The United States finds itself treading on a dangerous path by supporting authoritarian regimes in the Middle East region, a senior member of the US Congress told journalists in Manama.
“Many of the US allies do not have democracy but believe in totalitarian rule and in such cases US administration finds itself treading on the dangerous path,” US Congressman Eni Faleomavaega told media while answering a question about the Arab Spring in the Middle East.
Congressman Faleomavaega was quick to quote example of United States’ one of the longest allies former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and said he ruled the country by using oppressive means and not democracy.
“Freedom of press and other liberties were usurped by such regimes and starting from Tunisia people have stood up against these oppressive regimes,” Congressman Faleomavaega said, who was joined by two his other colleagues Donald M Payne and Lynn Woolsey during the Bahrain American Council dinner in Manama.
He cautioned that to achieve democracy was a very difficult affair for any nation as it took 150 years to the US to reap the fruits of democracy today. “US doesn’t want to impose its own democracy on any of its allies as every country has a different requirements to serve its people,” he said, while referring to ongoing uncalled for protests in Bahrain.
Similarly, he said, apart from this region the Central Asian States which had been under the USSR for over 100 years would not yearn for a readymade democracy recipe but they need to go through the process of achieving the actual democracy, a gigantic step away from colonialism.
Congressman Donald M Payne urged all stakeholders in Bahrain to keep the door of dialogue open to achieve a real democracy through consensus.
Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, also urged all parties to keep on talking on all issues through democratic way.
For Bahrain, she suggested, democracy can’t be achieved in Bahrain by resorting to violence and blocking roads.
All three visiting members of the US congress defended the right of Bahrain to choose the type of democracy that best serves the interests of its people.
“We don’t want to impose our democracy on the region, for it needs a great deal of time to mature and take root”, they said, pointing out that peaceful means only make difference when it comes to voicing demands.
US Congressman Eni Faleomavaega said that he believed in the democracy which the wise leadership sees best for Bahrain.
He stressed the importance of promoting democracy by co-opting all people and institutions, instead of seeking to impose individual visions or resorting to non-peaceful means. Responding to a question on whether the US democracy suits the Arab World, he dismissed any intention on their part to impose their country’s democracy on the states in the region.
“Central Asian countries haven’t matured for democracy as they broke away from the now-defunct Soviet Union twenty years ago. Afro-Americans started casting ballots after 150 of bitter struggle, although the US constitution stipulates the right to vote for all citizens”, he said. Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey said that real democracy can’t be achieved through riots, road blocks, stressing that peaceful means mark tangible difference. US Congressman Donald Payne stressed vital US interests in the region.