Did Palestinians believe in the peaceful rotation of power?
By Counselor / Osama Saad
Faith and action in the principle of peaceful rotation of power, One of the most important principles on which democratic governance is based in any of the countries governed by a stable democratic political system, It is not enough for someone to believe in the democratic process and the need to choose a ruler through the ballot box, although it is important. Rather, the perfection of faith in democracy is faith in the principle of peaceful rotation of power.
by respecting the results of the ballot box, And then make room for the winner to exercise the judge, In accordance with the platform promised to voters, According to the convictions and ideas he holds, No one may exercise guardianship over him, or claiming to be in the national interest, As long as this winner has reached judgment through the box, This means that it represents and governs the popular will.
Any attempt to obstruct his rule is tantamount to stifling the popular will that brought this winner to power. At the same time, those who sit in power must believe that the opposition is an essential part of the democratic system. It is the second part and the natural complement to the existing system of governance.
It has its national role, which it must exercise freely, It may, at any moment, assume power by law, As it is said, “democracy is not the rule of numbers, but the rule of law”, and on this basis the democratic system is carried out in both parts (the government and the opposition).
Often some people think that their intellectual or political project or scientific qualification makes them the guardian of the will of the people, You see him acting with the logic of the most concerned about the interest of the people, Then the matter may develop to set himself up as a guarantor of the national project from collapse, He shall strive with all force to ensure that he continues in power for as long as possible, Even if his continuation in power is at the expense of the people’s democratic choices, And even the matter may reach the ignorance of the people, justifying himself to remain in power, (This is because the people are unable to choose the national leadership that can carry the secretariat of the national project.)
All this if we think well, In other words, the first and last motive for retaining power is the belief – albeit wrongly – that the national interest requires holding on to power, not achieving personal interests, illegal gain, and continuing to exploit the state’s capabilities and dispose of them as if they were personal property.
In the Palestinian case, I argue that the concept of peaceful transfer of power has not yet been believed in by any of the organizational or party leaders. It is true that it is a term that some of them may frequent as a slogan, But it has no balance from the application on the ground, Therefore, each organization or party considers that contesting the electoral process is an existential struggle for survival. (Either to be or not to be).
When this way of thinking is the intellectual regulator of the democratic process, No one can imagine that it is a healthy process that achieves its goal, The democratic process may even become an environment of internal conflict whose consequences and effects are more severe than dictatorship. Dictatorial rule is very bad.
It remains a guarantor of stability, achieving security and imposing the prestige and power of the state, In the case we talked about, going through the democratic process in this distorted political environment, It is the recipe for a deep conflict between the classes of society, It portends chaos or civil strife and the subsequent tragedies that I think Palestinian society has been experiencing for a long time.
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Therefore, in thedemocratic process in order to achieve its desired goal, which is to achieve the people’s choices in governance, There must be the necessary environment and guarantee for this whole process, They are inseparable from each other, An electoral process can only take place under a scramble for power. Considering the electoral battle as a battle to eradicate the other, The second thing is that this process should be conducted fairly and transparently.
In order for the democratic process to be sound and productive of its desired effects, It is necessary to achieve a number of indispensable conditions, The first of these conditions: is to provide a natural atmosphere of freedom of opinion and expression, Freedom of the press and the media, freedom of peaceful assembly, Freedom to form parties, trade unions and civil society institutions, All this is within the framework of the law governing these activities, which prevents them from also deviating from their normal course, Every good within it is a latent evil that is restricted only by law and order.
The second condition: is full respect for the Constitution and the principle of independence of authorities and the rule of law, This requires believing that the authorities complement each other, There is no dominance whatsoever for one authority over another, Each authority has its own work to ensure a balance between powers and to prevent any one from deviating or abusive. Each authority is a factor of safety and a guarantor of survival, strength and independence of the other.
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Third condition: is full and complete respect for the results of the elections, whatever those results may be; and enable the winner to hold the reins of power, and handing over all the powers of the State to him, to lead it according to the vision he wants, The role of the opposition here remains an effective role in censorship, criticism of defects and clarification of the opposite point of view. This is nothing more than incitement and the use of dirty means to overturn the facts.
And move the deep state (if it is in the hands of the opposing team) to prevent the winning team from controlling the reins, leading to his deliberate failure, Here, the opposition has lined up against the national interest without knowing it. And achieved what the enemies of the homeland aspire to, Thinking that in this way she will reach power.
Let this loop begin to rotate non-stop between the winner and the opponent, which weakens the structure of the state, It causes economic and cultural decline in general, This is due to the inability of any group that reaches the authority to achieve its programs that it seeks to implement.
Fourth condition: is the need for the ruling party to respect the opposition, and treat it as a national complement to the government system, And the deep belief in its active role in enlightening the person sitting at the helm of what he cannot see, and the need to consult them on important and strategic issues.
and inform them of the necessary information to enable them to understand the nature of the events taking place in the State, Because it can rise to power at any time, Consequently, you must be knowledgeable and experienced in governance affairs.
The ruling is only a public act, Access to its details is the right of every citizen, Except with regard to certain matters that are secret or that affect the security of the homeland, Access to them is limited to a specific and specific category.
