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STATEMENT

Vidar Helgesen, Secretary-General of International IDEA



» Resources on the Arab World in English and Arabic
» مصادر حول العالم العربي باللغتين العربية والانجليزية

It's time, also for the international community, to try democracy
A comment by former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair epitomizes the somewhat hesitant response of the international community to the democratic uprising in Egypt: "you cannot be sure what type of change will be produced there." True. If democracy is allowed to run its course, you cannot be sure. This is the beauty of democracy, of allowing citizens to freely elect their leaders.
Democracy is not the certain outcome of current events, but the desire for democracy is certainly the driving force for millions and millions in Egypt and beyond. While social tensions – and, in particular, mass youth unemployment – played a role as triggers, causes are deeper and political. They will not go away with a couple of top-down measures to reshuffle cabinets, bring down food prices or increase public sector salaries. President Ben Ali of Tunisia did somehow get that message quickly. In Egypt, the belated and half-hearted response of the regime has been further discredited by violence against peaceful demonstrators and the outcome, at this moment, is uncertain. Different spill-over effects are felt in Yemen, Jordan, Syria, Algeria and other countries of the region.
Both the world and the Arab region are changing and, in tandem with these changes, the demand for democracy appears to be returning with renewed vitality. Twenty two years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, seventeen years after the end of the apartheid regime in South Africa, thirteen years after the democratic reform in Indonesia, the 2011 democracy wave is about to engulf the Arab world. And this time, democracy doesn't come at the point of foreign guns or as a by-product of other agendas. The seeds are unequivocally and genuinely home-grown. Men and women are simply determined to take their future in their own hands. They want to be represented and have a say in the way their country is governed.
While their agenda is domestic, they are at the same time teaching the international community some lessons.
• Firstly, the marginal role democracy has played in international relations in the last decade has not made democracy less central to citizens' aspirations around the world. The democratic uprising took the world by surprise: again, democracy defies predictions.
• Secondly, in the new, multi-polar world, democracy too is becoming truly global. It can no longer be dismissed as a European or Western cultural export. There are twice as many people living under democracy in the global South as the populations of Europe and North America together.
• Thirdly, the information, awareness-raising and political mobilization capacity of new media has by far exceeded the capacity of authoritarian governments to insulate their citizens from regional and global trends. The multiple social networks are like water streams in a field; they always find alternative paths and create new ones, often in real time.
• Last but not least, in the turbulent Arab region, the alibi of authoritarian regimes as self-appointed guarantors of regional security and stability is no longer convincing and credible, and hence, should no longer be taken at face value by other influential international actors.
The building of democracy in the Arab region will take time. As already discovered in earlier transitions, democracy is not what you find in the pot when you lift the heavy lid of authoritarian government. While democracy is the best guarantor of stability in the long run, the process of democratization is often destabilizing: after all, it is about changing power relations in society. Those rightly concerned with the danger of instability and conflict in the Middle East should however realize that by now, it is delaying democratic change which holds the greater risk.
Citizens of Tunisia, Egypt and other countries of the region have a long way to go. Mass protest can overthrow a dictatorship, but cannot build democracy. Changes are required in constitutions, electoral systems, laws and regulations related to political parties, the media, the justice system, and not least, in people's minds. One fundamental such shift required is that of the place of women in political life in the region.
From the international community, citizens of Arab countries are entitled to expect empathy, support and a willingness to share knowledge and experience if requested, but not guidance. The often tried, tested and failed international approaches of supporting particular leaders from the outside should be abandoned. Allowing democratic change to run its course, with the offer of support for democracy from external actors if requested, will be more successful than past efforts at engineering societal change from the outside.
A rich body of knowledge does exist about many aspects of democracy-building. A rich fund of lessons learned, both positive and negative, is also broadly available. The new actors to emerge on the political stage in the Arab region should have smooth and easy access to that knowledge. With a range of such global comparative knowledge as a starting point, International IDEA is prepared to be a partner in the long-term process of building sustainable democracy in the region, whether on constitutional change, electoral reform, political dialogue, women's political empowerment, or tools for citizens to assess and improve the state of their democracy.
» Read online

By Vidar Helgesen, Secretary-General

Jatiyo Party of Bangladesh meeting in Banani Office

Jatiyo Party of Bangladesh meeting in Banani Office


A special meting of Jatiyo Party Bangladesh held February 9th, 2011in the Banani Office with a reorganization and complementary of JP – Comila District party executive and members. The Party Chairman Polly Kobi Mr. HM Ershad expressed the crisis of essential products for the people’s of Bangladesh are suffering much. He urged to the peoples of Bangladesh and party supporters, executives, members to be strongly united with party and united to face such environment of Increasing price of essential products. Also mentione to make strengthen “MOHAZOOTT” government JP’s role is definitely required. Though a few peoples are discouraged in absence of non conscious but he shall take necessary about which are working silently for the Bangladesh, for the party. Without the combination of both party leaders, no possibility to achieve the commitments of success which announced by the “MOHAZOTT” government towards the peoples of Bangladesh. Party Secretary General Mr. Ruhul Amin Howlader,, Dr. Roy, Mr. Kazi Zafar Ahmed an other concerns of party officials of the party was present.

