Dr. Adel Samara When Ramallah was put under PA control, many Palestinians visited the i did not. I was not sure that I would not be arrested again - in the same place where I had sat as a prisoner five times between 1963-1978. Now it has happened. Once more in late November this year, I found myself in Ramallah jail - and not as a quest or nonor In its response to the Manifesto of the Twenty, the PA appeared panicarrest people for voicing their political and social ideas. The PA, however, made an even more dangerous mistake when it pushed its supporters to demonstrate on its behalf in the centre of Ramallah. In that "loyalist" demonstration, dozens of masked youth shot in the air The next day Dr. Mu'awiyya AlMasri, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Counal (PLe). was snot in the leg. A few days later, the Palestinian Secret Security gave a beating to rue member Apoc awad sen Let us suppose - against the evidence - that the PA itself did not order the attacks. Even so, by allowing reckless shooting at its demonstration, the PA encourages its supporters to take the law in their own hands. Arafar - and friend The PA's extreme reaction was counterproductive, giving our Mani festo much more publicity than it would otherwise have had. What could have been an isolated action by twenty personalities became the centre of public discussion.
PA officals claimed we were the paryns of Syrian propaganda, although none of us respect any current Arab regime. Acavists on the talesanta Left refrained from taking an unambiguous stand on the matter.
Instead, they aired the notion that some of us were merely seeking attention or trying to pressure the PA to silence us by giving us posts.
I strongly believe that if a revolutionary intellectual wants to stay independent, he or she must never be bound materially to the egime. In my case, such a danger Joes not exist: even the Palestinian academic world has blacklisted me as a Marxist/nationalist.
Certain lessons shoul be drawn from the events surrounding the appearance of the Manifesto:
First: In the course of taking Palestinian leadership had to make the transition from military body to political organisation. The PA.
nonetheless, clings to the old miliary mencaisy. is must corre ie understand, however, that unike mitour society in the West Kank ano a donata upon it for a livelihood. We are not an item on a payroll. Accordingly, it is prove its competence to the people As a corollary: our Palestinian people must realise that the national Struple cannot be imited to the min tary level. The Manifesto is a small liberty to its full social, political and Second: Much criticism has been directed toward the twenty signers from those who support the Manifesto. Some note that more people This is correct. It is a bitter fact, however, that the Manifesto was hunched by a mere twenty individu als because the Palestinian opposition isso weak. A handful of people did Third: We must confront our socio-economic realities. Economically dependent regimes, like the PA, do not find it necessary to breed democracy and basic liberties whereas a modern developed economy can scarcely keep growing without them.
In weak, under-industrialised nations. the regime tends to use tyranny in order to mask its economic incompetence.
Given a lack of civil and democrate rights, other subjective factors can help fill the need, such as an active inteligentsia. an apposition press. anc education. The Manifesto was an attempt to introduce such a factor. Our efforts will remain straws in the wind, however, until there are strong opposition parties to back them up