Observations from Egypt

November 28, 2011, was a momentous day in Egypt’s history, because Egyptians got to vote freely in national elections. It was also a historic day in my voting history: for the very first time in my life I got to vote in an Egyptian parliamentary election. This was the first of three planned stages of parliamentary elections; and it included 9 governorates, including the areas of Cairo, Alexandria, Assuit and Fayoum. (Officially, the parliamentary elections will be completed in January 2012.)

My voting station was the same station I got to vote back in March during the constitutional referendum. It was at El Kawmeyya School in the 6th district of Kasr El Neel, in the neighborhood of Zamalek, Cairo. This time I did not only go as a voter, but I got to participate as an observer. What is most interesting about my voting station is that it was characterized as having one of the longest lines in Cairo and having mostly women voters.

Inside the voting station, the process begins in manner pretty similar to the U.S., in that voters get their names checked off a list after showing their Egyptian national ID as a proof of identity. Voters are then given two voting cards, a pink card for the party list and a huge white voting card for the individual candidates. For the party list, voters got to select from a mixture of 10 parties or political blocks. While for the individual list, one got to pick 2 out of 67 individual candidates. Interestingly, each of the individual candidates or political parties was represented by different symbol, such as a pyramid, motorcycle, apple or soccer ball, and a number. The symbols and numbers help the illiterate as well as those who don't remember the names of their favored parties or candidates.

The voter then goes behind a curtain to select the candidates. The pink and white voting cards are then folded and placed in two separate boxes. Lastly, voters must dip one finger in purple ink (as opposed to pink ink during the referendum vote). The ink is very hard to get rid of and that is a guarantee that voters do not vote more than once. I still have the ink stuck to my pinky since Monday!

As an observer, the voting process at Al Kawmeyya School went very smoothly and peacefully. I did not notice any major violations. Violence was absent due to a plan that was set up by the Egyptian armed forces, in coordination with the Egyptian security forces, that protected my voting station and other voting stations around Cairo and other governorates. In addition, the neighborhood committee that protected Zamalek during the revolution was present outside the school to control the voter lines and assist/guide the elderly to their appropriate voting booths inside the school.

I was truly impressed to see so much enthusiasm and excitement in the voting process. One of my friends was in tears telling me it was a great feeling for her to vote and she felt that Egypt is moving in the right direction. I also believe this voting experience was a milestone and another step towards democracy in Egypt, despite fears of the Islamists winning a majority in the parliament.

First round voters, including those in my 6th district of Kasr El Neel, will get to cast their ballots again on the short list for the individual candidates during the first week in December. The repeat is most likely to happen for more than 120 candidates in each district. In my district, re-runs will be on December 5 and 6 between Mohamed Abu Hamed (From the Kotla El Masreyya Coalition, a liberal grouping) and Kheidr (Adala & Horreyya party, which is aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood). Of course, I plan to cast my vote again in hopes that my choice for my district, who is also the choice of the majority of the people I know, wins during the repeat.

My Reaction to This Week's Events in Egypt

The counter revolutionaries may have succeeded in creating a battle Tuesday night that turned the people against the police and government once again, but they haven't won their war against the revolution and the reformists. The incidents, which included street battles and violence in Tahrir Square that resulted in over 1000 casualties, was likely reaction to this week's court decision to dissolve the local councils (el Magalis El Ma7alleyya) that employed remnants of the old regime.

Some Egyptians perceive that the events were orchestrated by former and current government heads that are still loyal to the old regime. Tuesday's events at the Balloon Theater was a perfect opportunity for those who want to cause chaos and instability to the country, a great chance to turn the people against the police after the relationship between the citizens and the police was slowly being rectified in many areas around the country.

I am all for pressuring the government to compensate the families of the revolutionary martyrs and to conduct speedy and transparent trials for the Mubaraks, other former regime leaders and corrupt businessmen. But more importantly, those who were accused of killing the martyrs and injuring the protesters should get their punishment first. I also believe that the trials should be fair, where each of the accused should get an equal punishment to fit his or her crimes. Nothing more and nothing less.

