When we women made pleas to allow them to participate in the Kingdom’s first electoral process last year when half of the country’s municipal councils were decided by (male) voters, we thought the elections would result in some breakdown of bureaucracy and municipalities would work closer to the people.
I guess we were wrong, because the councils haven’t accomplished anything noticeable. We have waited for months now with high expectations, yet unfortunately things remain the same. Perhaps next time the municipal councils will be more effective and aware of the communities’ needs.
That’s not to say we have lost all hope with the current councils. Perhaps they will get into gear and work on establishing, say, some social centers, health clubs, or other family facilities. There’s no need to debate or select names or other superficial details on these projects, they just need to be built.
Community centers — even if men and women have to enter through separate doors — effect positive changes to the community and certainly offers more wholesome family experiences than what is available now.
I don’t think there was ever any expectation that these 50-percent elected councils would be a sea change, but I suppose something as simple as a community center would show that something had changed, something positive that addresses some of our social problems, such as divorce, non-married women, dysfunctional families, drug and physical abuse.
Community centers are the least we could expect from the partially democratized municipal councils.
