This is the second of a series of blog posts on the forthcoming Palestinian elections from freelance journalist and blogger Laila el-Haddad, who lives in Gaza City. Laila's blog, Raising Yousuf, is named after her two-year-old son.
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Everyone's a national hero these days. At least you would think so if you were to glance over the kaleidoscope of campaign posters that have enveloped Gaza in the run-up to the legislative elections.
Take Fatah, the ruling party. It touts itself as the movement who brought to life the national struggle: ‘The first bullet, the first rock’. Or the Change and Reform List (Hamas). Their slogan is: ‘Building with one hand, battling with the other.’ Campaigning has become a battle of brawn. The frontrunners in the Palestinian elections are vying for voters with the dual - and potentially conflicting - promises of continuing the national struggle while nation-building and securing the streets.
On the margins are parties claiming to represent the ‘silent majority’ and the interests of ‘the little-guy’. You will hear them occasionally in emotional demonstrations near Gaza City's legislative council building - the voices of trades unions, unemployed graduates and disabled Palestinians.
Mostly, as members of a Gaza union did today, they march down the city streets, chanting: ‘Thieves, thieves, you're all thieves’ in reference to the ruling party. A government official approaches their representative, promises to listen to their concerns ‘in an appropriate manner’, perhaps offers them some compensation for their grievances, and slowly they disperse.
Perhaps in an attempt to convey an image of transparency and accessibility to counter its tarnished reputation, Fatah has set up a toll-free hotline, which they've advertised in the daily papers as promising ‘an answer to every question’. I decided to give it a call.
‘How do you propose to combat corruption and keep the streets safe?’ I asked, concerned as any good citizen should be.
‘What a beautiful question,’ replied an enthusiastic young man on the other end of the line.
‘Here at Fatah, we don't deny we made mistakes. We all make mistakes. But we're bringing in new faces. The wrongs can be rectified. Our election programme is well-known, we want to protect pluralism. And as a sign that democracy is thriving, remember that Mahmoud Abbas only won by 62%, not 99% like in some countries, right? Also, freedom for all Palestinian prisoners is not just a slogan for us. It's one of our top priorities. I'm sure you have relatives in Israeli jails … ‘
‘Err, and the lawlessness?’ I repeat, machine gun fire audible in the distance.
‘Sure, sure … chaos and weapons and the rule of law. Well, as you know, they were on Abu Mazen's list of priorities when he ran for president. These aren't just words, we mean it. Now tell me. who are you voting for?’
‘I haven't made up my mind yet.’
‘How can you not have made up your mind? There's no time left! Isn't the decision obvious?
[Silence, as I contemplate the potential for outsourcing call centres to Gaza]
‘Wait wait, don't hang up. Let me tell you about corruption. If a mischievous boy is alone in his house he is bound to wreak havoc, but if his brothers are there with him they will put him in his place. That's how we view the parliament. All of the parties have some corruption in them. We want to include the whole family in the decision-making process.
[More silence]
‘We've been part of the struggle for liberation for 40 years now! We shouldn't take the actions of a few people to represent all of the party. So we have a few rotten apples.’
‘I really have to go now. But thank you for taking my call.’
‘Please, please. Call again with any questions, and we promise to provide an answer.’
The truth is, of course, that there are no easy answers, but here in Gaza at least half of the people seem to feel 10 years is a long enough period for Fatah to have been given to the least try to provide some.
Palestinians seem more afraid of the consequences of a Fatah-dominated parliament than a Hamas-dominated one, despite the threats and concerns voiced by western administrations.
‘We need new faces,’ one taxi driver told me. ‘I won't lie to you. I'm a die-hard Fatah supporter, but let's not kid ourselves. All the catastrophes are coming from them: the corruption, the lawlessness, the in-fighting. The way I see it is, why not give someone else a chance?’