Ammon News - By Hassan A. Barari

The government is absolutely right to urge voters, in earnest, to participate in the upcoming elections, given that one strong political force (the Islamists) has been discouraging voters from casting their votes. At the end of the day, the slogans used on both sides are meant to set in motion a process that will lead to successful elections.

Yet some of the slogans used to impress voters are, to say the least, loaded and unjustified. For instance, it is hard to understand the government’s attempt to equate voting with national unity. Casting votes is an integral right of each eligible voter who has the prerogative of choosing his or her representative in Parliament. For this reason, voting should not be seen as a kind of referendum on national unity, simply because no one questions this concept in the first place. I never heard of one single c?ndidate who campaigns against this sacred concept.

Recently, I have been observing the arguments of both those who intend to boycott elections and those who are passionate about taking part in the process. Neither questions the issue of national unity. So what is the link between the two issues?

This is where the government needs to step in and clarify the matter.

Then, I saw one of government billboards urging people to take part in election with a huge caption that read: “Our diversity strengthens our identity.”

Again, why would some in the government insist on throwing the issue of identity and diversity in elections? I have no answer to this question.

This is not the first time that Jordan has held parliamentary elections. Since 1989, Jordanians have gone to the ballot five times. Never before has a government been engaged in this game of billboards that add to or, to be more specific stir, confusion.
Over the past two years, we have witnessed a debate on some burning issues, such as national unity. The debate stopped when His Majesty made it clear that national unity was a red line that no one was allowed to cross. Few, if any, raised the issue after the King’s statement.

So if an individual chooses not to cast his vote in the upcoming elections, that will not be a statement about his position on either national unity or identity.

The country is still tiptoeing towards democracy, and throwing the issue of national unity or identity in the way is confusing. Chances are good for a reasonable voter turnout despite the Muslim Brotherhood’s reckless decision to boycott elections. The Ministry of Political Development and the rest of the government have been actively sending clear messages that the coming elections are going to be free and fair.

This is all Jordanians need to hear, given previous government’s intervention in elections, which caused some irregularities.

Perhaps it is too late for the government to go back on its campaign. It has spent a huge amount of money on promoting elections and on reminding people that political participation is the norm, and to boycott is the exception. Yet, the government still needs to prove that this time around it will keep the same distance from all candidates and oversee free and fair elections.

Short of doing that, the perception of the next Parliament will not be much different from that of the previous one, but it would give those who argued for boycott further ammunition to question the legitimacy of the Parliament.



* Jordan Times