So everyone is poring over the recent Universal House of Justice (UHJ) message of March 25 2007 on Baha’i elections. You should read the UHJ’s letter for yourself but if you’re feeling lazy, I’ll offer to save you the trouble and summarize it:

A bunch of fluffy and very nice sounding rhetoric. A dash of quotes from the writings of Shoghi Effendi (kind of obligatory in a message from the UHJ). Followed by a lot of empty platitudes. And finally the real ‘meat’ of the letter, the reason why the Universal House of Justice wrote it in the first place and what they hope Baha’is ‘get’ about how to vote in this coming round of elections at Ridvan:

From among the pool of those whom the elector believes to be qualified to serve, selection should be made with due consideration given to such other factors as age distribution, diversity, and gender.

That’s in the 3rd to last paragraph by the way. Now, I totally sypmathize with the Universal House of Justice. They are faced with the Herculean task of trying to do something about the ossification of the administrative order. So by saying that, they are hoping that when when Baha’is gather this Ridvan (April 21st 2007) to vote for their new assemblies, they will vote in some new people.

It is not really news that in Baha’i communities everywhere, small and large, third world countries and first world contries, across all cultures and all nationalities, a very small group of Baha’is are elected to serve on assemblies over and over and over and over again. Leading communities into the death grip of group think, close mindedness and far too often, corruption and scandals. In fact, this unfortunate pattern can be found in the revolving door between the International Teaching Center and the Universal House of Justice – as well as the incumbancy inherent in the membership of the UHJ itself.

So I can totally understand and sympathize with the almost palpable desperation in the letter. Something must be done. I agree. Things just can not continue like this. I have some ideas of my own and I’ve run across some even better ones in Baha’i discussion groups. I will explore these ideas in the second part. But what I’d like to do in this first part is to explore the letter of the Universal House of Justice.

The House quotes Shoghi Effendi liberally in their March 25th letter on elections. If I may, I’d like to quote the Guardian as well:

“…I do not feel it to be in keeping with the spirit of the Cause to impose any limitation upon the freedom of the believers to choose those of any race, nationality or temperament, who best combine the essential qualifications for membership of administrative institutions. They should disregard personalities and concentrate their attention on the qualities and requirements of office, without prejudice, passion or partiality. The Assembly should be representative of the choicest and most varied and capable elements in every Baha’i community.”
(Letter from the Guardian to an individual believer: August 11, 1933)

This contradicts with what the House of Justice is saying in their letter (see above). But we do know that in the Baha’i Faith, a great deal of respect and leeway is given to minorities:

If any discrimination is at all to be tolerated, it should be a discrimination not against, but rather in favor of the minority, be it racial or otherwise… So great and vital is this principle that in such circumstances, as when an equal number of ballots have been cast in an election . . . [and] are balanced between the various races, faiths or nationalities within the community, priority should unhesitatingly be accorded the party representing the minority, and this for no other reason except to stimulate and encourage it, and afford it an opportunity to further the interests of the community.
(Shoghi Effendi – The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 34)

So what Shoghi Effendi is saying is that we must begin the process of Baha’i elections with the intention of choosing the best candidate for the job. And if as a result of doing so, we come face to face with a situation where there is a tie (“balance of votes”) then it should be broken in favour of the minority candidate.

That is a far cry from what the House of Justice is advocating: initiating the voting process with consideration given to “age, ethnic and gender diversity”. But again, while I may not see how the statement of the House of Justice is congruent with Shoghi Effendi’s clear exposition of the nature of Baha’i elections, I do sympathize with them.

And I believe there are much better and more effective ways of ‘fixing’ the broken Baha’i election process. But you’ll have to practice the virtue of patience and wait till the second part.

25 March 2007

To the Baha’is of the World

Dear Baha’i Friends,

One of the signs of the breakdown of society in all parts of the world is the erosion of trust and collaboration between the individual and the institutions of governance. In many nations the electoral process has become discredited because of endemic corruption. Contributing to the widening distrust of so vital a process are the influence on the outcome from vested interests having access to lavish funds, the restrictions on freedom of choice inherent in the party system, and the distortion in public perception of the candidates by the bias expressed in the media. Apathy, alienation, and disillusionment are a consequence, too, as is a growing sense of despair of the unlikelihood that the most capable citizens will emerge to deal with the manifold problems of a defective social order. Evident everywhere is a yearning for institutions which will dispense justice, dispel oppression, and foster an enduring unity between the disparate elements of society.

