Thank you you-know-who-you-are for sharing! :) Democracy still has a chance in Egypt By Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy- former Senior Under-Secretary of the MFA of Egypt Although I did not subscribe to the political agenda of the Moslem Brotherhood MB, as a career diplomat, I was prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt. I, therefore, took the job of Senior Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in September 2012, one month after former President Morsi took office. I left after three months disturbed by where Egypt was heading. Having spent more than half my life abroad, I am disappointed by how the historic changes taking place in Egypt are portrayed. True, we all thought the 2011 revolution would quickly bring about freedom, human dignity and social justice. This was not surprising given the conduct of the Egyptian people during the 18 days in Tahrir. What is happening in Egypt needs to be considered in its historical context. It is the second wave of the emancipation of the Egyptian people. This time against authoritarian rule. The first was the struggle against colonialism. Egyptians will not relent. The MB could not stop them and no one can. The MB may have been democratically elected, but they did not govern democratically. How could they? They possess a bunker mentality compounded by a conviction of monopolizing the truth as handed down by God. They developed a hierarchal structure reinforced with an initiation process that allowed only the chosen few to posses the ultimate truth. The result was a highly motivated, secretive, and disciplined organization. When Tahrir erupted they thought this was the opportunity to realize their plan of an Islamic state .It was no surprise that they managed to steal the revolution, very much like the Bolsheviks in Russia and the Mullahs in Iran. They proceeded in earnest to force their plan upon the people, initially by steamrolling a constitution that laid the foundation of an authoritarian state. Their model was a more sophisticated version of the Islamic state in Iran. Religion would always be used to mobilize the people. If their arrogance blinded them when it came to the Egyptian people, they had no illusions about the military. Making it into an arm of the Islamic and not the nation state required the militarys complete transformation. What was more urgent was how to prevent it from interfering with their plan. Herein lies the connection between the MB and the Jihadis, who derive their violent ideology from Sayed Qutb:the source of inspiration for the present MB leadership. What the jihadists offered was critical in the plan: intimidation through violence, allowing the MB plausible deniability for acts of terrorism. They would also form the nucleus of an Iranian style revolutionary guard to neutralize the military. The Egyptian people have spoken their word on June 30th. They now know that mixing religion with politics is dangerous .Presidential and parliamentary elections are to be completed by summer, ushering in, hopefully, the last phase of the transition to democracy. As the new constitution is presidential in nature, whoever occupies the presidency is crucial. The expectation is that General Sissi will receive an overwhelming popular mandate. In turbulent times people gravitate towards a strong and trustworthy leadership. Egyptians credit him for responding to their call and saving the country from the MB. He will face a number of important challenges that only a real statesman can handle. How he deals with them will determine the pace and shape of what remains of the transition. First, he should rise above party politics. He should neither form nor join a political party. Were that to happen it would probably end the transition to democracy. Second, he needs to deliver to the people the security that they yearn for by effectively addressing terrorism. He should so without jeopardizing the individual rights and freedoms that are fundamental to democracy. Any transgressions should be immediately, openly and decisively dealt with. Third, he needs to manage the forces that want to turn the clock back to: a few months (the MB), a few years (the Mubarakists), a few decades (the Nasserists) , a few centuries (the Salafies)in such a way that they can be incorporated into the vision of a modern, open, tolerant and pluralistic society anchored in its traditions and culture. Fourth, the ultimate challenge of any leadership is to meet economic expectations. Colossal challenges lie ahead. They require major sacrifices: only a trustworthy leadership can convince the people that bitter medicine is necessary. I admit Egypts next president faces enormous challenges. Now that we have rescued our country from religious authoritarian rule, there is renewed hope. The new leadership can rely on the Egyptian people who will accept only the freedom, human dignity and social justice offered by a modern democratic state. After all, they managed to peacefully remove two presidents in under three years. Give the Egyptians the credit they deserve.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 17:01:53 +0000
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