The political unrest in Egypt has surfaced again in the last few weeks. President Morsi is desperately trying to gain control of the situation and move the country forward. Unfortunately, his recent strategy had the opposite effect.
Here is a recap of the recent turn of events:
- On November 22, 2012, Morsi declared that his word as President is final, and that his decisions are above the court.
- Part of Morsi's decree called for the draft of the new constitution to be expedited and put to vote.
- Morsi's decree elicited severe backlash from protestors: violent clashes ensued between protestors and police, resulting in several deaths.
- Morsi agreed to rescind the decree, but insisted that the constitution still be proposed to the populace on schedule.
- On December 15, 2012, half of Egypt voted on a referendum that will decide whether or not to ratify the draft of the new constitution. The other half will vote next week (they had to split up the election due to limited resources).
This sequence puts Morsi in a negative light. It looks like he made a bid to turn his presidency into a dictatorship. Of course, you need a system of checks-and-balances in a democracy.
But consider the events that preceded: Many officials in the court are still loyal to Mubarak, and since the day Morsi took office, they have been doing everything in their power to hold up whatever Morsi proposes. Morsi cannot accomplish a thing with the court constantly shooting down his initiatives.
I am not justifying Morsi's recent move. I think his play was too reactive, and that he underestimated the consequence it would have. I do sympathize with his motivations. But he would have done better to be patient.
This process of establishing a functional presidency that can work efficiently with all branches of government will
take time, regardless of who is stalling progress or for what reasons. There will always be some hold-up. The US established its government after its revolution over 200 years ago: We're stable, but look how much time and work and argument still goes into getting anything done. Imagine if the US President (Obama or anyone else) tried to announce that the US President is above the Legislature and the Supreme Court. Wouldn't solve anything.
Egypt is deeply divided over this new constitution draft. Many are not necessarily opposed to the new constitution, but do not agree with the rushed manner in which it was proposed.
If the new constitution does not pass the referendum, I'm afraid Morsi's days in office are limited. While this wouldn't be the end of the world, it would be a shame because having to redo the presidential election would be a huge setback to political progress in Egypt. Morsi is a new leader who faces enormous challenges, and I'm prepared to give him a lot of slack, but I can't say that I've seen substantial leadership qualities from him yet. I believe the potential is still there, but he has some tough negotiating to do if he is to realize that potential.
On a positive note: The majority of voters in Egypt yesterday were women. It was a record that set a new precedent. Anyone afraid of Islamists taking over the country should take a look at the photos of the voters waiting in line yesterday (see below). Women in Egypt will never stand for an Islamist society. Women who wear hijab do so by choice, and would never accept a government that would try to enforce it. Egypt will not become Iran. And frankly, this fear has been overinflated in the media.
http://www.gosanangelo.com/photos/galleries/2012/dec/15/top-photos-dec-15-2012/20675/