The World Order of Baha’u'llah is the divinely ordained system for which nations and peoples so desperately search. Hailed by the Bab in the Persian Bayan, its foundational features prescribed by Baha’u'llah Himself, this Order is without precedent in human history for its standard of justice and its commitment to the practical realization of the oneness of mankind, as well as for its capacity to promote change and the advancement of world civilization. It provides the means by which the Divine Will illumines the path of human progress and guides the eventual establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth.

Throughout the entire planet the devoted followers of Baha’u'llah are labouring to develop further the Baha’i Administrative Order described by the Guardian “not only as the nucleus but the very pattern of the New World Order”, thus setting the foundation for a world civilization destined to yield its dazzling splendour in the centuries to come. They do so notwithstanding the conditions of turmoil and disorder alluded to by Baha’u'llah in affirming that “the world’s equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order. Mankind’s ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous System–the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed.”

With the concerted worldwide endeavour to advance the process of entry by troops gathering momentum through implementation of the provisions of the Five Year Plan, it is now opportune that the believers everywhere give greater attention to strengthening the process by which Assemblies, national and local, are elected. The manner of participation by all adult members of the community in these elections is a distinguishing feature of the System of Baha’u'llah; for it is a bounden duty that confers a high privilege upon every Baha’i to select, as a responsible citizen of the new world being brought into existence, the composition of the institutions having authority over the functioning of the Baha’i community. In this regard, indifference and neglect on the part of any believer are alien to the spirit of the Cause. The friends must strive ceaselessly to avoid being contaminated with these destructive attitudes, which have inflicted such damage on the integrity and authority of the institutions of a declining world order.

In describing Baha’i elections, Shoghi Effendi, through a letter written on his behalf, conveyed that “Baha’i electoral procedures and methods have, indeed, for one of their essential purposes the development in every believer of the spirit of responsibility. By emphasizing the necessity of maintaining his full freedom in the elections, they make it incumbent upon him to become an active and well-informed member of the Baha’i community in which he lives.”

The manner in which the elector exercises the right and privilege to cast his vote is therefore of great significance. Shoghi Effendi’s instruction in this passage further explains that “to be able to make a wise choice at the election time, it is necessary for him to be in close and continued contact with all local activities, be they teaching, administrative or otherwise, and to fully and whole-heartedly participate in the affairs of the local as well as national committees and assemblies in his country. It is only in this way that a believer can develop a true social consciousness and acquire a true sense of responsibility in matters affecting the interests of the Cause. Baha’I community life thus makes it a duty for every loyal and faithful believer to become an intelligent, well-informed and responsible elector, and also gives him the opportunity of raising himself to such a station.”

While there should be no mention of personalities in connection with Baha’I elections, it is quite appropriate for believers to discuss the requirements and qualifications for membership in the institution to be elected. Shoghi Effendi offers clear guidance on this point: “I feel that reference to personalities before the election would give rise to misunderstanding and differences. What the friends should do is to get thoroughly acquainted with one another, to exchange views, to mix freely and discuss among themselves the requirements and qualifications for such a membership without reference or application, however indirect, to particular individuals.” Among the “necessary qualities” specified by the Guardian are those “of unquestioned loyalty, of selfless devotion, of a well-trained mind, of recognized ability and mature experience”. With a heightened awareness of the functions to be performed by the elected body, the believer can properly assess those for whom a vote should be cast. From among the pool of those whom the elector believes to be qualified to serve, selection should be made with due consideration given to such other factors as age distribution, diversity, and gender. The elector should make his choice after careful thought over an extended period before the actual election.

When called upon to vote in a Baha’i election, believers should be aware that they are carrying out a sacred task unique to this Dispensation. They should approach this duty in a prayerful attitude, seeking divine guidance and confirmation. As Shoghi Effendi has advised, “they must turn completely to God, and with a purity of motive, a freedom of spirit and a sanctity of heart, participate in the elections.”

Through their wholehearted embrace of the Baha’i electoral process, the believers will witness, day by day, a greater contrast between the emerging institutions of the Baha’i Administrative Order and the decaying social order around them. In this increasing distinction will be seen the promise of the glory of the World Order of Baha’u'llah–the System destined to fulfil the highest expectations of humanity.

The Universal House of Justice