Once he drove against the traffic, and when I pointed that to him that such is prohibited he laughed saying “this is the only way I can drive you to the Hotel. Another time on my way to the bank, he started honking while standing in the red light and when I asked why he was doing that his answer was “everyone is doing the same”, as if irrationality reigns when the acquired habits are wrong. Lately, youth broke the laws thinking that such would enable to implement the new structure that they hurriedly designed without ample thought or debate and everyone who has a gripe, however trivial, would express it by small group demonstrations. Garbage lay everywhere and was not collected and the list goes on.
This is not to assign blame on anyone but to illustrate how matters have been allowed to deteriorate while the Western media are still referring to Morsi as the “First democratically elected president of Egypt”
Yes, on January 25- 2011, the youth demanded more freedoms and dignity. The following few months delivered less of each, and when Morsi came to power they experienced smothering repression, dangerous decrease in tourism, foreign investments came to a halt, increasing crime, a concocted constitution, suppression of the law, increasing chaos and Egypt became a sheer mess and the laughing stock of modern nations. The country was dying.
Some enlightened Egyptians watched in horror what was happening to their country and on June 30-2013 the masses said “enough is enough” and demanded that the rule of Morsi and the Muslim Brothers must end. In the months to follow, the present government and the military faced multiple attacks from the violent groups armed by weapons smuggled from Libya, Hamas in addition multiple tribes in Siani and by others who came from different countries abroad including Europe. Furthermore, there was a relentless stream of lies coming from Al-Jazeera TV station and multiple news media. Silencing these voices became necessary to assure the stability and security essential for progress.
Marshall Sisi will, I believe, be elected “President of Egypt.” This is the only way for progress towards stability, prior to real democracy. However, he must find a way to gradually grant freedoms to the non-violent sect of the Egyptian society. What was done by the Egyptian government and the military since July 2013 was necessary to salvage the country; you have to be alive before you can dream, but keeping a large number of individuals in prison is a formula to radicalize some of them. One can liken it to a cesspool that will erupt one day, and if left long enough, might explode? Yes, it can be said that the violators of the law must face the consequences of their actions, and therefore should be punished for their ill-deeds. However, if breaking the law somehow found its way to the Egyptian DNA and it must be eradicated, one can find temporary tolerance to these illegal acts. Education is the only anti-dote for these and other rampant bad habits.
Marshal Sisi: I wish you well as you navigate wisely and patiently in these troubled waters. Remember that you cannot change over-night what has been stapled in the customs and habits of many Egyptians. You are heading towards greener pastures, but you have to be cognizant that the country is worried that it may go back to the Autocratic rule that they shed.
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Prof. Lotfy Basta, MD, FRCP, FRCPE, FACP, FACC, FCCP, FAHA….