I also believe former President Hosni Mubarak should be transferred to Torra Jail Hospital. His stay in Sharm El Sheikh is very provocative. It has killed tourism in the city, turning it into a ghost town, based on my sources. If the authorities think that Torra's Jail Hospital is inappropriate for Mubarak, then it is for definitely inappropriate for any other human being. In that case, how about fixing it and fixing all hospitals around the country and treating every Egyptian patient with dignity and conscience?

People need to use their heads wisely and act peacefully to accomplish all of our demands for freedom and democracy. Corruption needs to be eradicated without violence, clashes or chaos, but rather through peaceful and legal negotiations between the leaders of the revolution and the government. Anger and violent clashes will take us nowhere. Enough is enough!

Reactions to Obama's ME Speech

Our own Dina El-Gebaly, a CWCP Fellow, has conducted three interviews to give us a better idea of what Egyptians thought of Obama's ME speech from last week. 

(1) A reaction to Obama’s speech by Mr. Alsherif Wahdan. He is a civil engineer / project manager and also a fund manager in private equity and real estate funds.

DEG: Were you aware that Obama was giving a speech yesterday?
AW: Yes, I was.

DEG: Was Obama’s speech was necessary?
AW: Yes, I think it was a good idea. Egypt needs international and U.S. support economically and politically.

DEG: What did you think of Obama's speech?
AW: I think it was good. I do not know how the U.S. plans to implement an entrepreneurial program in Egypt and Tunisia, but I am all ears and eyes!

(2) A reaction by Mr. Mohamed Moussa. He works as business development and marketing director in a multinational, working in the field of environment.

DEG: Were you aware that Obama was giving a speech yesterday?
MM: I was aware he was going to give a speech, I listened to it.

DEG: Was Obama’s speech was necessary?
MM: The speech was very important and I think it was necessary.

DEG: What did you think of Obama's speech?
MM: The speech wanted to express that the United States is loyal to its values, and that it supports democracy and freedom, which is very important and essential at this stage. Besides, it's very good to remind all parties that the United States is still committed to solve the Arab Israeli conflict.

(3) A reaction by my friend Tamer Badereldin, Chairman & CEO of a publicly traded company, as well as co-founder and Chairman of the Entrepreneurs Business Forum (EBF); the first local NGO to focus solely on the promotion of Entrepreneurship in Egypt.

DEG: What did you think of Obama's speech?
TB: It wasn't necessary for us, but I think that it was aimed to reengage the different stake holders in the Middle East, as well as reassure Israel of U.S. support. (elections are coming up after all). I believe that the United States found itself possibly out of the game after years of using the Mubarak (and other Arab regimes) to legitimize its role as peace broker. The Arab regimes accepted the status quo and acted out of a stance of weakness. Now the Arab people are saying enough!! The leaders are gone, and Israeli acceptance in the region depends on the Israelis appeasing Arab popular opinion. As the Arab Spring grows, and the Arab populations are free to seek their own destiny, it is clear that a new player has joined the game, and I believe that Obama was trying to engage that new player by [making] some promises as well as defining the rules of the game in hopes that the Arab people will engage the United States as the 'middle East peace broker' and not seek a solution outside the United States' scope.

An Update on the Referendum

I just heard on the afternoon news that the process of counting the vote is still going on and it might take another day to announce the results. I know that in my neighborhood of Zamalek the result was 81.5% NO. My friends from the Populace Committee worked hard all day helping the judges monitor the voting location, escorting the elderly and helping the judges count the votes.

It looks like most of the rural areas have voted "Yes," while most of the elite areas have voted "NO." Regardless of the results of the vote, it was great seeing the Egyptian people being so enthusiastic about participating in the voting process, knowing that every vote counts and that their participation has a great impact. It is a great step towards democracy. I also think whoever our New President is going to be, he will definitely have to work on drafting a new constitution.

As I am writing this message, there is an update from ONTV news: 60-65% of the overall vote seems to be "Yes." The final results will be out tonight!

