Over 10,000 school pupils in Gaza voted for the city’s children’s council as part of a joint project of the Gaza municipality and the UNICEF organization, the Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam reported.
Mayor of Gaza Na’sri Khiyal who met this week with some of the members of the children’s council, spoke highly of the democratic elections project and assured that the municipality will assist the elected council and promote the development of democratic values. He also stated that one should encourage the collective responsibility of the residents for their fate, even from an early age and let them participate in establishing priorities and solving their problems.
This project in the Palestinian Authority (PA) is taking place while the PA is being attacked from all directions on account of its widespread corruption and Arafat’s consolidation and protection of personal power. A conference held recently in London discussed the precise need of the PA for reforms in various fields, such as the promotion of democratization.
While such projects are indeed important for the promotion of democratization, it is impossible to detach them from the surroundings in which the Palestinian children are brought up. Parades and demonstrations in support of Arafat, usually organized by the PA itself, alongside songs and television broadcasts praising the chairman, all create an apparent impression that all the power and authority is centered in one person. Even the children feel this atmosphere despite their inexperience in the world of politics.
It seems that the municipality in Gaza is not treating the subject lightly. It sent the mayor, the director of the municipality, two council members and two heads of departments to meet with representatives of the children’s council.
In any case, it is still too early to tell whether this is a genuine step towards democratization, or just an esoteric newspaper item.