Unclear future for FNC as its term runs out

National council members await information on when, or whether, new elections will be held.

ABU DHABI // A month from now the term of the Federal National Council (FNC) will end, and with no new elections in sight, members say they do not know what happens next.

"Until now, there is no clarity," Dr Sultan al Muazzin, an elected member from Fujairah, said. "The issue is in the hands of the Government."

Dr Abdul Raheem al Shaheen, an elected member from Ras al Khaimah, said: "There is no information, and we don't know why, There is no indication saying there will be elections, and there is no indication saying there won't be elections."

Half of the FNC's 40 members were elected by an electoral caucus of about 7,000 Emiratis, who were picked by the rulers of the seven emirates. The other half are appointed directly by the rulers themselves. Members of the half-elected legislature said they had received no information from the Government on when, if any, new elections might occur.

"My opinion is that the UAE has taken a step and it must continue," said Dr al Shaheen. "Aborting the first experience and not building up on it is not to the benefit of the practice of democracy in the UAE."

Concerns about what happens once the FNC's term ends on February 12 foreshadow a wider debate among members over what powers should be entrusted to the council and what reforms should be instituted as part of any new election process.

Abdulaziz al Ghurair, the speaker of the FNC, called for clarity in the election process in his opening address when the council reconvened in October. A "clear and defined programme for the development of the election experience" is key to the development of the UAE politically, he said stressed.

The broad contours of reforms demanded by FNC members are common, such as for elections to be codified in legislation that would govern the entire process, as well for the electoral base to be broadened.

Ali Jassim, one of the deputy speakers of the FNC, has called for the UAE to lower the voting age to 18 and set up a fund that would finance election campaigns.

Dr Sultan al Muazzin, a member from Fujairah called for "an election law that organises the election process and is known to all", and for members to be chosen based on more stringent requirements, like a university degree.

But some members believe calls for a broader electoral base are hampered by a lack of political awareness among the public.

Dr al Muazzin said: "Election culture is not present in Emirati society. What is the meaning of elections? Who should you vote for? Why pick this person, and can he carry out his election programme?

"For most of us who were elected, it wasn't the election programme," he said. "It was because of social status and personal engagement with the voters." Most Emiratis did not know what the FNC was, or what it did, he added.

Dr al Shaheen disagreed, and called for universal suffrage in future FNC elections. The people of the UAE are poised for greater political participation, he said, likening the experience of democracy to swimming.

"You cannot learn it without practising it. We are talking about the UAE now as an advanced country in economics, culture, arts, sports and a lot of other fields.

"Why should we be advanced in certain fields but backwards politically?"

Dr al Shaheen said he hoped everyone in the UAE who fulfilled the requirements would be able to participate in general elections.

"My other wish is for a review of the FNC's powers, to give it real oversight, legislative and political powers so it can hold the Government to account," he said. This would allow people to properly judge the FNC, which has only functioned in an advisory capacity.

Some FNC members and other experts argue that contentious parliaments in the region, notably in Kuwait, where parliamentary obstruction is blamed for stalling development plans, have turned off many UAE citizens from wanting an empowered parliament.

Dr al Muazzin said: "In other parliaments there are tensions and political parties, and this is not acceptable. Most of the services are available and the regular citizen says, 'I don't need a parliament.'"

Dr al Muazzin, along with some members, believes in the gradual empowerment of the FNC, which currently has the right to amend, but not initiate, legislation. They argue that many of the members still lack the acumen to be effective legislators.

But Dr al Shaheen said a parliament in the UAE was necessary: "If countries can advance and improve their services without a parliament, I think other countries would have abolished their parliaments a long time ago."