Egypt's Constitutional Referendum

Tomorrow, March 19th, 2011 is supposed to mark a momentous day in Egypt’s history. Egyptians from all walks of life are voting "Yes" or "No"on a referendum of proposed constitutional amendments.

In my case, and the case of many Egyptian activists, political leaders and members of my community, who were part of the January 25th Revolution, we all have decided on voting "NO" on what is considered to be patched constitutional changes that would only benefit remnants of the old regime and members of the National Democratic Party (NDP) and Muslim Brotherhood (MB).

One of the main demands of the Egyptian Revolution was the creation of a new and democratic constitution. Ultimately, that is what we would like to achieve. By rejecting the amendments with a majority "NO" vote, we hope Egypt’s interim leaders decide to scrap the amendment process and begin rewriting the constitution.

The authorities assured us that it would be a fair referendum. But I am alarmed by news I heard today and news I have been hearing over the past few days from different sources. Supposedly, members of NDP and MB intend to use incentives to sway citizens to vote Yes" tomorrow. Furthermore, both groups are purportedly paying people all over Egypt to form long lines at voting locations to deter people from voting.

I will be waking up early and going with my neighbors to vote at a nearby school. Members of our neighborhood committee are planning to guard the voting station from thugs and protect the referendum’s monitors. I am not as excited as I was about the referendum after hearing about the alleged dirty tactics. All I can do is hope for the best and do my part by voting.

An Interview, Part II

Once again, Dina El-Gebaly, our CWCP Fellow in Cairo, is helping us figure out what some Egyptians are thinking and feeling nowadays, during this revolutionary period. This time, Dina has interviewed Abbas Fahmy, an Egyptian political activist whom she met while on neighborhood patrol. Both Dina and Abbas are members of the same neighborhood watch group, the Zamalek Guardians. Mr. Fahmy, 44, is married and a father of two beautiful children. He is a marketeer by education and an executive film producer by profession. Thanks to his father's profession, Abbas has lived the first 25 years of his life in different countries around the world. Cairo has been his permanent residence since 1991. This interview took place during the second week of March 2011.

Dina El-Gebaly: Did you support/were you against the Revolution? Why?

Abbas Fahmy: I definitely supported the revolution from the very first moment I heard about the call for demonstrations on Jan 25th (however skeptical I was at first about its chances of success). Now it makes me wish I had the courage to have been among the initiators, the spark for it since Dr. Mohamed El-Baradei has been calling for change. How could I not be? I have been a by-stander all my life, a witness to all the filth, abuse and corruption that were rampant and omnipresent in our life.

DEG: Did you participate in the protests? If so, what was it like to participate in an actual revolution? Describe your experience.

AF: Yes! I participated on Jan 25th in Tahrir Square and on the infamous Friday 28th on Qasr El Nil Bridge. It was a rush, a high that is unequaled. It gave me a sense of pride that I was doing something right, something that was not only for my personal gain but for the gain of every fellow Egyptian that I know or don't know, whether alive or yet to be born.

It's worthy of mention that on the morning of Tuesday [the] 25th we knew that the police was in state of total frenzy and panic. We had been tuning in on their communications.

After that fateful "Day of Rage" was done and the curfew was decreed, I had the sinking feeling that the revolution will prevail. It was the moment I understood that it had reached the "point of no return." The momentum gathered was unstoppable. It was "them" against everyone else. I had realized that it was a do or die. At a later stage I turned my efforts more towards keeping the momentum alive and the information flow going.

DEG: Did you use any social media tools (Facebook, Twitter, cell phones) to communicate about/debate events in Egypt during the revolution?

AF: Just like millions of us, I was glued to the all the technology I could use. Facebook, emails, cell phones, Instant messaging, Skype were not a routine, they were the ONLY routine. Of course, then came the decision to cut off the Internet and then the cell phone services of all 3 providers on Friday [the] 28th. I truly believe that waking up on Friday with no way to communicate actually helped inflame the situation and pushed even more people to pour into the streets. The communication black-out emboldened and aggravated us all even more and we found other, albeit primitive, ways to communicate.

DEG: Did the Muslim Brotherhood play any role during the revolution? What are your predictions of their future political role?

