Mohammed Morsi came to power by popular vote and expectations of democracy. Has he delivered? Most would say not so much. Now with the rough draft of Egypt’s new constitution well on its way, many are saying they hear whispers of another revolution.
Morsi has given himself almost supreme power in the country and it is now rumored that he is more powerful than his predecessor Hosni Mubarak. Morsi is refusing to back off of his position and his new power grab and this, many sources claim, is going to push Egypt over the edge and back into a revolutionary state for the second time in as many years.
On Thursday, many Egyptian members of the constitutional panel walked out over concerns of legitimacy relating to the panel. Many of them were Christians and Liberal members of politics. Earlier this week the streets of Tahrir Square were once alive again with revolution when over two hundred thousand Morsi detractors took to the streets to protest the unprecedented power grab.
The Muslim Brotherhood, as well as many of the Islamic groups that back the embattled president, have planned a rally in Tahrir Square as well, hoping to bolster the image of the president and draw support from the Egyptian people who will soon be voting on a new constitution if all goes well.
Morsi has little choice but to continue on and try to stand firm. He has already had to weather a series of embarrassments and exhibitions of weakness. Morsi recently fired the nations top prosecutor before having to reinstate him due to lack of power. However, since Morsi declared himself above the law the prosecutor has now been fired permanently.
Although it seems most unlikely that any attempt will be made against the Morsi Administration, there are some that seem to think otherwise. Many columnist and newspaper reports have told the country to brace for the possibility of civil war. It would appear to this writer that Morsi could be in some limited political upheaval; it hardly amounts to civil war.
The only exception to this is if Morsi attempts to grab more power or to push the country into extremism too fast. Egypt has voted and Morsi won a mere 51% of the vote. This tells me that while he is popular, he is not all that popular and his margin could narrow rapidly. Egyptian just finished throwing off the chains of an oppressive government which means they are not afraid to do it again. When you take this into account, with what is happening across the region in Syria, it is clear that no leader is safe as they used to be in their respective Middle Eastern Fiefdoms.
I would like to close with a thought and how all this relates to us half a world away in America. Everyone needs to remember that Morsi is a person that Barack Obama helped to install. Barack Obama told America that we were helping to install democracy in Egypt.
Well, it is my opinion that this is not democracy and that if given the time and the space Morsi will become a despot just like Mubarak. Yet the president does not condemn this man for trampling the rights of his citizens and stealing power that is not for him. Instead we continue to aid the next major dictator in Egypt.
I wonder how Israel feels about our new found friend? Better still, I wonder if Obama cares how our only ally in the Middle East feels?
Image: Egyptian protester during the 2011 Egyptian revolution; courtesy of The lion of Egyptian revolution; uploaded by The Egyptian Liberal; author: Kodak Agfa from Egypt
