Over the past two weeks, the people of Egypt have taken to the streets. They are protesting unemployment, poverty and corruption in the government. Over the past 30 years, Egyptians have been under the control of autocratic leader, Hosni Mubarak. In 1953, Egypt became a Republic, which consisted of a president, prime minister, cabinet, Advisory Council, People’s Assembly, and Supreme Constitutional Court. Despite this, the Egyptian people have had many issues creating a truly democratic and free country.
Most protesting will explain that they want a new president, a wider availability of jobs, and better education. Some say that Mubarak and the current government are corrupt, and they want this to change. Others may say that the government is not corrupt, but nothing has changed for them during the past thirty years, which is why they joined in the protesting. Poverty is an extreme social issue for Egypt. 20 to 30 percent of Egyptians live below the poverty line. This is not a good sign for any country. Many want Mubarak out so that a new leader, who is not related to him, can take over and help build Egypt into a stronger, more stable nation by bringing the change necessary. However, this will not guarantee immediate better conditions, as some hope for.
After the protests started on January 25, 2011, Mubarak acted fast. At first, he sent out police to try and contain the chaos, but they did not have enough force to do so. In some cases, they resorted to using rubber bullets, tear gas, and fire hoses. At one point, police were shooting into crowds with live ammunition, killing and injuring many. This was a smaller, yet still important concern among Egyptians: police brutality. Mubarak then shut off access to Twitter, Facebook, and eventually the entire internet and cell phones. The next line of defense was the army, which did little due to the fact that many men in the army are friends and relatives of those protesting. About one week later, regime supporters came out and began fighting with the protestors. Violence escalated once pro-government supporters came into the picture. Many reports of rocks being thrown and head injuries surfaced after this. On February 1, 2011 Mubarak announced he would not run for office in September. Although this was good news, it was not good enough for protestors. They wanted Mubarak out right away.
The people of Egypt waited a very long time to begin these protests. In fact, the idea did not cross the minds of many until witnessing a shift of power due to protests in Tunisia in December 2010. Egypt is barely a democracy. The elections are rigged, the courts do not even bother with decisions that could possibly be considered opposed to current government policy, and the economy is deteriorating. “The present pseudo-stability based on repression is a ticking bomb that is dangerously close to exploding. Lasting stability in Egypt, as in any nation, will come only through genuine democracy that responds fairly to the needs and aspirations of all its people”(ElBaradei). To create a genuine democracy, different people must be the ones in charge.
Egyptians hope for change, so that their children will live better lives, in a better nation. They wish to promote freedom that many others in the world have. The style of government that once worked, will not work any longer. People cannot be repressed once they have a taste of this freedom. As with many shifts of power, things will get worse before they get better, if in fact, they can get better. Sadly, this may mean war depending on who is elected. If someone who despises Israel is elected, war will be waged on Israel, other countries may join in, and many more issues will sprout. Gas prices will rise if the Suez Canal is no longer functional. If Egyptians want to live their lives in freedom and be protected by their government, rather than controlled and hurt by it, they must elect someone who is willing to work extremely hard to build a stable Egypt back up again or a non-Islamic Fundamentalist leader who will not wage war on Israel. As for the US, the next leader of Egypt could determine the fate of the US as well. If the wrong person gets elected or put in power somehow, there is always the issue of nuclear war.
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