AF: Initially they did not. But later the presence of their sympathizers, without interference and trying to hijack the movement, definitely helped the cause.

I believe that the time has come for their presence to be recognized and for them to have representation, hoping that the moderate ones among them will work for the overall good of the country and not to push an extremist agenda. I laugh at countries, namely Israel, that ring the bells of fear and warn the world about them when they themselves have fundamentalist [views] among their government. The Likud party itself is built on extremist Jewish ideologies. So to all those people I say: Fear not and have faith in the intelligence of the Egyptian people.

DEG: Is there anything you would like to communicate to people who weren't in Egypt during the revolution?

AF: To all the Tunisians I say thank you for showing us that it CAN be done. To all the Egyptians that live abroad I say your support and anguish were strongly felt and your online activism was equally important. To those who decided to flee the country I say: You missed it all! You will never appreciate the taste of what has been achieved as much those who fought for it.

DEG: What are your major fears and concerns about the current political & social situation in Egypt?

AF: The unpreparedness. Since time immemorial (since ancient Egypt), Egyptians have neither been accustomed to choose their leader nor to freely voice their opinion or discontent. What is expected to happen is the initial chaos and status of "free-for-all" that we are currently in. Democracy is not only a process, it's also a culture. It will take time to breed it.

DEG: Are you optimistic or pessimistic about Egypt's future?

AF: I am super optimistic! Mainly for one reason: the old regime will never come back. It will have its place in history books - hopefully under a chapter called "the dark ages of Egypt." We will make mistakes, that's for sure, but the only way is going forth. I am a believer in the overall genuineness of Egyptians.

An Interview

Here is a special treat for CWCP followers/readers. In order to give everyone a better idea of what it was like to live through and participate in the so-called Egyptian Revolution, CWCP Fellow Dina El-Gebaly conducted an interview with Randa Haggag, a friend of Dina’s and an Egyptian political activist. Ms. Haggag has studied business, currently works as Head of Marketing for a Multinational Corporation and also owns a Modern Egyptian Fashion Line. The interview was conducted during the first week of March 2011.

Dina El-Gebaly: Did you support/were you against the Revolution? Why?

Randa Haggag: With the revolution. [Because] Egypt was not a livable place anymore and radical change had to take place to improve things. Corruption and poverty were just eating out everyone's life.

DEG: Did you participate in the protests? If so, what was it like to participate in an actual revolution? Describe your experience.

RH: Yes starting the 28th of Feb. I wrote a 25 page document on my experience and feelings, but in a nutshell. The demonstrations gave me the opportunity to live Egypt the way I want to see it. People were so civilized, aware, decent, tolerant, smiling and cooperative, it was the best time of my life. Even though we had so many different sectors of the society participating, we all found one ground and one objective and nothing else mattered.

DEG: Did you use any social media tools (Facebook, Twitter, cell phones) to communicate about/debate events in Egypt during the revolution?

RH: Yes. All.

DEG: Did the Muslim Brotherhood play any role during the revolution? What are you predictions of their future political role?

RH: The beauty of this revolution is that it was purely national, with all sects participating equally. So, NO, MBs were not playing any special role in this revolution. You had AUC [The American University in Cairo] graduates, along with [illiterate people], all joining forces to live. Even when one of the parties would try to take a mike and start preaching, [people] would snap at them and refuse the [speech] saying: national, national, our revolution is national, not based on sect or on a specific party.

The other beauty is that we discovered the MBs in this revolution. We were as frightened from them as you are now, but after getting a little closer to them, I can say they saved my life on Wednesday the 2nd of Feb when the Regime sent horses and camel and thugs to finish us. They joined the Tahrir square [because] everyone was calling for the world to save us and they helped us organize ourselves and in [consequence] win.

I will never vote for an MB government [because] I am liberal, but I am not terrified anymore. I will join another party to make sure they remain in their right place. This revolution made us get closer as a nation on so many fronts.

DEG: Is there anything you would like to communicate to people who weren't in Egypt during the revolution?