On Behalf of gatidhara, Bangladesh

Press freedom has its limitations in Bangladesh

Press freedom has its limitations in Bangladesh
By Angur Nahar Monty/CPJ Guest Blogger


Opposition supporters read a newspaper outside an office of Bangladesh's opposition Awami League party in Dhaka. (Reuters)
In the last decade, the growth of print and electronic media and a new generation of journalists have changed the face of the media in Bangladesh. But there is a long way to go until there is true press freedom. Politicians, criminals, and businessman exert undue influence, and the industry itself lacks the professionalism to withstand it.
Pressure from political quarters is much less than it was when the military-backed government was in power only two years ago, Nazrul Islam, chief reporter of the English-language Daily Sun, told me in a telephone interview. Still, progress is slow to take hold. In 2009, the ruling Awami League government adopted the Right to Information Act. Journalists who had fought for transparency welcomed it, but the government needs to provide more information, because people still do not know how to take advantage of it. So we remain deprived of information from government offices.
Other limits are still in place. Zahid Newaz Khan, news editor for the private television station Channel I, told me that some topics are off-limits, because of limited access, or fear of official reprisal. "It's very tough to report the inside story of the armed forces and judiciary," he told me by telephone from Dhaka. In August 2010, Amar Desh newspaper editor and former politician Mahmudur Rahman was sentenced to six months in prison for publishing an article that accused the Supreme Court of bias towards the state.
There is still pressure from powerful groups, particularly on broadcast and electronic media, journalists say. Increasingly, these groups include businesses as well as political organizations, according to journalists I spoke with. The media in Bangladesh used to be primarily government-owned. Now, it is primarily owned by private enterprises. News is published or broadcast by big businesses that pay good salaries and benefits to journalists--but also have the power to make them report what suits their interests. Ownership of the media is influenced by politics, and both the government and big businesses use advertizing as a weapon to control the media.
"Journalists try their best to maintain professionalism amid pressure from these many adversaries," Islam told me. "In a transitional society like in Bangladesh, I believe, lack of democratic practices in almost all spheres of life hinders the growth of purely professional journalism. The state-owned media is highly controlled by the government and lacks professional standards. They work as mouthpiece of the government, regardless of which party is in power." That is significant in a country which is increasingly partisan, "pathologically divided," in Islam's words, "between two major political camps," the Awami League, and the opposition Bangladesh National Party.
Anwar Hossain Manju, former deputy chief news editor of national news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Snagstha, agreed. "It's not a matter of which party is in power," he told me. The ruling parties, whether in government or opposition, don't like criticism, and as a result, many journalists are facing not only defamation cases, but also death threats, said Manju, now special correspondent for the New York-based weekly Ekhon Shomoy. Both media outlets and journalists are under the close scrutiny of government agencies, he said. "Democracy in Bangladesh has not brought full press freedom," he told me.
Media is widely seen as a tool of empowerment in Bangladesh and successive governments have come to realize that it is safer to let it work freely than to curb it. However, media freedom will significantly improve if the government allows state-run media outlets to enjoy freedom of expression. At the same time, the media should work to raise their own professional standards and reduce political bias.
Angur Nahar Monty is the diplomatic correspondent for Bangladesh’s Bhorer Kagoj and a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow at the University of Maryland.

Complementary: The Muktidooth

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Sudan radio service solicits feedback via text messaging

by Anne-Ryan Heatwole, PBS MediaShift Idea Lab
image:

From January 9 to 15, Southern Sudan held a referendum to decide if the region should become an independent state. Although results have not yet officially been announced, estimates indicate that the referendum will pass with an overwhelming number of pro-independence votes. (Read MediaShift's recent report from Simon Roughneen on the ground in Sudan.)

It's essential to keep citizens informed of new developments during the voting period -- and one of the best ways to reach large numbers of people is through radio. The Sudan Radio Service, which has been operating since 2006, recently began incorporating mobile technology into its work in a two-pronged approach to monitor the reach of their broadcasts and to solicit reader feedback.

Jacob Korenblum of SoukTel, the company that designed both mobile services, explains that the service, which is based out of Nairobi, Kenya, and Juba, Sudan, wanted to make sure that their broadcasts were being heard by their target audience.

"The power of radio is that it can reach millions of people; the challenge of radio is that you don't know if people are listening," he said. "So I think that there was a big need for ways to get feedback from listeners across southern Sudan."

