Egypt’s new dictatorship

Letter December 28, 2012
We will now see emergence of a new dictatorship, albeit elected, which will use religion to perpetuate grip on power.

JUBAIL, SAUDI ARABIA: Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide and leader Mohammed Badie has congratulated his countrymen on the adoption of a constitution and has urged them to begin rebuilding Egypt. Sadly, this is precisely what is unlikely to happen. Yes, it’s a rebirth but of a divided and disunited Egypt. A constitution is the fundamental document which can keep a country united provided it has the backing of all quarters of society. Unfortunately, the draft constitution which was first hastily pushed through the Constituent Assembly without much debate in the public domain and then through a controversial referendum negates Badie’s congratulatory rhetoric.

The results show deep fissures in Egyptian society: turnout was only 32.9 per cent of a total of 52 million eligible voters. Of this, 63 per cent voted ‘yes’, which means that a mere 20 per cent of all registered voters have approved the document. Now, the revolution which brought down a dictator faces possible dissent from youth, women and religious minorities.


What we will now likely see is the emergence of a new dictatorship, albeit elected, and which will use religion to perpetuate its stay and grip on power. It is high time for the Brotherhood and the Salafists to reconsider the path on which they are taking Egypt. Eventually, it will lead to a point where many ordinary Egyptians will start asking themselves why they bothered overthrowing a dictator.


Masood Khan


Published in The Express Tribune, December 28th, 2012.