A Conversation Between a Young Revolutionary and an 'Honourable Citizen'

 

A Conversation Between a Young Revolutionary and an 'Honourable Citizen'

 

 

 

by Alaa El Aswany

 

The honourable citizen was sitting in the coffee shop as usual after sunset prayers, comfortable in his galabia. He was puffing away on his water pipe and sipping mint tea. Suddenly a young man in jeans, a pullover and a Palestinian keffiyeh appeared. The young man smiled and handed him a leaflet. "I invite you to come to a peaceful demonstration on January 25, to fulfil the objectives of the revolution," he said.

    The honourable citizen threw the leaflet on the table and shouted excitedly: "Shame on you. That's enough stirring up trouble. What do you want? Tourism's come to a standstill. Production's stopped. You've wrecked the country, God damn you."

    The young man smiled and looked as if he was used to such accusations. "Instead of you insulting me, can we perhaps have a quiet discussion?" he said.

    "Okay, but I want to tell you something. I'll never allow you to insult the Egyptian army, the best soldiers on the face of the earth."

    "The Egyptian army belongs to the people. Every household in Egypt has an army officer or soldier. My uncle's an officer and so's my cousin. I love and respect the army as much as you do. But I object to the decisions taken by the military council."

    The honourable citizen shrugged his shoulders and said, "Are you acting stupid? The military council is the army command. If you object to it, you're doing down the army."

    "I'm not objecting to the army or doing it down, not at all. The military council is performing the functions of the head of state, so I have the right to object to its political performance."

    "Now that's what you've good at - big talk that no one understands," said the honourable citizen

    "Listen, sir," the young man said quietly. "Suppose you had toothache and you went to a dentist who also happened to be an army officer. If the dentist broke your tooth and messed up your mouth, wouldn't yo have the right to go to another dentist?"

    "Of course."

    "When you leave the first dentist, would you be doing down the army?"

    "Of course not, but that does the army have to do with my teeth?"

    "But that's exactly your logic. We object to the political role of the military council, and not to the army itself."

    The honourable citizen took a deep puff from the water pipe and said quietly, "What exactly do you want, young man? Hasn't Hosni Mubarak been deposed and put on trial?"

    "Deposing Mubarak alone won't bring about change. Mubarak could have died or there might have been a coup against him. Changing the system itself is more important than Mubarak. The aim of the revolution is to make our country decent and ensure that Egyptians have rights and some dignity."

    "And that hasn't happened yet?"

    "Of course not. The Mubarak regime is just as it was. Nothing has changed. The senior police officers are the same. None of those who killed demonstrators have gone on trial so far. The judges who rigged elections in Mubarak's time are still in their jobs. State Security is the same."

    "But change can come gradually."

    "It's been a year now and there hasn't been any change."

    "Okay, but didn't we elect parliament to speak in our name?"

    "The parliamentary elections weren't rigged, but they weren't fair either."

    "Why not?"

    "Many reasons. The fourth article in the constitutional declaration says that there can be no political activity on the basis of religion, including the formation of political parties. So tell me, sir. Are the Muslim Brotherhood and the salafists religious parties or not?"

    "Of course they're religious parties. Why else would we have voted for them? Because they're honest and people of God."

    "The military council violated the constitutional declaration that it made. It allied with the Brotherhood and the salafists and gave them the opportunity to commit every kind of irregularity in the elections without doing anything to stop them."

    "Really, come on! You mean the Brotherhood wouldn't have won whatever happened?"

    "Of course the Brotherhood would have done well because they're popular but the elections were made so that the Brotherhood and the salafists would win the majority."

    "Look. You really are too much. Nothing's good enough for you. So what should we do with the parliament? Boycott it as well?"

    "For Egypt's sake we'll have to cooperate with the next parliament because despite the irregularities  it is the only elected body."

    The honourable citizen looked at the young man in disbelief. "Good," he said, "and why do you want to have a demonstration on January 25? Why not let the parliament handle things?"

    "Parliament's no guarantee, because it was set up against a background of agreements and deals. Parliament might press the objectives of the revolution, or it might take the military council's side against us . That's why millions of people have to come out in peaceful demonstrations on January 25 to show they insist on carrying out the aims of the revolution."

