Though I've spent more than half my life in Egypt, every return is more intoxicating than the last. Cairo defines exotic and the reverberation it inflicts on you takes weeks to fade. That said, there was always a haunting feeling associated with every return. The feeling that the last time you left you hit "pause" and on return hit "play" and everything resumed. Nothing ever changed; nothing more drastic than a couple of new restaurants, hotels, and bridges.
This time was different.
To all the antagonists of Egypt's first multi-candidate presidential elections, to all those who labeled them a sham I tell you to try to understand the bigger picture. For those who called it a temporary façade to appease foreign pressure and domestic dissent I urge you to understand the workings of a Pandora's Box. Even the advocates that described it as encouraging "baby steps" need to compare our situation to historical precedence to understand the magnitude of the leaps we are taking.
On September 3rd 2005 I stood before Mugama El Tahrir, Egypt's towering symbol of her bureaucracy, watching a virtual unknown make his bid for the Presidency of The Arab Republic of Egypt and I was moved. Ayman Nour spoke candidly about his plans for our country and more importantly about the incumbent; his cabinet, administration, and their collective failures. What struck me the most was his utter lack of fear; from both the thugs on the ground as well as the political repercussions. That earned him my vote.
I voted for Ayman Nour with little knowledge of his platform and unimpressed with his resume. I did so based on my full knowledge and confidence that this election would not unseat our President, as I do not believe we are quite ready for so drastic a change. For all his faults Mubarak has kept us safe and stable in very dark waters. Of course you can argue that "safe and stable" in this case equates stagnation. None the less, when compared to others in the region, a stagnant norm can be bliss.
I voted for Ayman Nour to encourage healthy opposition and debate. It was either him or Noman Guma, an archaic authoritarian and leader of a shadow of a once heroic party. With my solitary vote I did my part to reward patriotic dissent. I voted for Ayman Nour out of gratitude; because I assure you the shoe shiner standing next to me in front of Mugamma El Tahrir, watching the hopeful candidate address thousands and make his bid on the basis of Mubarak's shortcomings will not soon forget nor again be so easily trampled.
Movements and dissenters such as Kifaya and El Ghad have, for the first time in our lifetime, offered a genuine source of political polarization that will hopefully help push us out of the dormancy we have, for better or worse, endured since time forgotten. The goal is for them to eventually wield enough political clout to force the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) to consolidate and become more reflective of the peoples will or face disintegration. You can't drive on a sidewalk (except maybe in Cairo), so only when this unilateral pull is countered can we begin to move forward. Politics is like any other business; monopolies are usually detrimental and the prime benefactors of competition are the people. For that reason alone both Kifaya and El Ghad deserve our admiration and gratitude.
Break through or not, no one expected a three week campaign to eradicate the effect of 50 years of autocracy. However, it is absolutely crucial that we exploit the momentum of the moment. Enter Sandmonkey.
From Baheyya to Orientalism and From Cairo with Love to Sandmonkey, Egyptian political bloggers vary greatly in their orientation but collectively their creativity and backgrounds can be very apparent even in the pen names they choose. In a quasi-democratic republic such as ours, web logs (blogs) can be very effective responses to the limitations put on speech. They are portals through which people like Sandmonkey can express his, often very unconventional and non mainstream, ideas without fear of prosecution. More importantly he was able to use his blog to start an idea that has morphed into a movement dubbed "Itharak.com".
Realizing the significance of the upcoming parliamentary elections in November he suggested a get out the vote idea that revolves around these following three simple points.
1/ Go register for a voters card (one of the major obstacles in the last election as you can only apply in November)
2/ Go vote for anyone in this Novembers Parliamentary elections other than the NDP candidate (especially if the candidate is an incumbent).
3/Go get three others to pledge to do the same.
There are several reasons why these elections are so important. Besides the obvious stranglehold on any development and the lack of gridlock in what is essentially a one party parliament, there are certain crucial amendments in the constitution that impinge on the next presidential election six years down the road; more specifically the nomination of presidential candidates. Under the new constitutional amendments, in order for a party to nominate a candidate (typically the said party's leader) it must control 5% of the seats of parliament. Independents may nominate themselves by attaining 65 signatures from members of the Peoples Assembly (out of 454, 388 of which are NDP), 25 from the Shoura Council (out of 264, of which 88 are presidential appointments), as well as 10 Local Council endorsements from 14 Governorates.
A significant group, however, is already registered. Everyone between 18 and 23, roughly 16% of the population or almost 7 million Egyptians are already pre-registered and have an immediate right to voting cards. They can, hence, make their voices heard in time for this election.
There are at least two more opportunities to restructure the Parliamentary composition before the next presidential elections in September of 2011; November 2005 and 2010. As the NDP controls more than 85% of Parliament both elections need to be well utilized if any significant change is to be brought about.
Another idea floating around the Arab blogoshere is to make use of the assistance in voting registration that the NDP gives to people it perceives as their supporters. This is the route I took to vote and it can be effective on two levels. It can quickly increase the voting pool for the opposition until the NDP catches on and is forced to put everyone through the same procedure, thus decreasing their own consortium.
Autocratic rule is persistently proven to sow apathy. People brought up in more open and democratic societies may have a greater chance of seeing the urgency of the matter. None the less, the direction and feasibility of any nation is the responsibility of its people not its leaders. The people are the ones that are ultimately accountable for their nation's value and future.
The upcoming Parliamentary elections in November are absolutely crucial. A reduction in the NDP's monopoly in both the upper and lower houses of Parliament is necessary if Egyptians are to see open debate or gridlock and, at the very least, real reform.
Karim Elsahy
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