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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday August 17, 2007 - 3 Former mayor spreading lessons in democracy to Mid-East By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF No life after politics. Tell that to a former Oakville mayor who went to the Middle East to teach Gulf State politicians the finer points of municipal politics. Before the last election Ann Mulvale, who was Oakville's mayor since 1988, had every intention of sticking with her position until 2010. A defeat at the hands of Oakville's current mayor, Rob Burton, changed those plans, but one thing that did not change was Mulvale's determination to continue making great contributions to the world of politics. "I am a great believer and supporter of democracy and I am totally at peace with the outcome (of the election)," said Mulvale during a meeting with the Rotary Club of Oakville West where she was a guest speaker on Tuesday. "I always had great confidence that whatever happened, life would continue to be a privilege and a blast." One of life's blasts came only days after Mulvale's election loss on Nov. 13, when she was contacted by the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs: Middle East and North Africa, a not-for-profit organization based in America that is working to strengthen and expand democracy worldwide. The organization invited Mulvale to a December conference and workshop that was taking place in Kuwait City, Kuwait for the purpose helping Middle Eastern politicians learn how to bring municipal councils together using existing models from countries like Canada. "They approached me because I was the President of AMO (Association of Municipalities of Ontario). They were looking to show examples, rather than being theoretical, of how other countries had formed councils for municipal councils," said Mulvale. "I was really pleased to have the opportunity to do it." A 14-hour plane ride from Washington later and Mulvale was in Kuwait where, although she was not required to wear a veil, she chose to wear a large scarf out of respect for the local customs. "I had to dress modestly, but I'm not known for not dressing modestly," she said. "You could see that the guys really appreciated that." The conference at which Mulvale spoke included representatives from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates RON KUZYK / OAKVILLE BEAVER MIDDLE EAST BRIEFING: Former Mayor Ann Mulvale speaks to the Rotary Club of Oakville West about her recent trip to the Middle East to teach Gulf State politicians about western-style municipal councils. and Bahrain. Progress in explaining how to bring municipal councils together was initially slow Mulvale said, as the systems of government practiced in these Gulf States are not geared towards hearing the voice of the people. "As the past President of AMO I went about teaching that model, but as we taught them that model and we taught them about the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Eastern European model, the Maryland, USA model, we realized these people didn't know how to advocate and they didn't know how to form a consensus because they lived in dictatorships," said Mulvale. Mulvale noted that, although personal freedoms in a country like Kuwait were and continue to be extremely limited, there is little discontent because the government makes sure its people want for nothing. This is something they can do because of their vast oil resources. "They have pretty good health care and education. In fact, in that environment in Kuwait, the educational achievements are stalled, if not declining, because there is no motivation," said Mulvale. Reform, however, is underway and bit by bit the people of Kuwait are gaining more of a say in what happens in their country with a Kuwait City Council consisting of 10 elected and six appointed officials. In another startling change, noted by Mulvale, in 2006 the Emir of Kuwait gave women the ability to vote and serve in political positions. Mulvale had the opportunity to meet the two female members of the Kuwait City Council who had recently been appointed by the government. "One was very traditional in her dress and one was very western in her dress. So it was very interest See Oil-rich page 5 Since 1959 3235 Fairview St. 3235 FairviewSt. Home Accent Pieces www.plumbingmart.ca 905-639-7106 905-639-7106 Burlington