-Amendments to enhance parliament’s oversight, allowing it to hold the government accountable, empowering it to be involved in the budget process.

if they pass, of course. and if they don’t? why then, it’s democracy at work. at least they were proposed.

-Reforms to guarantee fair representation of women in parliament

fair representation… of women? of women’s issues? or actual, physical seats for women in parliament?

-Adopting an electoral system that guarantees the greatest chance for multi-party representation.

of course, these are chances that are being increased. this does not make any provisions for reducing the obstacles to establishing political parties or keeping them from being banned…

it goes on, of course. for each and every one.

Second, the one thing that I note amid the list is that - unlike nearly every other country in the region where reform is being discussed (in Yemen, the chourus is deafening) - nearly every single reform entails a signficant outlay of government funds, with no plans to increase revenue.

So, I’m no political economist, but…perhaps we ought to be asking whose government will be paying for whatever small proportion of these reforms are implemented.

MM