The Revolution lives on in Egypt

It was about a year ago that the protesters started gathering at Tahrir Square to protest the authoritarian rule of then President Mubarak. The people gathering at Tahrir did not belong to a political party nor did they belong to one ideology, they were just ordinary people gathering there from all over Egypt. After decades of tyranny, these people had gathered taking hope from the events in Tunisia that had dislodged the tyrant there. They were hopeful yet a bit cynical of their success but through weeks of perseverance they managed to do something no one thought possible just 2 years ago; they got rid of Mubarak.  Everyone cheered, even his one time allies cheered as now it was assumed that Egypt was free at last.

But alas this was not the case. The tyrant had gone but the tyranny remained. The Military officially took over the matters of the state citing national security reasons and promised to give Egypt back to its people through elections. Initially people believed them, but as the time passed people slowly realized that the Military did not want to give back the control and instead wanted a permanent role. And even though elections would happen, the real power would remain with the Military. In addition to this the Military wanted to cement its place in politics by asking for a constitutional cover. So now here we are a year later at the same place where it all began and it feels like it never ended in the first place. The protestors are back and this time they are there to protest the Military that has hijacked their revolution.

Photo Credit: AFP

For Egyptians this might have come as a surprise but for anyone living in Turkey or Pakistan, they could see this coming from a mile away. You may be wondering how that is possible, how could people in Turkey and Pakistan see this coming when even the Egyptians were not completely sure. Well the answer to that is pretty simple actually. Egypt is where Turkey and Pakistan were years ago. Think of it this way, Egypt right now is at step 1 of a 3 step progression. They are at the stage where the Military comes out in the open and starts asking for Political Control through the constitution. This is the first instance where people see the military might being used against the common people to safeguard the interests of a few Generals.

Photo Credit: DAWN

Step 2 of this progression is where Pakistan is at currently. This is the part where the people get used to the military's meddling in Politics. By this stage even the Military figures out that there is absolutely no use  meddling directly in politics so they start doing it covertly by using intelligence agencies and other resources available to them. Instead of taking power directly, they start using the politicians to do their bidding. This is the stage where the politicians are still learning from their mistakes and tend to work against each other to have a shot at ruling the country. This is also the time when people start getting tired of politics slowly and the system just becomes sluggish. It’s roughly at this point that the people start saying things like 'so what if we have democracy... what good has it done for me?'. So to sum it up, the politicians are still weak and the military is still strong but what the public sees are the weak politicians bickering against each other. This is the most important phase because from here on the nation has a choice to either persevere and power ahead with the democracy or to relapse in to Step 1, where the Military steps in again. Pakistan has been stuck in this position for years and even now there are still fears of relapsing again. 

Photo Credit: Turkish Media

After surviving Step 2, a country reaches Step 3. That is where Turkey is right now. It has a democracy and over time the politicians have matured from fighting each other to working with each other for the common good. The economy is the main concern of the politicians and they start acting like the rulers of the country instead of being actors in a play written by someone else. Politicians have enough sense to work in tandem with each other to start taking on the traditionally oversized state within the state Military Establishment. And as the politicians get mature and the democracy stabilizes, the role of the Military reduces considerably. Eventually the Military is driven out of politics for good and any instance of meddling on their part is severely punished through a public trial.

So the point is, Egypt is starting out on a journey and it will make mistakes along the way but the key here is that it learns from its mistakes. Egyptians are fighting the right battles, if they can manage to restrict the Military's role starting out, their journey would be much simpler. Had Pakistan and Turkey managed to bring the Military under control at early stages they would have achieved a lot more. The revolution is 1 year old now but it still has a long way to go before the dream is achieved. So hang in there people of Egypt and enjoy the ride! 

*This post was originally written for KABOBfest.com