Praise be to Almighty Allah, the Kingdom is indeed changing. The victory in the recent elections for the board members of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry have ushered two women in those exclusive halls long subjugated by men. They won their seats based on their rational platforms, fair and square.
To borrow a phrase, the “nabobs of negativism” might not be in the least bit impressed by this development. But then very little moves such people except for the sycophancy that goes on in their own myopic world. Doors have opened and precedents have been set that will irrevocably be etched in stone. There will be no going back now.
It took brave women to foray into these elections. Bolstered by the country’s determination to involve more women in the running of their affairs, these women however had to deal with opposition from those with extreme views. Family and friends while supportive may have worried over the consequences of these pioneers’ thrust into the public eye.
That a considerable number of eligible male voters chose these two ladies raises the hope that the ideological domination of men over women in this country is slowly beginning to shift. Barred from previous elections, businesswomen participating this time around took to their mandate seriously and conducted a well-run campaign. There was nothing un-Islamic about the manner in which the campaign was conducted, nor has it contributed to a disintegration of our social mores.
In that this is a small step forward, there is no denying that bigger elections await women in the near future. Municipal council qualification has been officially declared for women candidates the next time around, and who knows what else? Perhaps the Shoura Council and maybe a seat or two in the Council of Ministers?
King Abdullah’s personal drive to increase female participation in the affairs of this country is indeed admirable. And the government should not just stop here. There are indications that while voting rights are being gradually acquired, there remains some ignorance and confusion of the process itself. This fact alone had kept a considerable number of eligible businesswomen from participating in the chamber of commerce elections.
The process of elections is in its infancy, and widespread awareness can be achieved through education. And this is where our Ministry of Education can play a pivotal role. As guardians of our children’s textbooks and school curriculum, it is time that they included this essential ingredient within the framework of lessons in civic studies.
The dictatorial demeanor that some schools take in their approach toward children must be loosened enough to allow the creativity and active participation of these children to flower. Schools must be directed to promote open elections for class presidents and other such posts, allowing the children to learn the process firsthand and hopefully being encouraged to participate when the real thing comes along in their adulthood. Classes in debate and public speaking are another agenda that should be introduced in our classrooms and quickly. Intra-school activity in this type of forum will allow our children to experience the intricacies of well-run research and campaigns, and of forging their own future in a responsible manner. This is a rapidly changing world and we simply cannot be caught short by churning out record numbers of graduates year after year without the essential tools to enable them to set positive directions for themselves.
Our youths are the citizens of the future and we all owe it to them to prepare them confidently to participate in the constructive progress of their country during their adulthood. Little steps can indeed lead to bigger and better things, and God bless the pioneers.
