Eating the democratic crumbs from the Arab ruler's table

Previous leaders have benefited from circulated tales of personalised democracy, but Egypt's Mohamed Morsi won't be so lucky

Amro Ali
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 22 August 2012 05

"Saudi Arabia's revered King Faisal once remarked: "If anyone feels wrongly treated, he has only himself to blame for not telling me. What higher democracy can there be?"

This line of "reasoning" has permeated the thinking of Arab rulers in which somehow they are the personification of a popular mandate and that democratisation is misunderstood by the wider population.

Yet it's one thing when Arab rulers say it, it's another when the Arab public quotes and endorses it......

Last month, in a move unlike that of his predecessor, Mohamed Morsi opened the presidential palace doors to hear complaints by Egyptians. A great gesture no doubt that will let off some steam. But the Morsi-Mubarak contrast will eventually wear thin as people demand their human security. All 83 million of them.

There is a need to increase transparency by strengthening the separation of powers and institutions that will mutually reinforce each other, and by building civic groups that will provide the informal political education to society. Personalities, policies, procedures and the public go hand in hand.

No amount of storytelling will make up for the hard work of building a real democracy. In the satellite TV and social media era, it's going to be tougher for would-be leaders to get away with unwarranted legend-building. They are best to leave that to successive generations who will determine the practical legacy they left for their people, not what they said at the dinner table or over the phone."