The vision of a new Arab president

Tunisian President Muncef al-Marzouqi is the only Arab intellectual who reached presidency, something that he never imagined to happen. He wrote philosophizing about wise ruling, only eight weeks after reaching the presidency. He tackled the problems of democracy in the Arab world, concluding that there will be no wise ruling without mature minds of the nation. This brings us back to the non-ending argument over whether the culture of democracy is the main base, or the democratic ruler as the horse to lead the nation to democracy. Marzouqi believes that one of the main problems of democracy for Arabs is that it is an imported system, since the Arabs failed along their history to invent or apply a similar system. Accordingly, we are facing an attempt of nationalizing the Western democracy and emplaning it in the Arab soil. He said: For most Arabs, nationalization means applying a ready-made recipe including its four main ingredients; namely individual freedom, public freedom, independence of judiciary system and free elections. Through this mechanism some people hope to have a stable political system, that would ensure wise ruling. Now, Marzouqi with his two contradictory characters - an intellectual critic and president - could view his world from the top. Is it possible that the ballot box could reflect the people’s desires? Is the state, as he advocates, capable of achieving social justice? Does free expression in mass media and parliament capable of meeting the demands of the majority? After only two months of becoming president in Tunisia, Marzouqi seems despairing. He thinks that the elected state does not have all the tools of authority. The elected state does not manage either media; the market, the army nor the intelligence. Accordingly, democracy through its three branches –legislative, judiciary and executive – is still not enough. Contrary to what he is preaching, we are all aware that if an elected state controls media and economy, it will turn into a tyrannical regime. The problem he is facing lies in the public awareness of how practice democracy. Enlightenment is the problem and the solution. Effective media and free economy need literate society. Freedom succeed less with minimum literacy – as the Arab communities – is that they turn into atrocious authorities that curb freedoms, such as mass media and parliament. Without granting immunity to freedoms, democracy is meaningless and would probably turn into a dictatorship of the ignorant majority. This is Egypt’s current problem, as well as Tunisia’s but in a lesser degree. Lawmakers and representatives of the nation are calling for more restrictions. Media, on the other hand, which are supposed to be the voice of freedom, are chasing those who break the restrictions. Due to the difficult start, an intellectual in the Arab newly democratic communities might reach a moment in which he bemoans a tyrannical presidential regime. This is a conclusion reached by Marzouqi himself, who is one of the most prominent Arab supporters of democracy: “What is even worse, is that such argument will remind the people that they protested against tyranny only when they lost hope in achieving their aspirations of development and social justice. They might protest again tomorrow against democracy for the same reason.” The solution is mainly cultural, not only elections. Some intellectuals, not only illiterate, are ignorant of the meaning of democracy, which means the battle ahead of us is a long one.