On Jan. 25 anniversary, hope in the people remains, as it is the peoples that make the change
On 25 January 2011, the Egyptian masses took to the street demanding the departure of the regime and confirming their right to a decent standard of living, freedom, social justice, and human dignity, and thus their will was then fulfilled. The Egyptian people put their feet on the path to achievement of a free civil state, which, had it not been for the coup against the will of the people, would have competed (with other free world countries) on achievement of security, prosperity and progress.
Today marks the thirteenth anniversary of the January Revolution, but Egypt's situation is deteriorating from bad to worse year after year; and the causes of rage and tension – similar to those that had prompted the January Revolution – are exponentially accumulating.
On the social level, injustice has reached its utmost; the citizen’s right to a decent standard of living, health and education has been squandered; poverty has expanded; the middle class has eroded, discrimination between society classes has increased; and the hiking prices have crushed the poor’s lives.
Moreover, social injustice has contributed to creation of extremely negative phenomena, such as the unprecedented rise in suicide, crime, and divorce rates, as well as the spread of drugs, and the promotion of witchcraft, atheism, and moral deviations.
On the economic level, the July regime (that took over in the wake of the coup d’etat on 3 July 2013) has failed at all levels, as a result of policies of monopolization of wealth and seeking to dismantle the structure of the national economy; and due to policies of useless extravagance, the expansion of external borrowing, the mortgaging of Egypt’s potentials and subjecting them to the dictates of creditors. In this regard, it suffices to point to the inflation rate and the collapse of the value of the Egyptian pound, ten times in ten years, which doubled the price hikes and left the regime unable to meet the citizen’s essential needs, in addition to mortgaging his future with debt burdens that have never been his fault.
On the political level, political freedoms, the right to competition and transfer of power have declined; tyranny has deepened; and the security services have dominated the executive, legislative and judicial powers. Prisons are still full of political detainees, and yet their doors are wide open to those who seek to compete the government.
At the level of foreign policy and national security, Egypt has lost its status and its regional and international role. The regime has failed to secure the Nile waters, the valve of Egypt’s food security, compromised the Mediterranean gas and Egypt’s sovereignty over its lands, ports, and wealth. It has also failed to secure the Libyan, Sudanese, and Palestinian neighbourhood.
In addition to the above, there have been other cases of decline and failure in the arts, literature, culture and media, which has dwarfed Egypt and made it on the verge of failure and explosion. It is so dangerous that despite all this, Egypt continues with the same policies that have brought it to this situation, as if failing the state, dwarfing it, impoverishing the people, and distracting them with crises is a goal in itself; or at best, the July regime is out of compass; and any way, Egypt is in danger.
After all, the Egyptian people, particularly the political elites that express the spectrum of the national community, must all assume their responsibilities towards change, and raise their voices as they had done before, in the hope that fate will arise.
In fact, staying silent about injustice and failure only means more denial of rights, suffering and pain; and demanding freedom, dignity, and social justice –that are guaranteed by the Constitution– is the duty of all citizens. Achievement of this is not an unattainable wish, if only the people one day wanted and had their say. It is the people who make the change; the hope in the people remains; and the January experience, with its successes and failures, will continue to be inspiring, as a model of deserved change, even if it takes a long time – as ‘tomorrow is near for the one who awaits it’.
Allah Is the Greatest, and Praise Be to Allah,,
MB Official Spokesperson
Osama Suleiman
(Thursday, 13 Rajab 1445 AH / 25 January 2024 AD)