Democratic Palestine : 22 (ص 9)
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- عنوان
- Democratic Palestine : 22 (ص 9)
- المحتوى
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for itself, one for the Student Unity
Bloc and one for the Progressive Stu-
dent Bloc. The Progressive Student
Action Front’s weight among Bir Zeit
students is actually sufficient to ask for
more representation in accordance with
proportional representation. However,
the Progressive Student Action Front
presented this formula in a Cesire to
protect unity in the field and renew the
experience of Bethlehem University
where all the nationalist student blocs
were guaranteed representation in the
student council.
This was clear to all. Still, the Stu-
dent Unity Bloc, which had a prior
bilateral agreement with the Student
Youth Bloc, proposed the following:
five seats for the Student Youth Bloc,
two for itself, one each for the Pro-
gressive Student Action Front and the
Progressive Student Bloc. This formula
contradicted the two agreed-upon
principles and moreover neglected the
true weight of the Progressive Student
Action Front. However, there was in-
sistence on this formula, forcing the
Progressive Student Action Front to
participate in the elections on an in-
dependent list. This would serve to
prove the real weight of the various
student forces, and expose to the stu-
dent movement the selfish methods and
considerations that dominate the con-
duct of some student blocs, contrary to
the demands of unity in the field and
proportional representation.
The voting results were as follows:
(1) the Martyrs of Maghdousheh list got
797 votes; (2) the Martyr Ghassan
Kanafani list got 471 votes; and the
Islamic list got 651 votes. With 42% of
the votes, the Maghdousheh list won all
the seats on the student council.
However, the results served to reveal
the real weight of the various student
blocs at Bir Zeit University. The Pro-
gressive Student Action Front gained
24% of the total vote, showing the in-
justice of the formula proposed by the
Student Unity Bloc, and how clearly it
contradicted the principle of propor-
tional representation.
LESSONS TO BE DRAWN
All Palestinian nationalist forces are
called on to draw the lessons of the Bir
Zeit elections in the interests of sup-
porting the nationalist student move-
ment in the occupied homeland, con-
solidating its unity and enhancing its
effectiveness in the unionist and na-
tional struggle against the policies of
the Zionist occupation and the Jorda-
nian regime. The main lessons are:
One: The necessity of practicing uni-
ty in the field which is called for in
theory by most democratic and na-
tionalist forces. In a situation that
demands utmost unified action to
defeat the enemy’s plans, it is not ac-
ceptable that an essential nationalist
force be deprived of active participa-
tion and representation.
Two: Failure to achieve unified ac-
tion has negative effects on the capacity
of the nationalist forces in confronting
the enemy plans. It creates gaps in the
Palestinian nationalist position, which
in turn leaves space for strengthening
the influence of reactionary, religious.
and suspicious elements. Last year -at
Bir Zeit University, the Islamic list ob-
tained 25% of the votes. This year it
received 34%. In the context of the
Israeli-Jordanian policy for promoting
such elements, the failure of the na-
tionalist forces to achieve full unity in
the field allowed for this increase in the
Islamic list’s votes.
Three: Cooperation among the
democratic forces is the cornerstone for
Palestinian national unity in the field.
Consolidating the cooperation among
the democratic forces requires that all-
organizations put aside ‘selfish con-
siderations and‘bias. This is needed in
the democratic forces’ battle against the:
right-wing deviationist trend in the
Palestinian arena, which tries to
monopolize the Palestinian union
movement. The Bir Zeit elections reveal
that cooperation among the democratic
student forces is weak, since some
forces put their own gains above the
interests of the democratic and pro-
gressive students as a whole.
Four: The Bir Zeit elections reaf-
firmed the need to struggle.consistently
for practicing the principle of propor-
tional.representation in the Palestinian
union movement, so that all parties can
be represented justly in a correct,
democratic manner.
Five: Insisting on false estimations of
the weight of other fotces only weakens
the credibility of those using this
method. It makes it impossible for the
nationalist forces to agree in the union
work. In contrast, adhering to the facts
and giving each force its due weight
would consolidate the practice of pro-
portional representation and national
unity in the field.
Six: The election results confirmed
that the Progressive Student Action
Front is a force to be reckoned with.
Running alone, it gained 24% of the
total votes. This is more than half the
number of votes gained by the three
nationalist student blocs together in the
Maghdousheh list. Its actual weight as
shown in the elections was more. than
the representation it had proposed for
itself in the interests of achieving: its
main goal of unity-in the field, putting
aside selfish considerations.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that
the Progressive Student Action Front
declared its wishes of success for the
newly elected student council, and its
readiness to put its weight in the service
of the nationalist student movement,
regardless of not being represented in
the council. - هو جزء من
- Democratic Palestine : 22
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