Reforming laws governing political parties and elections is likely
to lead to the formation of new political parties as more people become
politically active and want to engage in the political system. However, real
political change does not necessarily require new parties. In Jordan, right
now, it is more important to encourage national harmony, political inclusion,
and reconciliation. As such, the process of political activism should be based
on a national narrative that engages people, including the political opposition,
to take seriously the role that parties play in a healthy society.
اضافة اعلان
While the path to politics is through political parties, it is also
true that strong political parties come from political activism, common interests,
and a shared vision of how to engage in public policy. So, expecting change
from political parties is logical, but only when parties reflect their members’
vision and address their problems with workable solutions.
As such, repeating the mistakes of fixed platforms, rigid historic
ideological groups or even naive political structures will never lead to the
change that society needs and will never encourage people to be protagonists
for change rather than just negative, marginalized citizens.
There is no doubt that in these difficult times, the country is
facing multidimensional challenges. The crisis is not limited to economic challenges,
but it is also a crisis of governance, reshaping the concept of the role of the
state. However, one of the most serious problems is the lack of new political
leaders or even new people on the political scene, despite a large youth
population that is highly educated and engaged. They are rather denied their
legitimate role in building their society. This marginalization was one of the
reasons for the expanding gap between public policies and people’s
expectations, as well as the for the negative perceptions of some of the so-called
political elite.
It is important to remember that any successful plan requires a
comprehensive understanding of the purpose of change, and the real objective
that this process aims to achieve. Inclusion of youth in the political scene is
necessary, but this can never happen without a phase of political activism, greater
freedom of thought and expression, and emancipation of liberties, which enable young
leaders to play a role and change to happen.
Moreover, this can never succeed without a clear long-term vision,
strong decision making and the determination to implement and learn along the
way to achieve those outcomes.
The change needs courage and understanding of the changes the
Jordanian society is witnessing. Without changing the mentality and the approach
to political change, we change nothing.
The writer is a Jordanian university professor and geopolitical expert. He is a leading columnist in national, regional, and international media, offers consultancies to think tanks and speaks at international conferences on Middle East politics and developments.
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