GCC citizens launch petition to end Gulf crisis
A group of Gulf academics and nationals has initiated a petition calling for citizen participation in the political decision-making process in all of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, amid a major ongoing rift that has resulted in several Gulf countries severing ties with Qatar.
Addressed to GCC leaders and policymakers, the petition, which began circulating onsocial media platforms on Saturday, has gained more than 500 signatures from academics and individuals across the Gulf region - a figure the initiators say has exceeded expectations.
"Recent events have proved that the people of the region are aware enough and insistent on becoming a part of the decision-making process and determining their own fate," part of the petition reads.
The signatories state it is time to implement a democratic process that grants "ordinary citizens a bigger role in determining their fate".
The petition comes after Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and other smaller countries severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar last week over claims that it supports "terrorism" in the region - allegations that Qatar has denied.
The Gulf nations cut off sea and air links with Qatar, and have ordered Qatari nationals to leave their countries. They also urged their citizens to return to their respective nations, disrupting the lives of thousands in the region and restricting their freedom of movement.
Sanctions have also disrupted food and other imports into Qatar. The dispute has threatened the future of families with mixed citizenship and has been condemned by various rights groups including UK-based Amnesty International.
One of the petition writers and key initiators, Qatar University PhD student Esraa al-Muftah, told Al Jazeera that the petition calls for the "immediate cessation of any actions that lead to the escalation of the situation and which the impact the ability of people to move and freely reside within the GCC states."
She added that GCC citizens were concerned, as they had "no say in the ensuing events" that are currently affecting the lives of people and families across the region.
The petition also includes long-standing grievances that some analysts believe to be the primary cause for the GCC crisis. Lack of popular participation and the lack of effective political and economic integration between the GCC nations have rendered the people's parliaments futile, the signatories told Al Jazeera.
Source: Al Jazeera