27 January 2011 By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid Former Arab leaders who can peacefully walk the
streets of the country they once ruled are something
of a rarity. In fact, there are very few former Arab
leaders around today. Everyone highlights the example
of [Abdel Rahman] Swar al-Dahab, who ruled Sudan for
less than one year [1985-86], before voluntarily
handing power over to his successor, and returning to
his normal life. It is true that al-Dahab is an
exception to my earlier statement, but we should not
also forget that he came to power via a military coup.
The crisis for an Arab president in power is that
he knows the only way he can leave power peacefully is
to the grave. Historically speaking, a leader would
know after his election, or coup, that he would not
leave the presidential palace on the red carpet which
he used to enter it. The story of Tunisia's ousted
leader Ben Ali is none other than the traditional
outcome for all those who have left the presidency
alive. Without doubt, it is these leaders that are
responsible for their tragic ends, which they
willingly drove themselves towards, whilst bringing
chaos to their people. They were preoccupied with
cementing their rule, rather than establishing a
regime in which power could be transferred peacefully.
In the Arab sphere, the position of ‘ruler' is the
most dangerous of all professions, even if the ruler
conducts himself within a legal framework. For
instance, even after Rafik Hariri resigned, whilst in
his second term as Prime Minister, the then President
of the Republic, Emil Lahud, who disagreed with Hariri,
was not content with this forced resignation. Lahud
tightened the constraints on Hariri's daily life,
arrested three of his ministers, and prevented the
former Prime Minister's car from accessing the
airport. Of course, in the end, Rafik Hariri was
murdered. It seems that Lebanon is a country at war,
regardless of what is said about peace agreements
being signed, and the daily manifestations of civil
peace. For another example, let us consider Sadiq al-Mahdi,
Sudan's former Prime Minister, who was elected by a
majority, and ruled his country for three years. His
rivals, whom al-Mahdi defeated in the election, turned
against him with the assistance of the army. He was
arrested and held in Kober Prison, despite the fact
that he was a man of peace. This is the nature of our
cruel regimes that do not allow even the smallest
margin of freedom for their opponents, nor do they
respect [their leaders] when they leave power. Since 1949, when the Syrian Husni al-Zaim initiated
an era of successful Arab coups, the typical Arab
presidency has resembled a race for wild horses;
dangerous to ride, difficult to stay on board, and
extremely risky to depart safely. Contrary to this,
let us consider institutional systems. For example,
regarding the 300 year-old Westminster regime in
Britain, Tony Blair was defeated in an electoral vote,
and returned home to his children. Jimmy Carter, who
relinquished the U.S. Presidency 30 years ago, now
lives an extremely active life, both politically and
socially, and is saluted by whoever he meets, not out
of protocol or obligation, but out of true admiration.
Such a scenario is unknown in our region… for an
Arab President to leave his palace and return home
peacefully and unharmed, to live a dignified life
amongst his children and friends is a distant dream in
light of our Arab regimes. Such regimes do not respect
legitimacy; neither do they respect the ruler when he
assumes power nor when he relinquishes it. In fact,
legitimacy is ‘created' by fraudulent elections, and
thus the security apparatus is strengthened in order
to protect this false legitimacy. It is for this
reason that [once in power] the opposition seeks
revenge blindly, and fails to respect the same system
which it originally called for. Subsequently, they are
succeeded by others who then seek to oppress their
predecessors, and so on. Because the ruler himself
does not respect the system, neither does his
populace. The ruler's closest associates, who had long
praised him, ultimately go on to desert him, and he is
arrested by the same officers who one day saluted him.
This is the price of the individual regime, rather
than the institutional system, which is based upon
legal principles respected by both sides. Al Rashed is the general manager of Al -Arabiya television. He is also the
former editor-in-chief of Asharq Al- Awsat, and the leading Arabic weekly
magazine, Al Majalla. He is also a senior Columnist in the daily newspapers of
Al Madina and Al Bilad. He is a US post-graduate degree in mass communications.
He has been a guest on many TV current affairs programs. He is currently based
in Dubai.
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