The Egyptian Regime and the Muslim Brotherhood Eternal Game

It has been a while since I blogged last time. Simple as such, I was traveling and sometimes traveling gets me so overwhelmed that it takes sometime to be back to normal. I am glad to be back here again. It is not so bad also to change the tempo of life by stopping some of the daily ritual habits.

However, I was watching and following Egypt’s latest well-performed election fiction movie where incidents of violence between the government’s National Democratic Party and the “banned” Muslim Brother marred the so called parliamentarian elections.

Election is a word the world likes to hear to but as a matter of fact the turn out in the Egyptian elections is low that it could pose the question of the legitimacy of the current regime according to our constitution. So this is our electgion.

When I went to cast my vote in the parliamentarian elections, I had to sign next to my name in a big book of not less than 400 names of eligible voters, I was the only person. The glass ballot box was empty. There was no line, I took my time and others in a very relaxed manner.

The news of electoral violence from Egypt appears to be disturbing. The Banned Muslim Brotherhood is battling with our innocent government over parliamentarian seats to the extent of injuring and shooting. The news and the events meant to be disturbing and alarming. There is no doubt or argument that Egypt lost its political credibility. There is not much left to play with in the political arena. And what is happening in Egypt cannot be subjected to the international political norms or standards which makes those rotten statements as reform is homegrown a big lie. If this is the promised homegrown political and economic reform, then I have preference to the no home grown reform.

On the other hand, an international Coptic conference held in Washington DC dashes hopes for true calls for democracy. Why Coptic Egyptians turned the cause as if it is the Muslim brotherhood versus the Copts. It is a democracy and freedom problem that what we are suffereing from in Egypt. If there is a true democracy, there could had never been a problem for Egyptian Copts, Jews, disbelievers or any Egyptians who believe that their rights have been usurped.

Now the Parliamentarian elections process was reduced to a battle between the government and banned Muslim brotherhood. It is such a naïve political game is meant to make us believe that the presence and the continuation of the current regime is protecting us against the evils of the Muslim Brotherhood in a country that pretends to be secular. It is either the regime or the Islamists.

The Government-Muslim Brotherhood game achieves several goals:

• The regime can remain forever as the only safe alternative.
• The Muslim Brotherhood remains as a threat to the world. Egypt, one of the major allies of the US in the Middle East, is taken by Islamists….what an ending.
• The whole world was made to believe that Egypt had fair presidential and parliamentarians elections. Another message is sent here, the bad democracy and freedom are bringing to power Islamists that's why dictatorship has to remain. As a result Egyptians have to remain oppressed the rest of their lives.
• The idea of releasing and detaining the members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood and the recent sectarian violence in Alexandria bring the gloomiest image for the future of Egypt.

The reality is:

• Egyptians did not go to vote in both the presidential and parliamentarians elections to have a clear judgment on what is truly happening. I do not know anyone in my circle that went to vote. When I announced that I voted, I was met with smiles and some comments of sarcasm. And the reason why I went is because I did not want anyone to fill in my name on my behalf and not because I believe in the integrity of the electoral process in Egypt
• Elections were rigged. Monitors were hampered from doing their work.
• Constituencies were divided among candidates in a way to guarantee specific results that we all know, Islamists and NDP.

Well-done play as usual and suits the political deteriorations Egypt is witnessing. Why keep a dog and bark yourself?