| 2010-02-01 00:00:00 : Egypt > Opinion |
“What are the guarantees for the integrity of the elections in Egypt?” |
| On January 31, the independent Al-Mesryoon daily carried the following opinion piece by former Egyptian ambassador in Saudi Arabia, Dr. Abdullah al-Ashaal: “President Mubarak reiterated on more than one occasion that he was planning to hold free and honest People’s Assembly, Shura Council and presidential elections. How did the people in Egypt and in the outside world read into these reassurances? The first remark we have is that the authority knows very well that the people do not trust it, while the people believe that the authority is trying to harm them without any reasonable justification. Therefore, all that is governmental became a symbol of corruption and a lack of seriousness, just like each governmental statement started provoking the people in light of all the statements and promises they heard [even] as the situation keeps on deteriorating. “At the level of the elections, Egypt has become known for its historical falsification of the votes of the people, to the point where the latter no longer need to cast their votes since the authority has relived them of that burden. Consequently, the people will not believe that the elections will be honest unless the authority were to recognize the falsification it has perpetrated, announce its repentance and learned that the people are the source of the political authorities which were not appointed through a divine decision. The second remark is that the falsification of the elections has become among the most important accomplishments of the government and maybe even Egypt’s greatest exportation product. “In this context, I do not know how the officials and deputies feel, knowing that the deputy who was appointed through a decision and whose papers were falsified, is still talking about dignity, sovereignty, independence and honor...? The third remark is that the authority knows very well that the [National Democratic] Party is the state and that no Egyptian will amount to something in his country if he is outside the Party. Moreover, it is pointless to talk about the encouragement of the establishment of parties and political participation, since the fate of all these slogans is known and since they are a mere new scam. Therefore, the people have started to wish that these officials would just shut up and stop making things worse and that the country is managed quietly in a way that the people believe will lead them to the abyss in light of the blackout, the lies and the deception... “The fourth remark is that if the president truly wants to leave something behind for this country, he should say the truth... Indeed, falsification has extended to all aspects of life, to the point where the people no longer trust anything. This crisis of trust between the people and the authority is the greatest challenge to modern Egypt. The fifth remark is that since the determination to hold free elections is confirmed, there are steps and measures which must be secured to ensure the integrity of the elections, namely the relinquishing by the Interior Ministry of the team of bullies to which it resorts on every occasion because it is unfit for Egypt’s authority to employ bullies in the twenty first century... “The time has come for Egypt to fix this lethal mistake of falsifying the will of the people and exporting this practice to the region, while the team of intellectuals who were unfairly considered as such are promoting the corruption of this regime as their presence is the biggest proof of this corruption. I thus advise them to find other jobs because the current wager is on that other Egypt which will only be erected through the people who will rise in rejection of the falsification.” - Al-Mesryoon, Egypt |
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