If Egypt's new Islamist majority is seen to be appeasing the military then the new parliament will quickly become irrelevant
Amira Nowaira
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 25 January 2012
"Egypt's first post-revolution parliament convened for the first time on 23 January, two days before the first anniversary of the revolution that led to the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak. As hundreds of thousands converged on squares across Egypt on Wednesday afternoon to reiterate their original demands of "bread, freedom, human dignity and social justice," the question arises as to whether this parliament can ultimately make a difference.....
If the balance of power in Egypt now is held, broadly speaking, by the three major forces: Scaf, the Islamists and the democracy advocates, it is the latter that speak the loudest and fear the least. While Scaf has the guns as well as the power of state media and de facto authority, and the Islamists have their grassroots appeal through their religiously charged rhetoric, the revolutionaries have nothing but their dogged determination and their unwavering conviction that justice will in the end prevail. As such, they are decidedly a force that cannot be ignored. The new parliament will soon have to choose on which side it will finally be.
It is still too early to predict with any degree of confidence what that choice will ultimately be. As the tides of protesters sweep over Egypt's squares, it is abundantly clear that the new parliament cannot afford to ignore the vocal part of the population except at its own peril. The days when Mubarak's NDP-led parliament submitted to the orders of the regime are over, once and for all. The sooner the new MPs understand that the better. Otherwise, the new parliament will not only become irrelevant but also the cause of fresh waves of anger."
Amira Nowaira
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 25 January 2012
"Egypt's first post-revolution parliament convened for the first time on 23 January, two days before the first anniversary of the revolution that led to the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak. As hundreds of thousands converged on squares across Egypt on Wednesday afternoon to reiterate their original demands of "bread, freedom, human dignity and social justice," the question arises as to whether this parliament can ultimately make a difference.....
If the balance of power in Egypt now is held, broadly speaking, by the three major forces: Scaf, the Islamists and the democracy advocates, it is the latter that speak the loudest and fear the least. While Scaf has the guns as well as the power of state media and de facto authority, and the Islamists have their grassroots appeal through their religiously charged rhetoric, the revolutionaries have nothing but their dogged determination and their unwavering conviction that justice will in the end prevail. As such, they are decidedly a force that cannot be ignored. The new parliament will soon have to choose on which side it will finally be.
It is still too early to predict with any degree of confidence what that choice will ultimately be. As the tides of protesters sweep over Egypt's squares, it is abundantly clear that the new parliament cannot afford to ignore the vocal part of the population except at its own peril. The days when Mubarak's NDP-led parliament submitted to the orders of the regime are over, once and for all. The sooner the new MPs understand that the better. Otherwise, the new parliament will not only become irrelevant but also the cause of fresh waves of anger."
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