Egypt In Transition
Egypt's a sad case of disappointment for the high expectations of the Tahrir Square youthful protesters who insisted that their country wanted and needed a change in governance. From the autocratic dictatorship they had long lived under with its emergency rule intact, to one they imagined they could, through the sheer force of collective argument and wishes, obtain reflecting a democratic ideal.For a Middle East country with no oil deposits to enrich it, the country wasn't doing too badly of late. Exports were picking up, business was doing well enough and prospects for the future looked fairly bright given the country's relative stability. All that changed with the mass protests, when foreign investors fled, factories closed down, trade was halted, the stock exchange plunged. People lost their jobs; unemployment, already high, soared.
And so did the prices of comestibles and oil, already on the up-tick making life difficult for the large segment of the population living under the poverty line. When, persuasively, the protests managed to succeed in having President Hosni Mubarak step down, because the military establishment deemed that a necessary sacrifice to move forward, jubilation ensued.
And the military promised that a civilian oversight committee tasked with putting together a new democracy-tinged constitution would be put to work immediately and a transition to civilian government would soon fellow, and elections would proceed, sans the usual corrupt practices. Since then, detentions and courts-martial have taken place, allegations of torture and misrule.
And a blogger critical of the military's deceit, and its protection of the powerful among them; government officials, political, social and military, has been sentenced to three years' imprisonment, convicted of "insulting the military" and "disturbing public security". Human rights activists, and pro-democracy agitators are rather disappointed at the turn of events.
And the revolution? Results in abeyance. And then there is Hosni Mubarak, plaintively and painfully denying having enriched himself at the expense of his beloved country: "They aim to tarnish my reputation and discredit my integrity, my stance, my political and military history during which I worked hard for Egypt and its people in peace and war", he pleaded. True, according to his lights.
An old, sick man, dispensable now as the target of the revolution's hatred of all they claim he represented. A sacrifice on the alter of continued longevity of the military whose dedication to the future of Egypt and their own privileges are also undeniable.
Labels: Egypt, Human Rights, Political Realities
posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, April 13, 2011
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