Due For A Makeover
I can’t say that I’m surprised about what we’ve seen in Egypt the last couple of weeks. Amidst the international outpouring of joy that followed Mubarak’s ouster last winter, few realized that the military in many respects seized power in a bloodless coup. While we can’t know the exact intentions behind the move or whether it was something the generals had considered before, it happened. Now, people seem to be catching up and realizing that there’s plenty more to be done before democracy has a chance of taking hold in Egypt.
Nov. 24 (Bloomberg) — Egypt’s army said ceding power would mean abandoning the country, and urged activists to switch their focus to next week’s election after a fifth night of clashes between police and protesters demanding the generals step down.
Holding power is a “curse, not a blessing,” yet most Egyptians retain “absolute confidence” in the army, Mukhtar El Moula, a member of the ruling military council, said at a press conference in Cairo today. Voting will start on schedule on Nov. 28, with the army helping police to ensure security, and a new government should be in place by then, he said.
The violence in Cairo and other cities including Alexandria has left at least 38 people dead in the past week, state-run Nile News said today.
Of course the military is responsible for creating these conditions, yet leaving power and “abandoning” the Egyptian people now would apparently be worse. Convenient, as always.
There isn’t much to say really. The military needs to get out of the way, let history run its course, and be damned if more protesters die at the behest of a tired institution that’s due for a makeover.
