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Reform is a crying need for the Palestine Authority

Harun ur Rashid
***Palestinian people have been dealt a very rough hands in their lives under Israeli rule. If they want to get rid of Israeli occupation, many believe that the only way to get out of the vicious situation is to hold elections in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip so that power is restored to Palestinian people. This may cause chain events both inside and outside the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, leading them to real freedom after more than 50 years of distress and suffering.***
CHAIRMAN Yasser Arafat faces a "brave new world" in the West Bank after his release from Ramallah headquarters. The shattered windows of blown-out businesses in the commercial districts and broken cars and rubble on the streets of the West Bank are testimony to the fact that Palestinians have been through a man-made earthquake. The declaration of a senior UN envoy that Israel "has lost all moral ground" in its military campaign against the Palestinian militants demonstrated the savagery of Israeli military assault in April.
Although the Israeli soldiers have gone now there is a fear that they may come back again and the Israeli tanks are in sight from Palestinian homes. There is a growing realisation among Palestinians that they need not only to re-build their lives from ruins but also to ensure that its institutions are being reformed to meet their needs on democratic principles. The United States urged strongly for reforms to
be carried out in the Palestinian institutions. It is well understood that reforms cannot be imposed from outside and it must emanate from Palestinians themselves.
There is another twist in demands of reforms. When Israeli Prime Minister asked for reforms he meant a Palestine Authority to repel suicide bombers more effectively and to end the political role of Yasser Arafat. Israel's main theme is to marginalise Yasser Arafat from any future negotiations. On the other hand, Palestinians see reform in another sense. They want to be empowered politically and economically. Only way to ensure political power among people is to hold free and fair elections in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian leader Arafat has realised that something needs to be
done. On 15th May, in his address to his legislators he held out a promise of reform in the Palestine Authority, acknowledging he had made mistakes but vague on how to bring change. His exact words were: " We have to rectify the mistakes; we have to reform, we have to look into all aspects of our lives, to rebuild our political system on a sound foundation".
Mr. Arafat, whose popularity grew among his people during the 34 days Israeli forces confined him to his Ramallah offices, has been now under heavy criticism for the controversial deals that ended Israel's siege of his headquarters and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem that sent 13 suspected Palestinian militants into exile in Cyprus and another six into jail in Jericho where they are being moni-
tored by British and American guards. Ordinary Palestine people perceive this deal as an exchange for Arafat's freedom to move in the West Bank. Simply put, Arafat has sacrificed 19 Palestinians for his freedom.
Under Israeli military rule since 1967, free and fair local elections were virtually unknown in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The Israelis put people in position of authority who did not support the Palestinian cause. When Yasser Arafat gained control of areas of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip under the 1993 Oslo Peace Accord, it is alleged that Arafat appointed his favourites as mayors and governors instead of holding elections. Arafat's excuse was that he could not hold elections because Israel was holding on to areas of the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip. He argued in the past that new elections would not be held because the existing Palestinian Legislative Council was meant only to be the forerunner of a Parliament under an independent state yet to be established.
Many Palestinians were not impressed with Arafat's arguments and considered the claims as excuses for Arafat to avoid a democratic process. Furthermore Arafat was being criticised for widespread corruption in his administration. They cited that Ms. Hanan Ashrawi left the cabinet a few years ago for lack of transparency in his administration.
Many Palestinians believe that if they can establish an attractive model of a state including free and fair elections, a proper and sound constitution, a democratic system, a strong and impartial judicial system that can increase global support for a Palestine state and convince people outside that Palestinians know how to run a state and therefore deserve a state.
Palestinian people have been dealt a very rough hands in their lives under Israeli rule. If they want to get rid of Israeli occupation, many believe that the only way to get out of the vicious situation is to hold elections in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip so that power is restored to Palestinian people. This may cause chain events both inside and outside the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, leading them to real freedom after more than 50 years of distress and suffering.
The question remains: will Yasser Arafat be brave enough to hold free and fair elections in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip ?
Barrister Harun ur Rashid is a former Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN, Geneva.