By Georgianna Reilly, LMSW
SJS Staff Writer
President Mohammed Mursi, new president of Egypt and past leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood, has declared that the courts he has helped reestablish after the Arab Spring Egyptian protests cannot overturn any presidential decrees he has established since his election. According to CNN and BBC news,this decree expands President Mursi’s powers in a way some see as undiplomatic and opposite of what the party and Mursi had fought for in this past election. The decree protects against things such as, but not limited to, dissolving the controversial Assembly drafting the new Egyptian constitution. In addition, the decree came with the firing of Egytp’s prosecutor general who has been criticized for not acting fast enough in charging those accused of protester deaths during the 2011 uprising.
Mursi’s decree seems to sparking new conflict and schism between the government and citizens of Egypt. It has been claimed by some as an act to protect protesters and Egypt’s citizens while others, including Egyptians Judges, suggest that it is an attack against diplomacy and governmental rights. As a result, both government and citizen strikes and protests opposing and supporting the decree have begun to spark up across the country. Clashes between citizens and police, as well as civilian deaths, have already occurred
So, what are we looking at here? Are we looking at a uprising that never went away and which was never resolved? Are we looking at governmental styles that are so ingrained in our societies that nothing, not even the will of the people, can change them? Or, are we looking at a new era where we will see a shift in power, government, and the involvement of citizens in government that will forever change the politics of the world? Whatever the answer is one thing is for sure: the country is still in frail condition, and tensions are still high from the 2011 protests so this is a thin ice situation, one which could turn deadlier and worse at any moment.
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Problem is that you have a very fragile democracy based on a long-entrenched state apparatus of dictatorship. Morsi is exploiting this fully, at the risk of what could easily turn into a civil war. Though why he would risk it, in a state where the military has historically been secular, I’m not sure- he could easily end up deposed by military, and have that move supported by the people. One has to remember- the people’s revolution in Egypt only caused a military coup- Mubarak was deposed by Army, not people– and that power still lurks behind the throne. History has a long line of newly elected folks that quickly revert to dictatorial ways- not to evoke Godwin’s Law, but there is no better example of this than Adolf Hitler- he was freely elected as well.
I only hope this does not escalate the tension that already exists in the Middle East-I would love to see countries embrace peace, embrace the acceptance of those that have a different view, a different culture, a different religion and promote trade. I do not want to see another WW II! One was enough and I had hoped that humanity would have learned from the past already, but it does not appear that way……
Michael, so true. These trends are all too common and unfortunately in the scheme of things make sense. Vikki, I wish that was a possibility!