Elections for the new board of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry should be an occasion of pride and public interest — not simply because the chambers of commerce and industry speak for the Saudi private sector and none speaks more volubly than the JCCI, the country’s largest. There is another reason. The Kingdom is slowly democratizing and this is democracy in action. Thousands of votes have been cast for 65 candidates — women as well as men — standing for 12 seats.
Unfortunately in the case of the current JCCI elections, the interest is for the wrong reasons and there is little cause for pride.
Reports of vote buying and the fact that police had to be called to the proceedings on Wednesday following punch-ups are shocking — and this was not the only unseemly brawling during the contest. The talk before the elections was that they would result in some fresh blood on the JCCI board; no one imagined that this would be literally the case.
It is no consolation or excuse that elections in other countries, some with a much longer experience of democracy, have been marred by violence or that there have been parliamentary punch-ups in places such as India, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan or, closer to home, Iraq. Such behavior is disgraceful in any place and, in the case of the JCCI, those responsible should be cautioned that any repeat of such behavior will result in severe consequences.
Those standing for elections to bodies like the JCCI must realize they have an awesome responsibility. Representative democracy in Saudi Arabia is in the early stages of its evolution. Elections to the chambers of commerce and industry are seen as a blueprint for other fields in future. Those involved have to set an example. Of course, not all the candidates have anything to be ashamed of. Only a small minority were involved in the fighting and allegations of vote buying. But the actions of the few harm all concerned. Not all Britain’s MPs were involved in the recent scandal of inflated expense claims but all of them have suffered as a result; public opinion has turned against politicians across the board. In much the same way, reports that the elite of Jeddah’s business community has been involved in physical violence and vote buying is not going to do the JCCI’s credibility any favors with the public, especially coming as it does after earlier concerns about the way the chamber was run.
Those involved in Wednesday’s punch-up say that they intend to take the matter of vote buying to court. That is the only place for such allegations to be handled. If the court finds that they are true, then the authorities will have to take punitive action. Nothing corrodes democracy more than corruption. As for the JCCI, we must hope that in future its elections will be carried out calmly and fairly — in a spirit of integrity and respect for others and their views. It is the only way democracy can flourish.
