Social-Political Terrorism
"This court has always taken pride that its chambers are open to the public. What happened in that chamber - is such terrorism appropriate?" Judge Abdel Salam el-Naggar
The good judge got a little carried away. Surely it is not terrorism, the excited and emotional outpouring of disappointment of hordes of Muslim Brotherhood supporters frustrated at the chaos that has ensued in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision-making. They turned up to demand to be heard as they accused the generals of manipulating the judiciary to act in their interests.
The shouting and turbulence obviously upset the presiding judge, leading him to suspend the hearing called to define the powers of the newly-elected President Mohammed Morsi. He simply moved the hearing to another courtroom in an effort to restore order and some semblance of sanity to enable him to reach a decision without the pressure of an enraged crowd.
President Morsi has been stalled in his intention to form a cabinet. Worse, there is no functioning parliament or constitution for the new Egypt, re-born as a tabula rasa from the shattered remnants of the old regime of former President Hosni Mubarak. Who, old and ill, has now been moved, by popular demand of a public refusing to believe he is ill, back to prison from the hospital where he had been receiving expert care.
The hostility and demands for vengeance from Egyptians of this frail old man remain undiminished. Nothing less than physical punishment to burden his dying days will satisfy the Egyptians who require some symbol to vent their hatred and frustration upon. None of which has been useful in furthering the future of the country and ameliorating its failing economy.
The economy is on the brink of a balance of payments and budget crisis. Turmoil is the order of the day. Unemployment is rampant, and crime even more so. The cost of the basics of living, continue to rise. The public is fed up and it wouldn't be surprising if many, perhaps even a silent majority, look back with nostalgic longing on the Egypt that existed before the advent of the Arab Spring uprising.
The judges summarily dismiss accusations that the military has influence over their decision making. It is uncertain whether the Cairo administrative court will strike down the constitutional assembly meant to re-write the constitution, which reflects the Islamist-majority parliament that has since been dissolved. Square one is still square one, it hasn't moved forward to the second square.
The Muslim Brotherhood and its Salafist party support are concerned that the military will yet find some way to extinguish their ballot box-enabled parliamentary power base. The continued army rule has confused the issue of the primacy of state institutions and the judiciary. The judges are perplexed by the complexity of the issues before them.
And, for the time being, the state of stalemate seems determined to continue.
Labels: Chaos, Conflict, Democracy, Economy, Egypt, Human Relations, Islamism, Justice
posted by Pieface @ Thursday, July 19, 2012
<< Home