Tunisia leads the way for Arabs striving for democracy

The Arab world is lucky that its spring started in Tunisia, a society of ethnic and sectarian homogeneity distinguished by its high educational standards, civil sentiment and political conscience. The Tunisian revolution has provided a beautiful model that revived hopes within the Arab world long buried under piles of oppression, desperation and pessimism.

Visiting Tunisia on the first anniversary of its revolution I was impressed to see how the new leaders are able to surpass the bitterness of the past and cross quickly into the future. In as much as it has inspired the Arab masses to rise against tyrants, today Tunisia is giving them another lesson in how to establish a balanced democratic alternative.

Immediately following his election as an interim president of his country, Moncef Marzouki, who was known to the Arab street as a tough defender of liberties and human rights and a formidable foe of the Ben Ali regime, stood to offer a balanced and clear vision for the future of Tunisia. Hammadi Al-Jabali, who spent 16 years of his life in prison, 10 of which in isolation, and who has been commissioned with the task of forming a new cabinet, talked about bolstering the values of justice and national reconciliation and about how to build an economy that is capable of accomplishing stability for the citizens of Tunisia. Ali Al-Orayyid, the new interior minister, who spent 14 years in prison, 10 of which in isolation, seemed optimistic, preferring to talk about the present rather than about the past except when asked repeatedly about his prison experience. His answer, without bitterness, focused on the lessons learned.

Tunisia's new leaders realise that people elected them because they sought a departure from the past, from the old regime and all its personalities and politics. The revolution was not directed solely against the president and his aides but the entire political elite, those of the regime as well as those who played the opposition within the permitted margin.

The biggest challenge facing the new leaders is to manage the democratic transition astutely; to maintain a high degree of transparency; and to establish a political contract agreed upon by society's different segments and trends. Never before have Arabs had the opportunity to engage in a dialogue aimed at reaching consensus on the rules of the democratic game. This dialogue has just begun, and is expected to continue over the coming years across the Arab world.

Some people expressed concern that the significant role played by young people in launching the revolution has not been translated into sufficient participation in the political process. They observe that political parties and forces chose to nominate their prominent figures in the elections.

It would have been better if a larger number of young people had been introduced. Let's admit that political, intellectual and media elites agreed to play according to the rules set by dictatorial regimes. Yet, young people had come without this order and introduced new rules to the bafflement of regimes and elites. The young people took everyone by surprise. Had it not been for this creative initiative we would have still been revolving around scenarios of desperate partial changes.

Young people looked to the future while we were struggling to cope with the circumstances of living with the past. Their full involvement in future political activity is necessary to continue the search for creative solutions. We need new political imagination. Those who have been part of the problem cannot be part of the solution.

The other Arab revolutions vary in the price they pay and their methods. Yet, they are similar in spirit and share the same logic. They all seek a break with the past; endeavour to avoid violence; have surprised political elites; call for national unity and a civic state; and were all sparked by young people. Above all, the Arab revolutions learn and benefit from various experiences. The media and social networks have turned into continuous training workshops in which the entire population participates. This experience wouldn't have been possible had it not been for the communications revolution and the internet.

The Arab spring is still only just beginning, and will improve with the passage of time. It will not only lead to regime changes but will also change our self-perception and view of the other. It will create a new common consciousness. It will rid us of our inferiority complex and unleash a political and social imagination that is centred on the people and their hopes, not on centres of power and selfish interests.

Perhaps the immediate threat to democratic transition lies in the economic challenge. Tunisia's foreign currency reserves, according to its central bank, just about covers 113 days of imports. The situation is no better in Egypt. If the situation remains as it is, the government may default in three months' time on paying the salaries of six million public sector employees. The problem facing the Arab spring countries is that the revolutions are on one side and the resources on another. Arab aid for Egypt has not exceeded a billion dollars. If one were to add to all of this the repercussions of the global economic crisis and its impact on these countries, the economic challenge could scupper the transition to democracy.

All of this is real, and it may increase in complexity and intensity in the coming days. Nevertheless, these anxieties should be placed within their natural context. Democratic transition is not an easy process. In the west, it took several centuries of conflict and intellectual, religious and class disputes – in addition to a number of bloody revolutions and civil wars – before a balance was reached leading to the establishment of a stable political reality. Changing the Arab situation will not cost a lot, but it will not be quick.

Preliminary indications point to a heightened public awareness, which comes whenever feelings are aroused and the conflict is inflamed. The people are more credible when it comes to determining the right direction, and today they are able to monitor the path of transition and are capable of expressing their opinions whenever they sense a deviation from the right track.

By Wadah Khanfar, the director general of the al-Jazeera network.

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