And we're back again to Africa, this time focusing on the Arab Republic of Egypt. Egypt is a wonderful tourist destination with respect to archaeology and vacationing. It's got the pyramids, the Sphinx, the Temple at Luxor, and tourist places like Alexandria, Sharm El Sheikh and the capital, Cairo.
However, just when Egyptians thought that the elections were a promising sight, think again. One of the running parties, the Muslim Brotherhood, achieved popularity during the campaigning phase of the elections, but that wasn't going to be possible, and other parties had no chance of winning; this, of course, meant that the elections were mired with fraud. The Telegraph published a story about this issue. It was claimed by many politicians, including the liberal party leader Ayman Nour, that the elections were not fair in the sense that campaigning posters for people other than Mubarak were forbidden from being shown in villages and polling stations. Moreover, police prevented many voters from reaching polling stations, especially religious Muslims; while the Muslim Brotherhood may be detestable for some of their actions, I still believe in fair elections.
However, during the elections, it was also clear that the judges were being intimidated by the government in order to rule in their favor. According to the Human Rights Watch, judges who were accused by the public for frauding the elections were being unjustly victimized, and that the real perpetrators were the government and the election runners. Joseph Stork, deputy director of the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) division of Human Rights Watch, asserted,
Speaking of reform, Mubarak had an asset that helped him avoid reform and stick to his rather conservative policies. According to Edward Walker, U.S. ambassador to Egypt from 1994 to 1998, aid offers Mubarak's government an excuse to push aside reform and support "antiquated programs" instead of reforming them altogether. Charles Levinsons writes,
But there have been other things going on. Day after day, Egypt has seen a series of security tightenings, in response to the bombings in places like Sharm el Sheikh. Other than that, police also cracked down on protestors who were protesting against governmental corruption and for judicial and governmental reform. One of the most notable crackdowns involved the arrest of a prominent and award-winning blogger by the name of Alaa Abd el Fatah (though he's getting released soon, so this is good news). This, of course, is one of many protests that were quelled, as per AL Jazeera.
Whatever it is, Mubarak needs to step down. He has ruled Egypt long enough and quelled all sorts of reform and dissent, and has not kept his promises. If anything, what needs to be done is a freer election process, monitored by an international delegate or by Egyptian citizens themselves, to make sure that Egyptians get better representation. Furthermore, reforms must be done, because if that did not happen, Egypt might sink back into the Hoover days.
Salaam, from
Saracen
However, just when Egyptians thought that the elections were a promising sight, think again. One of the running parties, the Muslim Brotherhood, achieved popularity during the campaigning phase of the elections, but that wasn't going to be possible, and other parties had no chance of winning; this, of course, meant that the elections were mired with fraud. The Telegraph published a story about this issue. It was claimed by many politicians, including the liberal party leader Ayman Nour, that the elections were not fair in the sense that campaigning posters for people other than Mubarak were forbidden from being shown in villages and polling stations. Moreover, police prevented many voters from reaching polling stations, especially religious Muslims; while the Muslim Brotherhood may be detestable for some of their actions, I still believe in fair elections.
However, during the elections, it was also clear that the judges were being intimidated by the government in order to rule in their favor. According to the Human Rights Watch, judges who were accused by the public for frauding the elections were being unjustly victimized, and that the real perpetrators were the government and the election runners. Joseph Stork, deputy director of the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) division of Human Rights Watch, asserted,
"The government is punishing judges just for doing their job. It should be investigating the widespread evidence of voter intimidation, not shooting the messengers who reported the fraud."The voter intimidation happened during the elections, where police has barred people from voting, which occurred especially during the last few days of voting, according to the Washington Post. The police also went to the extent of firing tear gas and rubber bullets, and cordoned off all paths to the polling station. Also, a handful of people died as a result of the protests. Of course, such actions by the police, helped by the government, are representatitve of sheer tyranny on the part of the government, and helps Mubarak attain the upper hand in the elections. According to the Christian Science Monitor,
Wednesday's violence appeared to be a message that the government's promises of political reform stop well short of allowing the ruling National Democratic Party's (NDP) grip on parliament to be weakened. But that stance could complicate the US-Egyptian relationship in the coming months.Such empty promises were not fulfilled, and Mubarak easily won the elections, pushing away all sorts of reform.
"In the context of the past two years, particularly, the promises the NDP put forward about opening up, this has been a disastrous election,'' says Gasser Abdel-Razek, who coordinated poll monitoring for the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights. "The level of violence was about the same as the 2000 election, but it's not a fair comparison given the promises [President Hosni] Mubarak made, the expectations that were raised."
Eight people were killed in Wednesday's clashes, raising the toll for the entire election to 10, the same number killed in the 2000 election. Hundreds more were wounded and over 1,000 arrested. When US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Egypt earlier this year, she praised President Mubarak's commitment to democracy.
But the violence and other indications of fraud at the polls prompted the United States to express concern and dismay. On Wednesday, her spokesman Adam Ereli said recent events here "raise serious concerns about the path of political reform in Egypt." He said clashes with voters, the arrest of opposition candidates, and police abuse of journalists and election monitors "send the wrong signal about Egypt's commitment to democracy and freedom, and we see them as inconsistent with the Government of Egypt's professed commitment to increased political openness."
Speaking of reform, Mubarak had an asset that helped him avoid reform and stick to his rather conservative policies. According to Edward Walker, U.S. ambassador to Egypt from 1994 to 1998, aid offers Mubarak's government an excuse to push aside reform and support "antiquated programs" instead of reforming them altogether. Charles Levinsons writes,
Egypt's economy is deeply troubled. Unemployment has climbed to 25 percent, foreign investment last year dropped to a 20-year low, and until recently the currency was losing value on a weekly basis. Rather than helping, American aid is "depressing the need for reform," according to former Ambassador Walker.With the combined effects of unemployment, inflation and divestment, Egypt could face a depression similar to that of the American one in the Hoover years. Although Mubarak still receives aids grants from the U.S. and has recently tightened his grip on the country, we are still receiving no reply from the hypocritical rightwingers who denounce Arab leaders but still underhandedly are indifferent to support for such thugs.
But there have been other things going on. Day after day, Egypt has seen a series of security tightenings, in response to the bombings in places like Sharm el Sheikh. Other than that, police also cracked down on protestors who were protesting against governmental corruption and for judicial and governmental reform. One of the most notable crackdowns involved the arrest of a prominent and award-winning blogger by the name of Alaa Abd el Fatah (though he's getting released soon, so this is good news). This, of course, is one of many protests that were quelled, as per AL Jazeera.
Whatever it is, Mubarak needs to step down. He has ruled Egypt long enough and quelled all sorts of reform and dissent, and has not kept his promises. If anything, what needs to be done is a freer election process, monitored by an international delegate or by Egyptian citizens themselves, to make sure that Egyptians get better representation. Furthermore, reforms must be done, because if that did not happen, Egypt might sink back into the Hoover days.
Salaam, from
Saracen
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