During a roundtable media discussion with British journalists last week in London, one commented that municipal elections in Saudi Arabia were only a miniscule step towards democracy. He observed that other countries, such as Afghanistan and Iraq, were actually holding presidential elections, which signified political maturity and the drastic changes taking place in those countries.

For my part, I said that no matter how small the step, I think it matters to every Saudi. Our problem, however, is not in what kind of elections we have but rather that we simply have no idea of what elections are or are supposed to accomplish. The entire political concept is very hazy here; people have different ideas about elections, most of them acquired from reading about other countries’ experiences or watching TV coverage of other countries’ elections. I suggested that this lack of awareness was an important factor in low voter turnout in Riyadh.

We expect Jeddah’s experience to be different, considering the cosmopolitan nature of the city. Nonetheless, after almost two weeks of being open for voter registration in the Western Province, up to yesterday, the centers had only registered 29,252 out of an estimated 500,000 eligible voters.

Newspapers have compared that small number to the 4.8 million Saudis who rushed to buy stock in the new Al-Bilad Bank. Some suggested locating registration centers near banks and stadiums so that it would be convenient for people who visited them to register to vote. Arab News carried an amusing item about an old man who went into a registration center thinking he was buying bank stock. When he learned that he wasn’t buying stock, he was very disappointed. The staff at the center suggested he register to vote but he refused to do so.

In all seriousness, why are people turning their backs on these elections? Why do they rush to buy shares, go to football matches and, strangely enough, even participate as voters on TV competitions such as Star Academy? Some said that in these cases people see the actual and immediate benefit of participation; they don’t have to wait to see its effectiveness.

In a comment in a local paper, a sociologist said that political awareness was not yet here. He’s right. We do not have the background nor the experience that comes with a long period of sustained political activity or even from a short period of political activity.

While I acknowledge our shortcomings, I also think that since people lack this knowledge and experience, shouldn’t officials launch a campaign to create awareness? All the posters we see in the streets everywhere asking people to register are simply not enough. Concentrated campaigns, involving explanations, should have begun months ago.

People who actually go to register are usually shocked by the low turnout; one voter in Makkah wrote in a chat room that he could not believe it when he saw the empty centers; he was urging people to take advantage of the new experience and exercise their rights.

Other reasons for the lack of interest are the natural skepticism about the effectiveness and seriousness of the procedure. Negative responses seem to be fed by reports that some candidates outside Jeddah did not really seem to understand what they were doing. A newspaper reported that in the Eastern Province some candidates copied their opponent’s platforms, that they did not have a clue what they were doing and that they were in it only to show off and gain from it personally.

In Jeddah, when one of the candidates was interviewed by a local paper, he didn’t seem to have a clear idea of what he could offer the public, yet insisted he should be elected. Such instances may well justify the public’s low expectations. The point remains — and cannot be made strongly enough — that people should give it a try. Instead of wasting our efforts and energy on negative feelings and arguments, we should embrace this step toward change.

How else can we know if it is worth it or not? If men stay home saying that there is no use in voting, then I suggest we give up on any development in our lives and our country!

It is strange that women are so passionate about change and taking part in building society whereas men, who hold all the cards by default, refuse to exercise their new right.

Last week in a press briefing, Saudi Foreign Affairs Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said that in many cases, the government’s designs for change are stifled by public resistance. One hopes that our people begin looking around them, see how the world is changing and decide they want to catch up with the rest of the world.