I sometimes question the call for democracy in Jordan if the people themselves aren't ready for it.
Are Jordanians ready to respect others' opinions?
Are they ready to rally behind competent leaders and not their tribal leaders?
Are they ready to give women full equal rights and allow them the equal opportunity to hold any position?
Are Jordanian women ready to assume high level government positions and not succumb to male relatives' pressure?
Will the Islamic rule be the dominant force in a democratic Jordan?
I could go on and on answering these questions. But, everybody knows the answer.
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10 ►I charge thee, speak!:
well, I know that before applying democracy, people should learn it and understand it and know why it exists, This is something that should be taught to kids by their families and in school, and narrowly applied on small issues (like where to go on vacation, how an exam should look like). Also a very important element that should go parallel with democracy is learning to take responsibility for what we do, and this also should be taught in school and applied in the house. Do we Jordanians own these elements? Not yet, we do not learn to take responsibility yet for our own actions, some of us keeps living in "hotel mama" until they are 30 and some of us may get out of prison after 2 or 3 months for murdering another. what a good environment to learn being responsible. unfortunately for us, democracy is about being responsible, about thinking a lot of our decisions and their consequences before taking them. So I am not yet for democracy in Jordan and I wonder if we will look like Lebanon today if we chose democracy.
MD,
thanks for the thoughtful comment.
I agree with your idea that schools and homes are great places where Democracy could be nourished. However, parents and teachers are part of a system that shuns the real democratic process. they don't experience it in the workplace and it would be hard to apply it at home or in the classroom. When a teacher carries a stick to assert his authority and when a father beats the crap out of a child for saying "no," it's hard to entrust them with planting the seed of democracy.
You can't and shouldn't decide what the outcomes of a democratic process will be.
The arguments used by those who say "not yet" are elitest to say the least!
Mohanned:
Nobody is deciding on what the outcomes will be, but it is always a smart idea to look ahead a little bit just to see what the issue at hand (democracy) will cause.
I don't think we are ready for democracy, but I think that we would start getting used to it at some point.
The whole tribal stuff is still dominant, and it's quite hard to take it down really. So how the hell would democracy work if people would be mislead by the name of democracy and be controlled by a tribe?
No, we're not ready, we need to change our mentality. Somehow people need to learn to be more considerate and understanding. Governmental education becoming more open-minded would be a good way if you ask me. At least then people wouldn't mind having their children in Jordan since they would still be intelligent afterwards rather than only be memorizing things (generally speaking).
Something that would encourage our people to think is definitely something that would help move our country closer to democracy.
I kinda went on a rant there, but, you get the point.
im telling you.. NO! im against it in Jordan! la2eno befawtoona bel 7ait! i mean ma benfa3elna democracy 7aki fade.. sha3eb la yo2men bel rules n respect wt would u expect meno!
"I don't think we are ready for democracy, but I think that we would start getting used to it at some point."
Ok, we'll wait till you think that we are ready.
Mab3oos,
My first comment just got support: Look Jano and Saed. Elitism at "best".
mohanned, I agree with Jano and Saed. You know that I would love for Jordanians to enjoy the democracy you and I are enjoying, but this democracy was many years in the making. It wassn't until the 1960's civil rights movement that American started inching closer to equality between genders and races. In Jordan, if true democracy were to be announced tomorrow, newspapers would be filled with ass-kissing ads of loyalty to the king.
People can be ready for democracy only when they truly understand what democracy is, which most jordanians unfotunatily don't.
Elitist argument isn't necessarily a wrong one.
I'm guessing "no" to the first four, and "yes" to the last. None of which are good answers.
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Be respectful of others' opinions or I will kick your ass. فاهم؟