For many years the business of identifying people’s needs and setting their priorities was left to the government, with no popular participation in either planning or implementation. The state was left to bear the responsibility for social transformation and any violations of local tradition as a result of the move to so-called modernity.
The amazing thing here is that for a very long time, the state was left to do it alone, with the public shunning any involvement at all. It happened from the very moment the Kingdom emerged — a homeland for people with different ethnic, cultural and social customs — as a unified entity within its present borders.
In a country taking the first steps toward becoming a modern state, resistance to change is inevitable. Cases involving girls’ education, introduction of radio and television, modern means of communication were met with varying degrees of resistance. With the discovery of oil the country was catapulted into a totally new era, with the entire society undergoing change all at once. Some areas changed beyond recognition. And as an active member of the international community, the Kingdom has to deal with rapid regional and international developments in both political and economic areas.
With the base of educated and professionally qualified people rapidly expanding, they must play a broader role in the country’s affairs. It is time the civil society joined the state in identifying, prioritizing and pursuing people’s requirements and needs. They have to share with the state the responsibility of whatever consequences may result from such involvement. It is true the state has always sought to involve intellectuals in the political process and has shown a strong desire and commitment to broaden such partnership by involving more people in order to enable the country to respond to present and future challenges.
There was a time when we expected the state to do everything for us. We wanted the government to think for us, identify and fulfill our needs, defend us. All we did was express satisfaction at whatever came. With rapid changes taking place on both domestic and international fronts, more public participation is needed. An opinion expressed or being more involved in public life would help a lot. But this calls for providing the legal framework to ensure that such participation takes place openly and not in dark corridors. Operating in the dark is the most dangerous form of political activity, especially when youth are involved.
Arab News From the Local Press 23 June 2003