SURVEY

In order to monitor the reliability and clarity of the radio broadcasts, SoukTel designed a survey for field workers in ten different regions where the Sudan Radio Service is heard. Previously, the broadcasts were sent out of Nairobi over shortwave radio frequencies, but the new station in Juba uses an FM signal. The branching survey, available in both English and Arabic, leads the field workers through a series of questions to describe the sound quality of the programs and, if the sound quality is poor, potential reasons for the interrupted service. The information is sent back to the main radio centers where the data is used to track trends in service interruption and to make changes in problem areas. Written in PHP and SQL, the survey is available to field workers entirely through SMS so it works on basic phones.

Complementary: IJNet)

U.S. ups pressure on Pakistan over detained American

Tuesday 08th February, 03:23 PM JST

ISLAMABAD —

The United States may scrap upcoming talks with Pakistan about the war in Afghanistan to further pressure Islamabad to free an American who shot dead two Pakistanis, U.S. officials said.

Washington insists the detained American has diplomatic immunity and killed the Pakistanis in self-defense as they tried to rob him at gunpoint. It says the man’s detention is illegal under international agreements covering diplomatic ties.

Pakistani leaders, facing a groundswell of popular anger triggered by the incident, have avoided definitive statements on the status of the American, whom they have named as Raymond Davis. Davis’s next court appearance is set for Feb 11.

Two senior U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Monday that talks involving Afghanistan, Pakistan and the U.S. set for Feb. 24 in Washington are now in doubt because of the spat. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to release the information publicly.

Also Monday, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter met with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and pressed him to release Davis. That meeting and recent U.S. press statements have indicated growing frustration with an ally considered key to ending the conflict in Afghanistan.

Pakistan risks looking like an American lackey if it caves into demands to free Davis. But it’s also a risk to ignore the U.S., which provides it with billions of dollars in military and other aid.

Federal officials say Davis’ fate is up to courts in Punjab province, while provincial officials say the federal government must inform them whether Davis has immunity and has not done so. The two governments are controlled by rival political parties, which further complicates the matter.

Pakistani officials could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

Davis shot the two men Jan 27 in the eastern city of Lahore. A third Pakistani, a bystander, died when a car rushing to back Davis up struck him. Police have said they want to question the Americans suspected in that death as well.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke with Zardari by phone last week about the diplomat’s case and also raised it with Pakistan army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on the sidelines of an international security conference in Germany at the weekend, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said.

“We continue to make it clear to the government of Pakistan that our diplomat has diplomatic immunity and in our view was acting in self-defense and should be released,” Crowley said Monday.

The wife of one of the men who Davis shot committed suicide on Sunday, explaining beforehand that she feared her husband’s killer would be freed without trial. Her death further inflamed anti-American sentiment.

U.S. ups pressure on Pakistan over detained American

Tuesday 08th February, 03:23 PM JST

ISLAMABAD —

The United States may scrap upcoming talks with Pakistan about the war in Afghanistan to further pressure Islamabad to free an American who shot dead two Pakistanis, U.S. officials said.

Washington insists the detained American has diplomatic immunity and killed the Pakistanis in self-defense as they tried to rob him at gunpoint. It says the man’s detention is illegal under international agreements covering diplomatic ties.

Pakistani leaders, facing a groundswell of popular anger triggered by the incident, have avoided definitive statements on the status of the American, whom they have named as Raymond Davis. Davis’s next court appearance is set for Feb 11.

Two senior U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Monday that talks involving Afghanistan, Pakistan and the U.S. set for Feb. 24 in Washington are now in doubt because of the spat. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to release the information publicly.

Also Monday, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter met with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and pressed him to release Davis. That meeting and recent U.S. press statements have indicated growing frustration with an ally considered key to ending the conflict in Afghanistan.

Pakistan risks looking like an American lackey if it caves into demands to free Davis. But it’s also a risk to ignore the U.S., which provides it with billions of dollars in military and other aid.

Federal officials say Davis’ fate is up to courts in Punjab province, while provincial officials say the federal government must inform them whether Davis has immunity and has not done so. The two governments are controlled by rival political parties, which further complicates the matter.

Pakistani officials could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

Davis shot the two men Jan 27 in the eastern city of Lahore. A third Pakistani, a bystander, died when a car rushing to back Davis up struck him. Police have said they want to question the Americans suspected in that death as well.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke with Zardari by phone last week about the diplomat’s case and also raised it with Pakistan army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on the sidelines of an international security conference in Germany at the weekend, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said.

“We continue to make it clear to the government of Pakistan that our diplomat has diplomatic immunity and in our view was acting in self-defense and should be released,” Crowley said Monday.

The wife of one of the men who Davis shot committed suicide on Sunday, explaining beforehand that she feared her husband’s killer would be freed without trial. Her death further inflamed anti-American sentiment.

Press release from Jatiyo Party