The One about the Saudi Elections

Dear friends,

I have been following intensely the elections procedure held here in Saudi Arabia. These elections are historic, and for the first time, people could nominate themselves, and vote. However, the one glaring obvious thing is that women are not allowed to vote.

The official policy had to change "citizens can vote" to "men can vote" to steer clear of the confusion if women could vote or not. What was even more devastating was when the government announced that the "male prisoners" can also vote! I was outraged.

Many countries don't even allow for prisoners to vote, because they see prisoners as people who have lost some of their rights as citizens for the crime they committed. Yet, here in Saudi Arabia, male prisoners are given the right to vote. If I were a Saudi women, I would have been terribly upset. Society upholds male prisoners on a higher pedestal than women here. And they talk about women's equality and the better treatment they give to women than they do in the West!

Of recent there have been two journalists here in Arab News who have been discussing the pros and cons of women voting. One of them, Raid Qusti, was dead against women voting, citing that the country is not ready to have women vote (his reasons are illogical and dumb)! The other journalist, Abeer Mishkhas, writes more sensibly, and poses some great questions, and mentions the pros of having women voters. She was also upset at the fact that the male prisoners have been given the privilege to vote, whereas women have been barred.

I can only hope and pray that the women in this country get their chance to do all that the male population have been doing for so long is vote, drive and work in businesses!

Take care,

Mansur
PS if interested, check out www.arabnews.com for regular news on Saudi Arabia