Revolutions reveal constitutional demands Wednesday, 06 April 2011 02:44

The problem with power is that it is like a glue that the ruling cannot be coaxed out of. That is what we have observed in several different countries that are trying to get their rulers to budge, pushing and prodding their seats of power to no avail. Without heeding the people’s cries, the rulers earnestly exclaim that they will not move unless they are killed. This is their world; their identity. Where would they go without having the last word? Don’t you know that the mere fact that if someone is a ruler, that in itself is considered an occupation with the eternal characteristics of an infinitely powerful sultan.

People are paying the invaluable price for these revolutions which will only be in vain if things return to what they were. That is what will happen if another ruler takes over and exhibits the same old corrupt habits. The only solution is to strictly apply constitutional articles as Egypt did in the most elegant and beautiful step the country ever carried out. Egypt is amending its constitution so that the president cannot maintain the presidential seat for more than two sessions. However, even in spite of that, do you think that there won’t be another president who comes along believing that he is a gift brought down to the people from the heavens? You can imagine that such a president would undertake constitutional amendments all over again in order to maintain his position forever, and then hand over the reins to his son after he is long gone.

This is what happened before and this is what will happen again as long as society is founded upon corruption, weak parliaments, and a population who is struggling to earn a living.

Say what we will about America and the West, but their form of democracy, their institutions, and the growth of their political principles are so deeply ingrained that they are unable to penetrate their leaders. Regardless of how influential, effective, and great their leaders are, they are content to stepping down from the seat of power and influence to sitting on garden chairs in their homes after retirement. The president is an individual human being and not a god.

Look, for instance, to the case of the former Israeli president, who rotted in prison after committing the biggest moral scandal. Nothing could have saved him from the verdict. Hypothetically, he couldn’t use his connections, offer bribes to the judge, or attempt to hide the evidence! Who is responsible for transforming our rulers from hard-working human beings to reaching the peak of god-like power that is void of any mistakes? Their wrongdoings do not come to them regardless of whether they are in front of their very eyes or whispered about behind their backs. Not a single person dares to address, question, or even comment on them.

Who is responsible for the culture of veneration and praise? Our religion teaches us that we are God’s slaves, not his equals, and that we are not perfect. Statues of Gaddafi, Saddam, Hafez al-Assad, and Mubarak were all-consuming in their countries during their rule. Meanwhile, they forgot that they were once revolutionaries and at God’s mercy when their feet stepped onto the path of the Republican Palace. All of that was forgotten once assuming power, and they began issuing edicts as if they were immortal.

The winds are threatening to continue blowing these revolts even after their successes. Without guarantees and laws of a constitutional court, their freshly appointed rulers will be doomed to their predecessors faults. The glow of greatness will consume them and their relatives, close friends, and cronies will be on the receiving end of the most prominent positions and rights to the nation’s assets. Such is the hegemonic tyranny that has paralyzed countries in the region and turned its inhabitants into followers and means to an end. At that very time, the ruling believes its own rhetoric, screaming, “these are my people, my country, my money, and my government! I am in charge of their allocation, and I am the divine power for these people who are my subjects.”

National responsibility is vested in jurists, academics, and scholars as they lead the way toward understanding the country’s mind and conscience. They must come together to defend, educate, and bring awareness. It is up to them to prevent their principles from becoming extinct rather than being withdrawn and absent from action.

Formerly, it was the clergy who were tasked with facing dictators, revealing the corruption and erosion of greed and lies. Presently, the role is played by lawyers, university professors, journalists, writers, and bloggers. They are the ones who are left with the duty of presenting and protecting the nation’s conscience and spirit. Because the parliaments and people’s councils are a reflection of their rulers, they transform and adapt with the regime’s interests. Therefore, parliaments are a reflected on their ruler. If the ruler is liberal, then the parliament enjoys the same freedom. If the ruler is a fascist, then his mad shadow is reflected on boards of parliament.

Protecting the constitution from tampering and changing, and demanding its implementation and application is the responsibility of the enlightened elite of the people. Whoever remains quiet and helps to forge and breach the constitution is accountable for that. This is serious and uncompromising. We have seen its consequences, and how it has starved millions of people, squandered their dignity, and dashed the will and the wealth of the nation.

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