Dr Azmi Bishara addressing a seminar on the sidelines of the 23rd Doha International Book Fair on Thursday.
DOHA: The Arab revolutions could face serious setbacks if people in the respective countries fail to reach a consensus on the system of governance, a prominent Arab political researcher has warned.
Addressing a seminar on the sidelines of the 23rd Doha International Book Fair on Thursday, Dr Azmi Bishara, former member of the Israeli Knesset and Director of the Doha-based Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies also said that the current debate in Egypt over the constitution could be a healthy indicator for democracy if it does not lead to deeper divisions in the Egyptian society.
“We have to differentiate between two concepts in the Arab Spring countries that are moving toward a democratic change. The priority should be how to govern rather than who governs. The problem is that the second question has become foremost. People should reach a consensus on the system of governance,” said Bishara.
He said he was confident that Egypt and Tunisia would overcome the problems they are currently facing because they already have established institutions that would enable them to differentiate between the above issues and take the side of the people.
“But we have to be careful not to change the diversity of the political parties and not to create a divide in the society as it happened in early 90s in Algeria. Such experiences can easily make totalitarian regimes as a viable alternative,” he added.
He reminded that it was the young generation, not the political parties that made the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia possible.
“Those young people are not divided among political parties. They are divided among supporters of dictators and supporters of democracy and political freedom,” said Bishara.
“The current dialogue over the constitution in Egypt is a healthy indicator because it is a good lesson for the nation. But getting divided across the communities is a problem we have to avoid,” said Bishara.
“Having a consensus among the parties and the political power and on the principle of democracy is very important. The issue of majority and minority comes only next,” he added. The seminar titled “political changes in the light of the Arab revolutions,” was moderated by Dr Ali Al Kubaisi, head of the Arabic Department at Qatar University. The Peninsula
