Proceed With Caution...

By Briscoe Pugh
For According to Me...By B


Let us all be careful...

One may interpret the recent uprising and revolution in Egypt in many ways, independent of the inspiration one can derive from such collective conviction and unified action.

What is essential is a focus on what is actually at work in such a movement.

The rush to frame the events of the last few weeks centered around Tahrir Square as the culmination of a particular religious influence or political ideology has been evident from the start...and has come from many of the people we have come to expect this very polarizing rhetoric from. Do not subscribe to this way of thinking.

I have seen/heard commentary from those who support various ideas common to a certain “Party” (whose particular moniker I shall not mention, but will say that there is a beverage somewhere therein) which has suggested that President Obama’s support of protest and dissent by the people against Hosni Mubarak makes him a hypocrite. I have heard it said that he “supports revolution everywhere else, but when it is here, in America it gets no support.”

I find this mildly ridiculous for several reasons:

1) Those who belong to the “Party” I mentioned in no way form a suitable comparison to the peoples’ movement we just witness for reasons of financial backing (Egyptians had none),

2) Media access (state-run media was decidedly pro-Mubarak),

3) Basic motives of those involved:

• Egyptians sought the ouster of a dictator who inherited his office (he was Anwar Sadat’s V.P. before Sadat was assassinated), who has suppressed democratic elections, abducted, imprisoned and murdered dissenters/

• ”Beverage Party” sought/seek the ouster of a democratically elected President to uphold tax policy that benefits the rich, prevent aid to the poor, shrink the size and scope of government most of them depend on anyway).

We must all keep at the front of our consciousness that this revolution sprang forth as true movements do. This was a reaction to massive discontent from a large segment of people who are denied basic, human considerations by a few whom have proven that their main goal was to remain in the seat of authority which they have abused for so long.

So...let us be very careful when citing such a movement for our own purposes, unless we seek to claim solidarity against real (not imagined or politically contrived) oppression.

I also believe that the Egyptian people themselves (who valiantly stood for themselves against a regime they’d feared for so long) must be extra careful right now and going forward.

Their movement was just and needed...but the people need strong, articulate voices and the same unity in developing a more proactive form of governance as they had in resisting the one they seek to change.

Care must also be taken with the military presence in this time of transition in Egypt.

Any gaps in or lack of assertive, representative leadership to voice the concerns and needs of the people themselves is extremely dangerous, even with a transitional military government in place. A lengthy political process that the masses don’t see wield tangible results could lead to further protests and the likelihood of the temporary regime to assert a more markedly “military” mandate against the people in response. It is my hope that they stay on the path and lead the rest of the Arab world by example.

Let’s watch. Let’s learn. Let’s examine how a true “grassroots” movement acts to change their circumstance.