Painful transition

The Egyptian is half-heartedly promoting a stumbling democracy that now appears to have been strangled at birth.

There is nothing tidy or easy about the transition of Egypt from the dictatorship of the Mubarak era, to the imperfectly-woven coat of democracy it now struggles to wear. The Arab spring has proved to be something of a misnomer for most of the countries it encompassed, with all to a greater or lesser degree, discovering that finding a replacement for totalitarianism is no simple matter. On February 24, the entire Egyptian government, to the surprise of many, resigned en masse. It had been appointed by the military last July after the ouster of the democratically-elected President, Mohammed Morsi. The election that brought Morsi to power served as a catalyst for almost as much unrest as that which toppled Mubarak, as whilst in power, Morsi sought to promote a conservative agenda much to the chagrin of the opposition parties. The polarity became such that once again the army intervened deposing the legitimate government and what amounted to a puppet government was installed — which itself now marches backwards into history.

The figure in waiting behind the Arras is army chief Abdel Fattah alSisi who is both the defence minister and the first deputy prime minister in the now-defunct cabinet of Hazem alBeblawi’s government.

Egypt is pulling in many directions simultaneously. Almost equally split between conservatives and secularists, neither have been able to reach across the political divide, create unity, quell fears and tensions and reboot the vital tourist industry and inwards investment. The army, and to a lesser extent the police, and other security forces have been the change agents, at the same time as half-heartedly promoting a stumbling democracy that now appears to have been strangled at birth. Sisi may be the autocratic hand next to steer the ship of state — and he is exactly the wrong man for the job. It will be a return to defacto military rule and a negation of everything democratic. Egypt does not need a return to the past, any more than does Pakistan even given the imperfections of democracy in both countries.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2014.

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