It took me a few days to go through all the names selected for the Electoral College in Dubai. But checking the 37,000-plus names was not a boring exercise at all.
However, I did feel sorry for the candidates who want to run for the Federal National Council (FNC) elections because they would have to go through the list as well and do their homework carefully if they want to guarantee some success. They have to check the names, the families they know, their friends and friends of friends and so on. For, when the campaign starts, they will have to target only these people, their family and friends, through their manifestos. And that is not an easy task.
Back to the names — the first impression I got, other than what I have said before, that the majority of the voters are youngsters, is that the list does not feature top officials like ministers and members of the ruling family.
I guess that is also the case in the other Electoral Colleges in the other emirates. This indicates that the government has intentionally decided not to include these two groups in the Electoral College. And that is a wise decision — to give the people more opportunity to run and win without facing big competition from big names.
True there are no heavyweights on the rolls, but at the same time, there are also no names the voters can believe in so as to vote comfortably and with confidence.
I have not seen names of personalities with a long history of public service or those with a proven track record of social and public activities. The candidates on this list have no history. The people must judge them before they make the decision to vote.
At the same time, as it is difficult for candidates to do their homework comfortably, it is also difficult for the voters to vote comfortably.
Hence, I expect every candidate to campaign and target certain pockets. And voters, in turn, will vote for pockets of candidates. The vote will only revolve around friends, family and familiarity. Who belongs to what area, who knows whom, who holds sway among a large number of friends will dictate the polls. People known for public service will not drive the vote.
But by saying this, it does not mean that I think nobody deserves to run or win an FNC seat. Finally, it is the right of every capable citizen to stand for elections and the right of every citizen to elect who he or she thinks is best qualified. That is the real test of maturity of the candidates, the voters and the practice of elections. I also tried, while going through the list, to understand the logic behind the selection of the Electoral College. But I met with no success. It looks like a puzzle to me; and many other people may feel the same way. However, the cup is not always empty; it is half full as well. And we build hope on that half.
Great responsibility
What are our hopes? One, the process should go smoothly and we must see a high voter turnout, which will indicate the keenness of the people of the UAE to participate in decision-making. Two, if the youth, show real interest and fill the polling booths on election day, it will change our minds about our youth.
We will know then that they are not careless as we think and that they are, indeed, socially and politically mature. Three, we hope that the candidates who will win the seats will surprise us all with their commitment, understanding, maturity and determination in bringing about change.
We do not want to see FNC members who complete their terms without opening their mouths or asking questions, without initiating ideas or visiting people to understand their problems.
We have seen many such members. We did not even know them and can barely remember their names. These are not the kind of FNC members we want if we desire political progress to take place smoothly and at a faster pace.
That is why there is a great responsibility on the shoulders of the more than 37,000 voters in Dubai, and on the shoulders of the 129,000 voters in all the Electoral Colleges in the UAE to make the right decisions.
They will make historical decisions on behalf of us all. Hence, we hope they do not let us down.
