Saudis patition crown prince Abdullah for a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary elections
Saudi Arabia, Politics, 12/19/2003

A group of 116 Saudi Arabian businessmen, intellectuals, university professors and scholars, leaders of civil societies and constitutional reforms announced a "national appeal for constitutional reform" to Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz dated December 16, 2003.

They urged the Crown Prince Abdullah to take stronger and faster practical steps towards a constitutional system, to be coupled with support for the efforts made by sides concerned to disseminate the culture of peaceful reform, which they considered as the best preventive treatment for the society from catastrophe and calamities, where violence is only one of its consequences.

They also considered that this contribution by them is just an integral part of their loyalty and solidarity to the leadership in challenging internal dangers.

The petition contained the following demands and suggestions:

First: they condemns all forms and sources of violence, internal and external be it the violence of states, and governments, or violence of individuals and groups, and consider that the violence of groups is a compound matter that needs deep analysis;

Second: they consider through the social and political analysis of the homeland present, past, and future, that the society was deprived of its natural right to free and responsible expression of its views and its freedom which is the lung for its breathe which was margined. The homeland was also deprived from its natural right to participate with the authority, in decision making relating to their interests and own fate and destiny.

Under the rule of the late King Abdul Aziz, God bless his soul, there were small forms of people's participation that gave a great deal of Shoura in the government's decision and some balance between the authority and the public opinion. However, since 50 years, all these old simple forms were eliminated gradually, until they were demolished, and above all these things, the state did not permit the establishment of any groupings for a new civil society.

Third: alienating the society from participation, resulted in numerous negatives, when it obstructs the concept of Shoura, and therefore the balance of justice and equality was violated, and this imbalance resulted in various corruptions and imbalance in the distribution of resources between areas and individuals, and an increased unemployment, a discrepancy in the economy, a waste in the public funds, and numerous negatives in the fields of learning and education, health services, that all brought the country to a bottleneck, and exposed the homeland to greater risks, where violence is but one of its consequences.

Fourth: the atmosphere of openness for people's participation, especially the freedom of responsible expression, is the natural soil for the growth of modernity in actions and ideas, and the incubator which permits the dissemination of an original religious address which is characterized of modernity, when it is re-established in lines of the principles of the holy Koran and the Sunni Jurisprudence; because Islam is together a spiritual and civil project. We can not practical "say no to violence" unless we say: "yes for people's participation and the peaceful civilian expressions."

Fifth: Any reform without building the country of establishments that ensures people's participation will be quickly demolished. People's participation can be envisaged and crystallized through finding out a constitutional system .. (calling for) First: the first part of the address to the leadership: Demanding the political leadership to start immediately pursuing the road of constitutional reforms which is the path of correct development and power; approving public freedoms and rights to citizens already approved by Islam 14 centuries ago .. including cultural, economic, social and political freedoms regardless to their various regions, sects, ethnic groups and social strata; electing a council for people's representatives; implementing the principle of separation between the three executive, parliamentary and judicial authorities; relentless efforts to enhance judiciary independency through measures ensuring its independence and neutrality and effectiveness, and deciding the establishment of aggregations for the civil society of cultural, economic, vocational, social and political institutions of trade unions, civil societies and groups and not violating people's rights to gather and peaceful demonstration.

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