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Topic Discussion III
Participation in
Democratic Decision-Making:
The Vital Voices of Women, Civil Society and
Pluralism
Room 3
(11 of 16 pages)
We are at this forum, and as far as we are concerned, there is a very important
issue related to civic education to help women to develop. I would like to put before this forum, these politicians
who must assist and help in training women and creating the necessary cadres in civic education. This is not only
related to a system, but should be based on an educational and cultural basis and how we can help and assist citizens
to face these challenges in a community with many religions and many ethnic groupings. This society which is composed
of the multiple ethnic groups and religions must have a special national program which would overcome all the obstacles
which divide between one society and the other.
Thank you.
Chair: Would you please repeat your question.
Speaker: This subject is a big one and I will take up the questions that were in the paper. I consider them
an organized entrance to take up this extensive subject. I believe that participation is determined by citizens
for different motives. The most important of them relates to emerging democracies or for any society. The most
important of these is a functional role for the practice of democracy in he life of a society. Thus, among the
most important domains for encouraging and promoting this activity is to radicalize the practice of democracy objectively
in the lives of people and establishing this role and this impact on the lives of people. And also to establish
this functional role for the practice of democracy in the minds and the awareness of people and then to establish
channels for organized institutional work that allows this role to be translated in practice. And finally to establish
conviction among citizens that they have the ability to make an impact on their lives through democratic participation.
Participation also takes place for other motives, among them motives related to the human orientation to contribute
and participate as a social duty and a national duty and to enhance the level of participation in the democratic
process to provide continuity and sustainability. This would all require defining the functional role of the practice
of democracy.
The next question is what are the foundations by which we create an equilibrium and a balance between the public
role and the requirement of a public discipline. I believe this requires that we establish a legal point of reference
and a constitutional point of reference for democratic practices and to establish these in the minds of people
and in reality and next to establish an institutional structure that would enable the possibility of practicing
democratic practices in all these frameworks. This requires that we establish a clear framework of reference for
all the rights and interests that society requires for the practice of democracy. And there should be a structure
and a mechanism for the practice of democracy that would take into consideration achieving this balance and equilibrium.
As for speaking of establishing particular paradigms, this depends on each case and the consistency and compatibility
of each case and the stage through which each experience is going. As for the participation of women, I believe
there are two sets of issues. The first has to do with habilitating women to take up this role and the second has
to do with the trends of work in order to develop the capacities of women to take up this role. And also we have
to address the motives that will encourage women to take up this role. All these can be nurtured in an integrated
manner, but I have no time to go into details. But what I want to say is that to manage the process of democratic
and social transitions in general should not be regarded as an ideological conflict. Democratic processes have
one of their most important functions in managing these transitions in a peaceful and constructive and effective
manner that would contain the process of transformation without undermining society or creating or driving society
into conflictual stances. We should not consider this confrontation as an ideological one. So if we have our points
of reference as we said before, and this is the case in application in the Republic of Yemen and it has helped
to entrench the process of building democracy and its mechanisms in Yemen, although we have weaknesses in the cultural
background and practice of democracy in Yemen.
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