Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi
THE old man guarding the gate of Al-Khartoum University, in Sudan, was reading an English newspaper. He came from a glorious past, when, under British administration, most Sudanese were taught well in public and private schools — in English as well as Arabic.
His son’s schooling, however, was after independence. The national government didn’t pay much attention to his education so he cannot read good Arabic, let alone English.
A senior lawyer told me that in the good old days, lawyers used to wear suits and appear in their best looks in glorious court buildings.
Today, they could come in the same dress they slept with, and the court halls had not been maintained since the British left.
The many governments that followed had not added much to the country’s infrastructure. During the first half of the twentieth century, Sudan had a civilized society.
Its press was free, its intellectuals were productive, and its culture was higher than most Arab countries. The railway system was among the best in the world.
Today, much of that glory is gone. The infrastructure lasted for ages. Until recent years, no new roads were built, the railway system just rotted away, and airports, ports and river transport are among the worst in the world.
In Aden, I visited Al-Jamhoria hospital. It was built in the fifties and Queen Elizabeth attended the opening ceremony.
Those who changed the name never cared to improve the place. The same X-ray scanners and operation rooms’ equipment are used today.
Around the city, the best buildings are the ones built in colonization era. Then, Aden was a jewel in the British crown.
Its port was a major hub for shipping lanes between East and West. Ships from India and other British colonies would stop in their way to and from Europe across the Suez canal.
It had a modern airport that was the best in Arabia. Its democratic and educational culture put it on an equal par with top Arab metropolis, such as Cairo, Baghdad, Damascus and Beirut.
Similarly, those cities have seen their best days, then. The British, Italian and French improved the cities they ruled. Colonization may have a bad name, but truth be told, Arab peoples had better experience then than now.
Revolutions replaced sophisticated foreign administrations with corrupt local ones. Patriotism was used and abused by the revolutionaries to give them ruling power over the rest of us.
There were times when Syrians, Sudanese and Egyptians were treated like sheikhs in the Arabian Gulf region. They came loaded with knowledge, culture and prestige.
Most of them were professionals in every modern field. Their doctors, engineers and teachers helped us learn, train and develop. Their media were way ahead of ours.
We would go to their countries like we go to Europe or America, today, seeking better education, healthcare and lifestyle.
Then, came the “free” officers to liberate Arab peoples from direct and indirect colonization. Egypt, Syria and Iraq had national elected governments, but the British and French had a say.
Yemen, Somalia and Bahrain were British, Italian and French colonies. We were promised better life and brighter future — liberated, we would return Arab land to its historical glory.
Fifty years later, we are behind even these times. Looking at what revolutionary Arab administrations had brought us, we see aging cities that have lost their beauty, energy and culture.
Except for the Arabian Gulf states, that were lucky enough to be given independence in good will, Arab countries that followed revolutionary paths are nostalgic now of the good old days.
Aden, Damascus, Algiers, Mogadishu, Tripoli, Khartoum, even Cairo, are not better off now than they were under pre-revolutionary regimes.
Countries in which power was smoothly transferred from colonizers to civil, bureaucratic governments, like Bahrain, Tunis, Jordan and Morocco fared much better.
Soldiers better stay at barracks, borders and battlefields. They have no business running governments. We lost when we allowed officers to rule most of our countries.
They served their best interests, not ours, using every popular cause to stay on longer, and keep our mouths shut. Liberating Palestine was their best excuse.
half a century later, we lost more to Israel than the British had given them. Meanwhile, our position in the civilization map is behind many countries that were behind us.
Singapore, today, is far more prosperous, sophisticated and productive than most of Arab military-ruled countries combined.
As our world is remade After Arab Spring, with people revolutions (not military coups), we need to make sure that past mistakes are not repeated.
Whatever system of government we choose — in Syria, Yemen and Libya, for instance — should be civil only. General and officers must not be allowed to rule again.
Otherwise, we would better be occupied again. Ask Comoros Islands. Those stayed under occupation are protesting now the French independence promise.
They don’t want to end up like their brethren whose freedom meant free fall to misery. No more military and police rule for the Arab World … No more!
— Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi is a Saudi writer based in Jeddah. He can be reached at kbatarfi@gmail.com. Follow him at Twitter:@kbatarfi
