a member of the National Election Commission (NEC), said the most frequently asked question by Emiratis was: “Why has my name not appeared on the electoral rolls?” This showed citizens’ interest in the elections, he said.

Interest to increase

Asked whether the NEC had conducted any surveys on interest among Emiratis in the electoral process, he said the surveys returned higher-than-expected scores, though he did not mention the figures.

Asked whether the government excluded any members of the public from shaping political reforms, Dr Gargash said the UAE was committed to enriching dialogue on political, social and economic development within the social and cultural framework of the UAE. This takes into account the ambition of citizens to become part of this progress.

“The National Election Committee groups members from civil society and consultation are an ongoing process,” Dr Gargash said.

Delay criticised

Earlier, Dr Abdul Khaleq Abdullah, professor of political sciences at the UAE University, wrote in Gulf News that while Dr Gargash “candidly admits that political reform is a legitimate demand in this country, he prefers that people stay out of it and defer this intricate issue to the government”.

Dr Abdullah said the UAE’s democratic discourse will undoubtedly continue but unfortunately democracy, meaning a fully elected and a fully empowered FNC, is not going to be a reality here any time soon.

“It could be a long wait for democracy to finally blossom in the economically prosperous, socially liberal and politically stable UAE,” he wrote.

Pankaj Sharma/Gulf News archive

What’s next?

Consensus important

Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, Minister of State for FNC Affairs, said the government is focusing at present on the coming elections to the FNC. Once they are over, and after a short rest, work will start on realising the vision for the future.

There is no doubt a dialogue is underway on the democratic discourse in the UAE at different gatherings and in the country’s newspapers.

There are different views about whether the UAE should further expand the electoral rolls or go for universal suffrage, extending the right to vote to all adult Emiratis.

The need for municipal councils at the local level is also felt. However, all these points must be taken into account when drafting a plan for future action, which must be approved by the political leadership.

“The development march of the political process is moving ahead continuously,” Dr Gargash said and admitted that there are voices critical of the pace of political development.

“These [critical] voices are always there, but they are not harmful,” he said.

By Samir Salama ?Associate Editor

Gulf News 2011. All rights reserved.