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Sunday
Nov272011

Egypt Q&A: Why Is There A "Revolution Reignited"? (Elazul)

The blogger Ahmed Rady fields questions on why the call for "revolution" is again being heard in Cairo and other Egyptian cities:

There are lots of questions & comments as well as accusations on people's minds (or tongues) on why the people are protesting in Egypt once again. I'll try to the best of my ability to respond to some of these.

So let's begin shall we?

Why are they going to Tahrir (and other squares) now?

This question has been answered multiple times, but I'll summarize simply with a friend's Facebook status that I translated:

 

Because something is wrong:

 

When there is no security after 9 months .... despite billions being spent on the police,  something wrong.

When they say the chaos will continue until a president is elected in 2013, something is wrong.

When until today, not a single pound of the money stolen by the regime has been returned, Something is wrong.

When Spain takes 32.5 Million Euros from Hassan Salem, and buildings worth 10 Billion Euros, and we have yet to get a single sent back from what he stole from us, then something is wrong.

When they say that there isn't enough money in the state treasury to concede to the demands of the citizens, and yet thousands of "employees" in Egypt get over a million Egyptian pounds a month, and their assistants get hundreds of thousands a month, AND businessmen owe over 100 billion pounds in taxes, then something is wrong.

When you tell me that one of the former NDP [National Democratic Party of Hosni Mubarak] members, threatened to isolate upper Egypt, and cut electricity from Egypt --- if the NDP members are barred from Parliament, and no one even responded to him, then something is wrong.

When by default, everyone who is in opposition is accused of being a traitor, or a hired agent, without a single court case, or investigation being done, then something is wrong.

When they say that there are internal and external plots to hurt the country, and you toss accusations left and right, without exposing any plots, or the people you're accusing, and you have a national security agency, Intelligence, AND an Army, then something is wrong.

When protesters are put under military trial, and Mubarak is in a 7-star hospital , and the Vice Chairman of the Military police salutes Habib AlAdly in court, then something is wrong.

When Tunisia has elected a founding committee to create a new constitution, and founded a transitional government , and Egypt is still in the process of creating a parliament, that will vote for a founding committee to create the constitution a year later, and won't be able to assign a government, then something is wrong.

When the Field Marshal [Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces] claims he does not want power, and yet you find a campaign for his nomination for Presidency, then something is wrong.

When the Military Junta, creates a supra-constitutional document, making the Army above accountability, and above the people and the government, making it a super state within a state, then something is wrong.

And that's just part of it. There are so many other reasons....

Well, then what are their demands?

It's the same demand as in January 25 : The people demand the fall of the regime.

Unless you're completely ignorant of history, you're probably aware that the regime has never been just about Mubarak and a few political figures: The regime since 1952 has been a Military regime. The people want a civilian government with civilian leaders. They want to have a transitional government that isn't led and crippled by the former regime. They want a civilian presidential council to oversee the transition.

Their initial demand was that it be transferred to Civilian rule in April 2012, but as violence escalated and lives were lost, the demand became a transfer to civilian rule now. There was never a real call to postpone the elections until the violence started.

 

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