Riyadh, June 24: A growing number of Arabs from the Gulf countries are afraid and pessimistic about the “Arab Spring,” sweeping across the region, according to an opinion poll, commissioned by The Doha Debates, a public forum for dialogue and freedom of speech in Qatar.
More than half of the people who participated in the poll said they would be too scared to demonstrate against their rulers and almost as many in the region doubt that the uprisings will result in any real political change.
The Bahraini security court sentenced eight Shiite activists to life in prison Wednesday, triggering the first major protests in months by hundreds of anti-government demonstrators demanding political freedoms and equal rights from the Sunni monarchy.
The results in the Gulf area, contrasted noticeably with other parts of the Middle East. In North Africa more than 70 percent felt that change had begun and that they were entering “a new era in the Arab world.” Eighty-five percent said they believe Arab states will be more democratic in five years time.
Tunisian protests, other than toppling former president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, set in motion a series of uprisings in Arab countries. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was forced to step down in February 2011, and leaders in Yemen, Syria and Libya are battling to overcome opposition.
The North African country will hold elections in October for a constituent assembly to write a new constitution, after which new parliament and presidential elections will be held.
The widely-differing opinions emerged in an online survey, conducted by YouGov between June 7- 13. More than 1,000 respondents from 17 Arab states took part.
Last month 73 percent of a mainly Arab audience at The Doha Debates voted that it was futile for their rulers to resist change – a view supported by the poll. Most respondents cited official corruption as the main reason for their position.
Despite massive coverage of the unrest in the Arab world, trust in the media is at a low point throughout the region. The majority of those polled said they did none feel any of the major Arab or international broadcasters could be relied on for accurate information.
–Agencies