/ 28 June 2013

Egyptians must resist anarchy

More than 15-million Egyptians have signed a petition to bring Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi down.
More than 15-million Egyptians have signed a petition to bring Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi down.

On Sunday June 30, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi completes his first year in office. He is the country’s first elected president, but many fear the anniversary will mark the beginning of the collapse of Egypt’s political system.

The opposition has called for mass protests against Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood on the day. But such protests could result in a coup against the democratic process.

Much criticism can be made of Morsi and the Brotherhood’s performance since the fall of Hosni Mubarak. Their inability to conduct a serious dialogue with, and facilitate real participation by, opposing political forces is conspicuous. They took unilateral decisions on issues on which a national consensus was needed. 

The opposition is not above reproach: in its attempts to block the president and the Islamists, and its de facto rejection of the results of the election, it is trying to change the rules of the democratic game.

In June last year, a court acquitted Mubarak of corruption. Now he is being retried amid confusion about what charges against him still stand. A few days ago, a court acquitted several members of the disbanded state security agency. It is as if the 30 years of tyranny and corruption were imaginary. 

Calls by opposition figures for the army to intervene and topple the elected president are unwise. If Morsi has a real democratic accomplishment to his credit, it has been the distancing of the army from politics and the dismissal of several members of the former high military council. He has convinced the new army leadership not to intervene in the transition. 

Last month, Defence Minister General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told all political parties to stop demanding the army’s intervention, saying the ballot box should be the sole means of change.

Yet some in the opposition still hope the army will intervene, especially if violence erupts during Sunday’s protests. There is concern that security elements linked to the former regime may even provoke acts of violence to force the army to take control.

The situation is polarised and politically gridlocked. Morsi’s supporters are determined to resist attempts to oust him. In anticipation of Sunday’s protests, the Islamist parties have called for public rallies. The first took place last Friday in central Cairo, and was huge.

The Middle East is passing through its most dangerous transition since World War I. The Syrian uprising, its spread into Lebanon and Iraq, and the rise of sectarian tensions to unprecedented levels could all have drastic repercussions.

The descent of Egypt, the most populous and influential Arab country, into chaos will increase instability in the entire region. Egyptians should not allow this to happen. – © Guardian News & Media 2013 

Wadah Khanfar is a former director general of Al Jazeera television.