By Inji Mounib
It was expected from the very beginning. They will never let it go. Since their sudden ascent to power less than couple of months ago, Ikhwan did not sustain any efforts to assure power, control, dominance and absolute sovereignty. The face had changed many times and yet the dark one was always there. Since coming to power, the elected president appealed to the general public with gentle declarations, emotional actions and slow motion steps. He seemed easy going and unwilling to radically alter face or attack anyone.
Gradually, the plan is becoming clearer and the real intentions have blown up. He was supposed to be a president for all Egyptians and he played it smart. First he divided the people among supporters and opponents, just to end up putting everyone in one basket, an ultra-smart maneuver. The only exception is radical Ikhwan members. He made lots of early promises in a sentimental tone with great hopes that appeal to the people, who just want to live proudly in peace and who are driven by the will to survive and the fear of being disappointed. They were willing to “give him a chance.”
Step by step, the plan went smoothly into action given the fact that Egyptians are easy to persuade. They lack patience, get dragged down by words and just need to live in peace. Slowly but surely, the ruling body took fierce action. The white lies of social welfare, democracy and equality turned into a black nightmare leading to more social, political and economic deterioration.
Submitting the people to the vicious spiral of issues, problems and debates have left people fed up and without energy to take more action. No electricity, no water, no food supply, limited resources close to vanishing and more conflicts are waiting next door. Gaza, strangely enough, is rising while Egypt is going down the drain. Arab counties are blessing the Muslim Brotherhood’s maneuvers and secure their own positions while Egyptians are still waiting to see what will happen.
In less than two months, we have seen it all. The dramatic movie, full of contradictory scenes, is getting clearer. The elected president, supported by the new ruling party with aggression, violence and a bloody tone seems stubborn in his plan and even ready to go beyond his original plan. This plan was signed by foreign powers and successfully integrated on the local scale, always in harmony with the Muslim Brotherhood’s objectives and aspirations.
The latest sudden decisions related to the restructuring of the Egyptian army and change within the SCAF members were largely and once again manifesting eagerness for control, a demonstration of authority and the legal support of the people. Decisions were largely blessed from most, if not all, of the Egyptian political body. Wasn’t this the ultimate claim from the very early beginning? Get rid of the army. True, that was a legal claim, yet it was never meant to bless the birth of the new and dangerous ruling elite.
The Muslim Brotherhood is finally ruling Egypt. For them, it is a dream come true. For us, it is the beginning of an era of darkness and slowdown, if not destruction and fall. Today, the political scene has only one player and lots of subordinates. This is another ruling elite, different in nature, structure and objectives and yet similar in the ultimate objective to stay in power for however long it takes. The absolute slogan for the Ikhwan is “My way or the highway.”
Strangely enough, they started mobilizing supporters, surrounding major cities and strategic spots and securing defense against any possible coup d’état. Tahrir is filled once more, in a clear-cut contradiction with previous decisions to put an end to demonstrations and strikes impeding the development of the country. The dilemma does not end and the period is not over. Cities are currently burning with fear and anger.
From the people’s side, there are worries and hazy pictures. There is a non-stop show of passive, negative and aggressive decisions assuring power and control. There is no more legal framework, no more freedom of speech, no more constitution, no more opposition, no more juridical body. The previously independent body that was always in control is no more, no more, no more. There is one unique fact: the Ikhwan state.
For us, it is finally either or. We have just been counting on everyone. Caught into this entrapment for more than a year and half now, questions are there with no answer, inquiries with no reply, claims with no feedback and lots of regrets with no way back.
We counted on the revolutionaries: they were Ikhwan. We counted on the youth: they were misled. We counted on liberals: they faded away. We counted on politicians: they proved causeless. We counted on intellectuals: we get lost with their dream of leadership. We counted on the army: they had their own deal. Opposition is an illusion in the newly born world signed by the Muslim Brotherhood on the Egyptian peninsula, crying over the milk spilt by its own kids. No say, no day, no word, no hope: just the word of Ikhwan.
Going where? It is over? Did it end that way? Nobody knows. Eventually, things should prove different, given that history always repeats itself: the solo player never lasts forever.
* Inji Mounib is a Specialist of Public Relations and Crisis Management
