Comment: The quest for democratisation in the Gulf is becoming a reality

Muscat Democratisation is slow and cumbersome under the best of circumstances in wealthy and relatively free societies. It struggles through numerous contradictions and, when effective, provides harmony and secures opportunity. It is a further challenge for developing countries that experiment with it when limited education and difficult economic conditions dominate the body politic.

In the Gulf region, the quest for democratisation is becoming a reality, as governors recognise that the existing gap between their rule and those they govern is closing fast.

While the d-word is tossed around in conversations and policy initiatives at a dizzying pace, creating basic foundations to support the weight of democratisation is still remarkably slow. Yet, there are those who understand and accept inevitable evolutionary trends that, in time, will allow Gulf citizens to share the burden of governance.

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos is one such ruler who, through thick and thin, embarked on a unique democ-ratisation programme in the Sultanate of Oman several years ago.

Opening the third session of the Majlis Oman - that now includes the elected Shura Council along with the appointed Dawla Council - on Tuesday, Qaboos called on Omanis to innovate rather than imitate.

By adjuring his subjects to assume the burden of knowledge, he revealed - certainly consciously and after deliberate thought - an understanding of how much Omanis had changed over a short three-decade period. Ingrained in this understanding is the notion that those who are governed were increasingly aware of what it meant to be represented in open elections.

Likewise, that those elected representatives appreciated that much was expected from them, including debating and recommending the adoption of laws that would be useful for the country and its inhabitants.

Finally, that genuine democratisation could only be achieved if and when citizens rose to the occasion to assume full rights and responsibilities.

Still, it would have been the ultimate indication of political maturation, if elected members of the Shura Council could, in turn, choose their own President. In the event, Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Qatabi was re-appointed to the Shura Council presidency for another four-year term by royal decree, even if the day when Council members may be called upon to assume this responsibility cannot be too far away.

To be sure, and compared to similar institutions in the region, participation in Oman's electoral process is substantially strengthened by two specific steps: its open nature, in which men and women are free to compete, and its time-frame, which adds a degree to regularity to challenge incumbents.

These initiatives are certainly not new, but their institutionalisation is. As such, they buttress the Omani quest for innovation, while retaining the Sultanate's uniqueness.

Witnessing the unique Omani approach - including trappings of power that display the majesty of an ancient culture successfully preserving its traditions - and speaking with dozens of high-ranking officials, one is left with the impression that Omanis serving in both chambers are actually eager to step out of their cocoon.

Among the several hundred representatives gathered as an elite, are men and women who might add significant value to the entire process. These are seasoned officials, sheikhs, and young technocrats who have sound ideas even if many lack the courage to engage in open debates that might be considered controversial.

A clear indication of the much-touted progress will surely be the level of debate that Shura and Dawla members will entertain. While it may be premature to expect them to draft their own versions of the Federalist Papers - that debated the value of a federal system in the United States after the Revolutionary War - there is little to prevent the drafting of Sultani Papers that will clarify and strengthen the Omani experiment.

In fact, the most logical and beneficial next step may well be for Omani Council members to articulate their precise representation roles.

Resilient Gulf rulers, including Qaboos of Oman, have cherished the quest for change while they staunchly insisted on their uniqueness.

Their next challenge is to harvest and channel the intellectual energy of regional elites to better serve Gulf citizens. Enhancing the trust that rulers have and are placing in regional elites will surely strengthen the new political contracts that participatory institutions encourage.

On Tuesday morning, Qaboos spoke of how Omanis were called upon to assume the burden of knowledge and, in his own unique way, revealed his vision of erudition. That the burden of genuine power is subservient to faith while the burden of rule acquiesces to popular will.

That, together with faith and participation, add value to a society, preserve its traditions, and enhance its future capabilities.

Joseph Kechichian, author of several books, is an expert on the Gulf and Middle East affairs.