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Politics : World Affairs Discussion -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (174)	7/10/2002 4:39:18 PM
From: ChinuSFO	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3959

Palestinians Want Reform Now, Poll Shows By Julie Stahl Jerusalem Bureau Chief July 10, 2002 www.CNSNews.com - Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - A large majority of Palestinian leaders and heads of civic organizations believe that the time has come to carry out reforms in the Palestinian Authority, according to a new poll released on Wednesday.Dr. Nabil Kukali, president of the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion in Bethlehem, conducted the survey of 150 Palestinian leaders and heads of civic organizations who were chosen at random.According to Kukali, the most significant finding is that more than 66 percent of the respondents "believe that the new Palestinian cabinet does not fulfill the aspirations of the Palestinian people."Under intensive international pressure, Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat has instituted a 100-day plan of reform, reduced the number of ministers in the PA by one-third and reshuffled his cabinet. But Palestinians appear to be calling for further reforms, the poll shows.Some 68 percent of those polled said they believe "it is about time to carry out reformation in the PA," Kukali said."The majority believe there should be change and reformation," he said in a telephone interview. "The people are asking for reformation."In line with those thoughts, more than 58 percent support the holding of legislative elections. A majority, 59.4 percent, said they do not trust the current ministers, while 54.3 percent said they don't trust the Palestinian police.Another important finding of the poll, Kukali said, was that Palestinians believe their democracy is still in its earliest stage - not even as advanced as poll respondents had indicated a year ago.Kukali said that democracy was not defined for purposes of the poll. But in another question, respondents were asked to rate a list of the most important indicators for democracy.More than 37 percent said the most important indicator is the "rule of law," followed by the PA's respect for human rights (11.3 percent); freedom of expression (10.5 percent); freedom to criticize the PA and President Arafat (9.5 percent); combating corruption (8.5 percent); and other factors, including periodic elections, women's representation in national institutions and forming a social security system.About half of the respondents, 48.4 percent, said they trust President Arafat's office, while 44.6 percent said they did not.Kukali noted that almost 72 percent of the people said they had at least a fair amount of confidence in the results of polls in general.His colleague, Dr. Walid Shomaly, director of public relations at the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion, said that the polls are particularly significant at this time because they give a voice to the people, which helps the society grow."This emanates from our conviction that their [Palestinian people] voice plays a significant role in promoting democracy and building a civic society, and that [it] would help it grow out of past drawbacks and shortcomings," Shomaly said in a press release. news.crosswalk.com\|CHID194343\|CIID1145508,00.html