An Arab Spring in Southeast LA County: Part II

A new, hopeful future is dawning in the corruption-wracked city of Bell.

All newly-elected members have taken charge of the politically volatile city council Even the unindicted member from the previous council failed to win reelection.

First order of business, appointment a new mayor and they have selected their new mayor, Ali Saleh a young man of Arab descent, with a name shared by a corrupt dictator "President" in Yemen, the poorest nation in the Middle East wracked by populist strife.

The City of Bell has weathered its political storms and is undoing the humiliating corruption in the exemplary fashion of participatory democracy. Not just in changing the leadership, but increasing their knowledge and engagement in the political of the town has enabled Bell residents to take back their civic destiny with greater hope.

Let us hope that the Arab Spring spreading across the Middle East will expand into a mild summer of republican government suffused with community involvement. An orderly transfer of power, peaceful yet meaningful moderated by civic enthusiasm, not populist acrimony.

Mr. Tobar writes, "[The residents of Bell] seemed eager to believe once again that government could work in their best interests." The major difference: they choose to play an integral part of that government.

The outline for their improvement in civic virtue has a precedent. In his "Politics", Aristotle outlines an essential dichotomy among different forms of government. Not content to classify types of government based solely on who makes the decisions, he distinguished between governments who rule for their own benefit versus those which rule for the benefit of every citizen in the community. For example, the Ancient Greek philosopher distinguished rule by the majority that rules in its own interest--democracy, with a majority rule in the best interests of all--a republic.

In Bell, the citizens have risen up, removing elected officials ushered into office on the edge of apathetic voter participation. Having now channeled their rage to promote different leaders in a setting of greater accountability, the residents of Bell have ingratiated themselves with the workings of the political process, no longer content merely to sit back and let another oligarchy of infrequently elected politicians make decisions.

Even the demographics of the new council is impressive. For a predominantly Hispanic community, Bell's new council has Hispanic, Arab, Christian, and Muslim working together for all citizens, a republic fitting Aristotle's high esteem.

This is the model Revolution that the world needs to see. This is the model Revolution which the convulsing Arab states need to imitate. Not just removing bad men from power, not just trusting all authority to another group out of touch with the needs of the individual, Egyptians, Tunisians, Yemenis, all must invest themselves in the new political order arising out of the dirty sands of sedate dictatorships.

They must advocate government which extends rights to all, which permits as many as possible to participate in the policy decisions which face their nations; or, at least furnish opportunities to educate the greater majority of Arabs so that they know what to believe. Furthermore, like the citizens in Bell, the people of the Middle East must receive power and authority to practice their separate faiths, to learn about their cultures, and to speak out in protest and redress against their elected leaders.

The Bell Revolution is proceeding at a very promising pace. Let us hope that the Arab States of the Middle East will take the necessary steps to emulate the Revolution which transformed Southeastern Los Angeles County.