Features
The Beaver | 04.12.2012
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The Clever Authoritarian Egypt? At present, one can only say is that the Revolution has not yet exited the perilous stage where it may simply result in the re-emergence old authoritarian regime, only this time Islamic. There can be absolutely no doubt that Morsi knew what kind of reaction his new powers would inspire, nor how it would be interpreted in view of a Revolution that has already taken many unexpected twists and turns. In short, President Morsi is not a man to be underestimated – where others might have faltered in the face of massive opposition, he does not appear to be rescinding his decision anytime soon. This is vital for any future consideration of the Egyptian path to democracy – the President is more than willing to undertake
The timing of Mohamed Morsi’s declaration granting himself sweeping powers and placing himself beyond judicial oversight could not have been better, coming in only a day after the official end of Operation Pillar of Cloud in Gaza and at a time where much of international attention was directed towards the suffering of civilians there. On 30 November, Egypt’s constituent assembly (which had been boycotted by liberals and Christians) rushed through and approved a draft version of a new constitution, leading some to label it the ‘Muslim Brotherhood constitution’. While much of the Arab world busied itself with the standard fare of condemning the Israeli tyrants, the Egyptian President has been able to avoid the international spotlight that might make his latest move in securing power more difficult. Dictator in the making, or protector of the Arab Spring? It is still too early to tell – what we do know, however, is that Morsi is a very clever man. When the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) took over in Egypt, many expected nothing less than the continuation of the old regime under a military junta, not the new supposed figurehead of a president dismissing their decree curbing presidential powers. When this in turn seemed likely to result in a showdown in the constitutional court, even fewer expected Morsi to place himself beyond their jurisdiction as he had done so on 22 November, effectively combining a strong executive, an ignored judiciary and a legislature controlled by Islamists – the perfect mixture for authoritarianism. Already several major protests have taken place in Cairo and elsewhere in Egypt, protesting the decree of a man the parliamentary opposition has derogatorily labeled ‘the new pharaoh’. Yet without the same degree of international coverage or support from the Arab world, again too busy concerning itself with Gaza, the protests could not sustain themselves. From the classic slogan of ‘the people want the downfall of the regime’, the protests slowly reduced to calling for the removal of President Morsi, to calling for constitutional reform, to a mere occupation of Tahrir Square. The ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ constitution is likely to spark major protests again, something that the Egyptian people must never cease to conduct if they wish to secure the freedom that they had fought so hard for. What does this mean for
DONKEYHOTEY
Dominic Hung
controversial actions others may shirk from. The major worry now is that Morsi will utilize this power to its greatest extent even after adopting the new constitution in a few weeks time, allowing himself and the Muslim Brotherhood to further dictate the future course of Egypt. Already Morsi has shown himself to be more ideologically close with Hamas in Gaza, playing a pivotal role in securing the ceasefire there – though this should be considered from a strategic aspect as well, in attempting to lure Hamas away from the Shiite fold of Iran, Syria and Hezbollah. One of the greatest dangers challenging emerging democracies like Egypt is who gets to define how the democracy works and who
gets to be part of it – at the moment, the Islamists appear to be inching ever closer to being the only ones fulfilling both criteria. Egypt’s fate may not lie in the hands of one man or group, as the overthrow of Mubarak certainly showed, but its current direction certainly does. The key indicator is yet to come – will Morsi relinquish this power when the time comes for him to do so and ensure the new constitution is one that will not only serve the interests of Islamists, or is this merely another stepping stone to achieving the kind of power the Muslim Brotherhood could only dream of having under Mubarak’s regime? We will know in a few weeks time – until then, the Egyptian people must never stop making their voices – and discord – heard.