The world is watching as Morsi assumes power
A mere one week following his election as the first civilian president of Egypt, Dr. Morsi is severely challenged. A look at the growing crowds camping literally outside his door reveals how desperate segments of the population are becoming. They see him as their only hope. Is it a dream come true for the 80-year-old once-banned Muslim Brotherhood to have one of their own become President of Egypt? Or is it a long-time-dream that is promising to turn into a nightmare? The world, and many Egyptians, are watching and waiting with a mixture of hope in the first steps of democracy, cautious optimism, and some in angry disbelief. Regardless of where they stand the list of deliverables is overwhelming and expectations very high.
Morsi is certainly under a magnifying glass and will stay this way for some months to come. One of his biggest challenges is the deep-rooted heritage of there being one and only leader. The superman mental image of the savior, the man who holds all the keys to all the problems, is already demonstrated in local actions only taken this week because on his instructions. Resuming the same style of control management might have worked before, and regrettably it continues to be encouraged by a good part of the population. This time it will not get him very far. Without a government, or an elected Parliament, with an ailing economy, in addition to the many millions who have been suffering in silence before they learned to revolt, the president and his supporters have a tall order to deliver. More of the same will not work this time over.
Negotiations, to assign a new government is already taking longer than expected and proving quite a challenge. Political pressure for an independent, nonpartisan public figure to lead a coalition government is already a very illusive and testing demand. The choice, expected to be announced in a few weeks, might yet indicate the strategy of his temporary rule. Meanwhile, the political opposition, aware of its need to unite, is attempting to group together on one platform in preparation for a fresh round of elections for a new Parliament, instead of the one dissolved by the court. However, the icing that crowns the cake would without doubt be the delivering of a new constitution for Egypt. While the committee elected by the already-dissolved Parliament continues to convene, their legitimacy is being contested in court. The one thing that seems to be respected by all seems to be the judiciary, and a collective agreement to uphold the law has been wisely demonstrated by all of the struggling political forces so far.
These are certainly confusing times. They are times of change. Many agendas are at play, but we have faith that Egyptians are solid and resilient. Egyptians are making their own choices and will bear responsibility for that. For the president and his aides, the next 100 days will be critical to determine the intent and direction of change. A “Morsi meter” is already in place as one monitor of his ability to deliver his promised short term plans. It also hopes to monitor the level of satisfaction of people towards his actions. This young and creative tool might be the first steps to a more transparent and certainly accountable rule in Egypt.
A deep revolution is taking place, and will continue to for some time.
