The focus of recent
political discussions in Jordan has been the creation of political parties that
will be active politically.
In theory, the
idea is important, especially for a country that has always suffered from lack
of strong and engaged political parties. However, this is not the only path to
effect change in the political life in Jordan, to improve the current situation
or to include more youths in the decision-making process.
اضافة اعلان
One of the
critical underlying reasons for the current situation in Jordan is the
political isolation felt by young Jordanians who need to be more involved in
the political process and break the exclusive control of the few in power.
People need to
witness action and real change at all levels, change that has a positive impact
on their daily lives. This can only be achieved through immediate action, not
through a long-term process expected to deliver good results.
Political
inclusion, especially the inclusion of the youth in political life, does not
need to be linked to the outcome of future elections. Having young people in
political parties at this stage guarantees their presence on the future
political stage.
In a country like
Jordan, it might be much easier to signal willingness and true intention to
effect changes. It would be much more effective to start a process of including
the youth in political life through appointing them, which is the system
adopted in Jordan today. There is no logic in linking the inclusion of youth,
indeed limiting it, to the electoral process, as if youth representation could
only be secured at the ballot box, and in excluding young people from the
executive power.
The youth in Jordan are politically aware and seek freedom of expression, liberty, and respect for diversity of political concepts and convictions.
This said,
building a culture of political inclusion is much more important than
encouraging the youth to join political parties. Political pluralism is
considered to be the basis of democracy; it enables ideas to be developed into
plans of action. It is not easy to make the transition from unilateralism to
pluralism, but such transition is a major critical step that needs to be
adopted, especially knowing that in recent years educational levels have risen
and young people are starting to be preoccupied about political issues and
movements.
The youth in
Jordan are politically aware and seek freedom of expression, liberty, and
respect for diversity of political concepts and convictions.
Sure, there were
attempts to achieve political reforms in the past, which failed. Hence, it is
critical to do it differently, with fewer slogans, less theory and more action.
The agenda of
political reform should be goal-oriented and convince the public that it will
make a difference to their lives. A first step should be to inject new blood in
the bureaucratic system, young people who believe in democracy, liberty, and
pluralism. Thus, the long road toward forming parties is secured, given that
such process starts with a direct and concrete move that establishes a new
reality.
Amer Al-Sabaileh is a Jordanian university professor and
geopolitical expert. He is a leading columnist in national, regional, and
international media, offers consultancies to think tanks and speaks at
international conferences on Middle East politics and developments.
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