Opinion Revolutionary roads

This revolt was televised.

Now in its sixth day,a fever rages in the minds of Egyptians. They defy curfews to chant,“Out,out,Mubarak we don’t want you.” Yet Hosni Mubarak,the Pharaoh,won’t budge. Secure behind the doors of Abdeen Palace,protected by his army,he has responded with cosmetic changes. The cabinet has been dissolved. A new cabinet now takes shape — with his spymaster,his trusted confidant,his right hand man,Omar Suleiman,as vice president. Has he effectively cut his son out of the succession?

Will these changes pacify the street? Note that one of the protestors’ central demands is the rejection of a political dynasty. Yet they continue to chant,“We don’t want a new cabinet,we want you out.” Those that have taken to the streets are mainly the under-30s that make up two-thirds of Egypt’s 80 million. They are angry about inadequate housing,over the shortage of jobs — nine out of ten jobless people in Egypt are under 30.

Now they stand emboldened by the experience of Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution,finding an example and icon in the Tunisian “martyr” Mohammed Bouazizi. It is unfortunate that a young boy,his face and body covered in a white cloth,burnt and mummified,is what it took for the Arab world to ask for more freedoms. His death was a catalyst for change in Tunisia; and now the Egyptians are attempting to emulate their fellow North Africans.

But Egypt is no Tunisia. For one,it is the most populous part of the Middle East,a sort of barometer to events in the larger Arab world. They’ve said for centuries that what happens in Egypt affects the rest of the

Middle East. It is also a power of great strategic importance — both as the country that governs the Suez,the crucial transit point for America’s warships and the world’s cargo,and as an economic powerhouse.

Look closely at the protestors; look at their signs and slogans. They read,“freedom” or “out with the Pharaoh” but has anyone spotted a banner affiliated to a political party? Where is

Mohammed el-Baradei,who returned from Europe to join the protestors? Where is his party’s flag? He was tipped as the man who could — but,under house arrest,with his party disunited,it seems he can’t.

Then there’s Muslim Brotherhood,the most powerful opposition. They have a parliamentary presence; and yet it is from their ranks that al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri emerged. Finally,on the sixth day of chaos,they have begun to urge their foot soldiers on the street — as looting and thuggery take hold. In the confusion,from a series of peaceful protests,Egypt’s streets are beginning to host a law and order crisis. And the questions come: without Mubarak,is Egypt leaderless?

Meanwhile,as ever,conspiracy theories circle. Is it Mubarak’s police creating a sense of lawlessness? Fighter jets circle,prisoners escape,and Al-Jazeera is off the air. Is the Pharaoh playing both good cop and bad cop?

The Arab world seems totally unprepared for any transition. Look,always,at the streets. Algerians too have taken to them,protesting Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s military regime. In San’a,opposition to the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh mounts,and Yemenis are out in numbers for the first time in his 32-year dictatorship. These countries too,undemocratic,authoritarian and unyielding,will have to act.

For too long in the Arab world too much has been censored. Holocaust. Jews. Democracy. Certain words never factored into the teaching syllabus in Arab countries. History books had lines,whole chapters,blacked out with permanent markers.

Curious students held books up against the light; they could just barely make out what they weren’t meant to have read.

Now they’ve read the fine print,they’ve seen the injustice,and,if not revolution,nothing less than reform will satisfy. The first: the lifting of the 30-year Emergency Law in Egypt. Remember: what happens in Egypt doesn’t stay in Egypt. Change is coming to the Middle East.

alia.allana@expressindia.com