Towards Democratic Empowermentand 'Active Citizenship'

Abdullah IIIbn Al Hussein

2 June 2013

by

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Moh

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Dr.H

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The renewal of political life across many Arab countries can succeed in meeting the aspirations of Arab people towards a better future, but there are, of course, challenges along this path. As I have said before, this path has not been, and will not always be, smooth and straightforward, but it is inevitable for societies seeking evolution.

In Jordan, we have never accepted this view and never will

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Some have argued in the West, and evenwithin our communities,

that the Arab world is not interested inor suited for modern politics.

They have claimed that democracy isnot something the Arab world

wants or can handle,and that we are

not ready.

After all attem

pts to King Abdullah II Bin Al-Hussein in

achieving developed democracy, and in light of the problems

political crises,

is it possible to achieve a transparent

democracy?

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In Jordan,we are developing a uniquely

Jordanian model of democracy,which

reflects our distinct culture,aspirations and

needs.

The course of the journey is now clearer to many sectors of society, who began to vividly recognise that the essential reform goal is to en-hance citizens’ participation in decision making, by deepening our ap-proach to parliamentary government through successive parliamentary

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The previous three discussion papersI wrote came as a contribution to

enrich our national dialogue on themodel of democracy we seek, its goals,

the roles of all stakeholders in thepolitical process, and the milestones

we need to achieve to realisethis model.

The ideas I suggested highlighted the guarantees th

at are needed

for the success of advancing our democratic

transformation,

chief among which are: P

reserving pluralism, gradualism in

evolution, and equality in political opportunities.

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cycles, in order to reach a state where political parties are able to achieve an effective presence in the Lower House of Parliament. This will allow the parliamentary majority to form a party-based and platform-based government, paralleled by a parliamentary minority that works as a shadow government and competes constructively with the ruling majority by providing alternative platforms and policies. These national parties will compete at the ballot box for the rotation of governments.

But one of the key requirements for democratisation efforts isenhancing the role of civil society in monitoring and elevating thepolitical performance of all institutions, by enrooting a democraticculture across society. This is the essence of this fourth discussion paper, which marks the launch of an additional civil society effort geared towards enhancing our democratic model by going grassroots to lay the building blocks for a democratic culture that guarantees a tangible bottom-up change.

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Consequently,and due to the vital role that

civil society plays in enhancing ourdemocratic model, I directed the

King Abdullah II Fund for Development toestablish a Democracy Empowerment

Program (Demoqrati) during my speech onDecember 10, 2012, on the occasion

of the University of Jordan’s 50th anniversary.

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The official launch of this programme today proves that the realisation of our democratic model will be determined by achieving specific mile-stones that represent real progress and political maturity, not arbitrary or predefined deadlines. We have already achieved much to be proud of, but ours will be a long and evolutionary journey. Through the twists and turns of our political development, it is our shared commit-ment to, and confidence in the underlying processes of democracy that will bring us success. This shared commitment and participation is the essence of what I have been referring to in my previous discus-sion papers as “active citizenship”, which I also regard in this paper as an essential condition for democratisation.

Political Participation and Active Citizenship:Before outlining the mission and goals of Demoqrati, let me first offer my thoughts on the importance of politics and active citizenship.

What do I mean when I talk about politics?

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I mean it in the broadest sense – the process through which we discuss the issues facing our society, argue

with mutual respect about our disagreements, and reach workable solutions through constructive debate andcompromise. It is an essential means to resolve ourdifferences for the benefit of society as a whole.

Politics is also not just about national issues debated under the dome of our Parliament, It is as much about local community issuesimpacting the daily life of every citizen.

- Parents concerned about the quality of education at their local school. - Commuters concerned about public transport.- Neighbours concerned about public services.

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First, all citizens have the right to engage in political life. The space to freely express divergent political views must be protected.

Second, in its essence, politics is a responsibility and a duty. Each citizen must share a part of the burden of deciding on the future we want to build for our children. Our duty as citizens does not end with the act of voting in national elections. That’s why it is so impor-tant that every Jordanian honours this duty by actively participating in civic and political life on a daily basis. This could be as simple as cam-paigning on the issues that matter to us, volunteering for civic activi-ties, or joining a political party.

But politics only works if we all embrace the principle of “active citizenship”, which is based on three pillars:

The right to participate; the duty to participate; and theresponsibility to participate peacefully and respectfully, and they go hand in hand with the following principles:

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Of course, true democracy also means that some can exercise their choice to remain apolitical and disengaged or boycott the political process. But those who take this path are giving up a profound oppor-tunity – and indeed their duty – to contribute to the wellbeing of their country. As citizens, we share a common destiny and therefore a common duty. A mindset of apathy, complacency and mediocrity is the surest way to hold back our development as a nation. We cannot build a better, stronger Jordan without embracing the principle that active citizenship is a duty that must be shouldered by each and every one of us as citizens.

Third, active participation in political life also brings with it cer-tain personal responsibilities about how to engage. In my first discus-sion paper, I outlined four key practices all citizens need to embrace for political life to flourish: Showing respect, engaging actively, em-bracing dialogue and compromise while rejecting violence, and ac-knowledging that gains and sacrifices need to be shared.

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Honour and respect are of course cherished pillars of our Arab culture. We must use them to our advantage as they provide strong foun-dations upon which we can and should engage in political life. But it is important to emphasise that we disrespect and dishonor others not when we disagree with them, but whenever we are not willing to listen to their point of view. Our debates to make the best possible decisions in the interest of the nation as a whole should be guided by objective facts, not rumours and hearsay, nor nihilistic skepticism vis-à-vis our collective achieve-ments as a nation, nor theorizing and over-diagnosing the past, without providing work-able solutions for present and future chal-lenges.

What isimportant to

emphasise here is that disagreement and

constructiveopposition expressed in

the civil fashiondescribed above and based on positions

grounded infact – not impressions,

hearsay, orpopulism – are among the greatest ways in which a citizen can

show loyalty to his or her country.

Towards Democratic Empowermentand 'Active Citizenship'

Abdullah IIIbn Al Hussein

2 June 2013

by

Pres

ente

d by

Moh

amm

ad H

odro

b

Pres

ente

d to

Dr.H

ana

Mda

nat