RH: To the Egyptians living abroad, [we] need your support on all fronts: political, economical and moral. There will come a point when we will want you to come back to Egypt to join our reform. We need your expertise.

To the rest of the world: Thanks for those who supported us and spoke highly of our peaceful revolution. Come for tourism to speed up the economy cycle [because] we have so much to worry about and the immediate thing is to ensure all social classes of the 85 Million citizens have enough food for the coming 6 month to a year, which is not the case now.

DEG: What are your major fears and concerns about the current political and social situation in Egypt?

RH: I want Dr. Baradei to be president in order to pursue the revolutionary steps of reform. He is our reflection in a Regime and we are his reflection in the streets, homes and offices. I don’t want a president that will come to dilute the essence of the revolution and turn the reform into another personal agenda.

On [the] social front, like our professor Galal Amin said, it is just matter of time until the Egyptians will adapt to the new Regime where 'trust' is the foundation. Then, the Egyptian good manners and morals will prevail once again.

DEG: Are you optimistic or pessimistic about Egypt's future?

RH: VERY optimistic. It is the only way FORWARD. People died for that cause and we have no option but to make it work for the best of our country.

A Dispatch from Egypt

I went to Tahrir Square with my revolutionary friends today to listen to the new Prime Minister Mr. Essam Sharaf’s speech. We tried to squeeze through the crowds to get close to the stage from which he was giving his speech, but unfortunately it was too crowded to get through so we returned back to our spot. The speakers were not loud enough for us to hear from our spot, but we read the his speech on updates on my friend’s blackberry, then we later on watched the speech on television when we got home.

We finally have a descent, respectable, honest man with integrity. He is someone who really cares about the best interest of Egypt and Egyptians. He has a really tough job ahead of him that requires patience and persistence. We give him all our support and stand by him in all his efforts to regain stability, security and in rebuilding our beloved Egypt. This article translates his speech and includes updates on a major incident that took place in Alexandria, Egypt today.

On the personal front, I have been elected today as a Project Manager for Zamalek Guardians (which is my neighborhood populace committee). I will be attending a neighborhood meeting tomorrow at noon to meet other elected heads and get to know neighbors. Our neighborhood’s reputation resonated all over Cairo as the most secure during the revolution. We did a great job protecting it from looters and thugs. I am still planning on writing a piece on this part of the revolution, but the developments in Egypt and around the region have kept me super busy. I will keep everyone posted!

2/11 in Egypt

Statement # 2, issued today by the Egyptian Armed Forces, was delivered by an Egyptian TV announcer, unlike yesterday's Statement #1, which was made by an Armed Forces Official. Statement #2 guarantees that all the promises in Mubarak’s statement last night would be implemented.

Egyptian citizens predicted and feared that there would be bloodshed today and the government might use force. I believe it is highly unlikely since it is the weekend and the protesters still have the right to demonstrate peacefully. I also believe that the government would give verbal warnings before using force if life does not go back to normal by Sunday, which is the beginning of the work week in Egypt.

After Mubarak’s statement last night, there were feelings of mistrust and confusion among many protesters, while others interpreted his statement as a sign that his resignation is imminent.

It is apparent that what is underway is a gradual preparation for our full demands to be met. There will likely be several statements from Mubarak, Omar Suleiman, as well as the Armed forces before we hear that Mubarak has indeed stepped down. Rumor has it that he has already left the country and that his statement from yesterday was pre-recorded. 

I have asked my friends not to panic as I have a really good feeling about how things would unfold in the next couple of days.

It is a dramatic day in Egypt. Friday prayers have just ended and protesters are still defiant at Tahrir Square and all over Egypt. Millions are preparing to head towards Tahrir Square, including myself.

Stay posted for updates from me!

2/10 in Egypt

Just came back couple of hours ago from Tahrir Square after spending joyous hours full of hope in hearing that Mubarak would step down. The feelings of joy and hope have turned into feelings of major dismay and disappointment! There is confusion and anger on the streets of Egypt. Everyone is telling us to be careful about going tomorrow. I doubt that they would attack peaceful protesters, but I still feel major fear!