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Hardly would a day passes without media reports about one incident or
another of militants incursions sweeping over a polling station, or an
election committee ,whereas employees and workers are driven out ,
computers and files are destroyed or manipulated, and other violations
are carried out -which are contradictory to democratic values .Pretexts
claimed for such aggression are protests against either the election
process in itself , or refusal of the results of the voting - in both
cases these actions are unacceptable by all means, and are against the
general attitude of the Palestinian people toward development, political
reform and transference of power through the polling boxes.
Nobody can deny the historical role of the Fatah faction, or its
considerable size in the Palestinian street- consequently maximizing its
responsibility to give a good example of political practice , especially
when the entire world regards it as the ruling party in Palestine ever
since the Palestinian Authority was established .Hence, the violations
that repeatedly occurred in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are stains in
the image that this pioneer party should struggle to convey to the
Palestinian people - the most striking feature of that image must be the
compliance with the rules of the democratic game, and acceptance of the
results emerging from these rules. The winner or loser of the Fatah
primaries are members of the same party, no matter who loses. The
decision at the end of the day is for the voter, who has the right
to choose the candidates he favors to be members of the Palestinian
Parliament, and he should have the means to elect the most eligible
candidates for these positions.
The
critical phase through which Palestinian territories currently pass ,
added to the enormous challenges facing the Palestinians , require all
factions -on the top of which is Fatah, to rise to the levels of events
and to abandon their emotional aspirations , to carry out the tasks
demanded from every citizen , whatever his affiliation or ambition or
even his struggle record . It is not proper for a freedom fighter to ask
a price for his sacrifices or to make a mundane deal for his struggle or
sacrifices, in exchange for an office- even a seat in the Legislative
Council. The ideal practice is to put his name for voting and to accept
what the public decides whether for or against him. This public decision
could only be for the benefit of the more capable, or eligible,
candidate who might perform the tasks of a proficient lawmaker.
Basically speaking, the membership of PLC or ministerial portfolios and
other public positions are not life-long vacancies. They are not
renewable unless the voters agree, depending on the confidence between
the incumbents and the people that only emerge from the polling boxes
through transparent, credible and free elections.
The
true introduction for general elections should start with the primaries
within the competing parties, to choose the PLC candidates. Conducting
these primaries in a smooth ,calm and organized way , far from violence
or pressures imposed by gunmen - this will be the healthy and suitable
manner to move toward further steps in the democratic process, and an
evidence of the participating parties' commitment to the principles of
the democratic game .Otherwise the ongoing violations, attacks and
incursions will have catastrophic implications on the credibility and
overall image of the elections .This would certainly reflects negatively
when the people evaluate the voting process, and its dubious outcome in
general.
