By Philip Whitfield
CAIRO: …all my troubles seemed so far away.
I was singing away with the Beatles not far from Tahrir Square when gunfire rang out, sirens wailed and I feared the worst.
There’s a shadow hanging over me. Oh, yesterday came suddenly.
I’m in awe of the people who are so inspired by the revolution that they congregate en masse to protest their rights. I accept their sincerity. I question the wisdom of their tactics.
There’s a world of difference in the mood, the issues and the participants nowadays in Tahrir Square demos and others around the country.
Their demeanor is far from peaceful. The protesters are provocative. Their splodge of colored grease on their faces is war paint. Some of them walk intimidatingly; that hands-in-the-pockets way you wonder what they’re holding.
A coin or a knife?
The chants and choruses are equally intimidating if you’re on the opposing side.
If you have the chance to talk to them, it’s bewildering how arid the words are — such a far cry from the enigmatic articulation out of the square immediately post January 25.
Then it was all about freedom, justice and democracy. Now it’s about…well you tell me. I asked around the other day, just to make sure I was on track. The astute observers, who’ve been following politics since they were knee high to a grasshopper told me they get the inside scoop from the experts on the fringes of the demos.
On the fringes, I asked? Stay on the fringes I was told.
Well perhaps figuratively. But I don’t think the excellent and brave reporters who are following this cower from the fray. On the other hand nobody expects them to walk into the line of fire.
Tomorrow’s another day.
So what am I driving at?
The Tahrir Revolution was unique in modern times. Not for being the Facebook revolution, but for the harmony binding the participants together. Tolerance ruled among them.
Recall the joyous faces, even tears when the dictator was humbled and skulked out of the back door — albeit to a luxurious villa in Paradise. Many thought this was the plot. Who knows? If he does, he’s not telling.
The continuance of protests may have had an effect on the aftermath. Somehow I doubt it. It takes time for prosecutors to assemble a case. They might have their suspicions. But they need the hard evidence to convict under the statutes in any country.
Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. In the end the top honchos were corralled and are being wheeled through the courts.
Those hiding in London and Dubai will be brought to justice one day. Their assets will be confiscated. Their lives are in tatters. Others who think they’ve slipped the net should be wary. Soon those doing the lassoing will be serving different masters.
Which brings me to my point. Next week almost 50 million Egyptians have their chance to make the difference everyone yearns. They can vote for candidates who espouse a peaceful transition from chaos to calm, from harassment to harmony and from combat to concord.
There are going to be those who try to mangle the election. They’ll probably gather outside polling stations in some parts. Every crowd has its bullyboys. Take heed and go with friends. Ignore the bribes. Today’s ill-gotten gain is the morrow’s buyer’s remorse.
The Tahrir spirit lies deep in the nation’s soul now. Fear is not an option. Neither should the police or military be afraid. They’re paid to create the conditions for voters to get to the polls and cast their vote without fear or favor.
That means declaring a cordon sanitaire around every polling station sufficiently encompassing as to allow voters free access. That’s the police’s duty. They have the Emergency Law. Use it for the purposes it was intended.
Military rule is not working. I’ve said it before and you’ve read it on the front page of this newspaper day after day. Many editors, academics and western politicians have expressed their disgust.
It’s important to bear in mind that the militia never rule satisfactorily. Almost invariably they are accused of seizing power for their own ends. But you should remember that those that do are generally excommunicated, as it were, by the global officer elites. They end up running broken down tin-pot operations no one takes seriously. In Africa, Asia and South America, and not forgetting Eastern Europe, they often end up in penury or in the rifle sights of an assassin.
Egypt is not a ramshackle place. Its political class is not ignorant, nor tone deaf. I believe they will respond if the people give them a clear mandate next week to renounce violence and settle old scores in the place built for them — the parliament.
No other gesture could cut the legs from underneath the subversives, wherever they come from.
How can that be accomplished?
I’ve written this before, but I believe it’s worth repeating. Women, young and old, are the ubiquitous face of Egypt’s revolution.
The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world, wrote the American poet William Ross Wallace (1819-81). Who ran to help me when I fell and would some pretty story tell? Or kiss the place to make it well? My mother, wrote the 19th Century English author Ann Taylor.
There may be an unbalanced number of men running for election — that’s true anywhere in the world. But look how many have gained high office?
Angela Merkel, the leader of Europe, comes to mind. What a superb job she’s doing banging heads together without spilling a drop of blood. Hillary Clinton is proving to be a superb secretary of state. There are many more. Julia Gillard in Australia is another currently in the news, hosting President Obama. She’s a toughie. She’s no Ghala gasbag, as they say in there. She’s good oil.
It’s not quantity that matters. It’s the quality of candidates that count.
Next up: the youthful leaders of the revolution. Did you really expect them to win office? Neither did they. A few are running and good luck to them. What’s important is to demonstrate to them that they are worthy winners and will become champions in time.
The old party hacks, whichever party they come from, aren’t worth a spit. In or out of government they connived in shameful abuse of power, robbing the poor to give to the rich.
Can a leopard change its spots?
Not without skinning it alive.
Philip Whitfield is a Cairo commentator.