    "I don't understand."

    "Look, sir. If you had a lawyer in some case and you weren't happy with him, what would you do?"

    "I'd withdraw his power of attorney."

    "If you couldn't do that for some reason, what would you do? Wouldn't you go to court with him to make sure he's doing the right thing?"

    "Of course."

    "Well that's what I mean.. We have to show we're committed to the aims of the revolution."

    The honourable citizen smiled and said, "No offence, young man. We got carried away and I forgot to ask you what you'd like to drink."

    The young man looked grateful and asked for a cup of Turkish coffee with medium sugar. The honourable citizen said, "Please don't imagine I'm with the old regime! My God no, I'm for the revolution."

    "So why don't you want to defend it?"

    "I'm worried about the country going to pieces, worried it'll become like Somalia. I mean, do you like the way the country is now? Thuggery, rudeness, chaos, recession, and everything at a standstill."

    "In Mubarak's time too Egypt was in decline. People used to die in queues for bread and cooking gas. I'm sure you remember. Besides, the revolution hasn't been in charge for a single day. The only ones responsible for the country's decline are the military council, which has been ruling the country. If it had carried out the aims of the revolution and changed the Mubarak regime, the country wouldn't be in such a state. "

    "How so?"

    "Suppose you're a State Security officer and for twenty years you've been torturing and abusing people. Suppose you're some senior official and a thief. Would it be in your interest for change to take place and for a decent government to come in and put you on trial for your crimes, or would it be in your interest to cause chaos?"

    "Of course, it would be in my interest to set the country on fire."

    "There you are, you've said it yourself. The reason for all these problems is that the military council has preserved the Mubarak regime."

    The honourable citizen started to look uncertain. In a low voice, as if speaking to himself, he said, "My God, boy, one no longer knows where the truth lies. When I watch television, I'm sure they're saboteurs and criminals, but what you say makes sense, to be honest. Look, I have a slightly embarrassing question."

    "Go ahead."

    "Is it true you get funding from America?"

    The young man burst out laughing and said, "If we had funding, do you think I'd be in this state. I'm originally a computer engineer and after the revolution the company I was working in closed down. Now I get an allowance from my family until I find another job. Thank God I'm not married and I don't have many expenses."

    "So what's all this about funding?"

    "There are organizations that get funding from abroad but the funding is legal and with the government's knowledge."

    "What does 'legal' mean? How can patriotic people take money from foreigners?"

    "You're right. I'm against funding as a matter of principle. I want you to know that all the young people who made the revolution are against funding and haven't taken a single pound."

    "Now you're talking straight."

    "Not just that. People have the right to know where the funding comes from for any organization working in Egypt. And the military council has the right to investigate the funding and make it public."

    "Now you've seen the light. Finally you've agreed with something the military council has done."

    "Of course the military council has the right to monitor the funding of non-government organizations but unfortunately it never monitors funding for the Brotherhood or the salafists."

    "What do you mean? The Brotherhood and those salafists have amazing amounts of money. They came here, giving away all kinds of things - cooking oil, sugar, gas cylinders, cloth, meat."

    "Okay, but don't we have a right to know why they got all that money from?"

    "We do, but what's to be done now? The country's split in half, you on one side and the military council on the other."

    "We're determined to carry out the objectives of the revolution, and the first objective is the trials."

    "Trying who?"

    "Do you have any children, sir?"

    "I have Shayma at secondary school and Walid in middle school."

    "Did anyone ever try to pester Sahyma?"

    "It happened once and I went down and gave the guy a beating."

    "Why did you hit him?"

    "If anyone comes near my kids, I'll bite his head off."

    The young man opened his bag and started to show a collection of photographs to the honourable citizen, who looked shocked. "What on earth! My God! How could that happen?" he said.

    "These are some of the pictures of the women who were dragged along the ground and abused by the police and the army. That's apart from the people who were killed or lost their eyes. Haven't you seen these pictures before?"

    "To tell you the truth I don't read the newspapers and these pictures weren't on television."

    "When the families of those killed and injured call for the trial of those who killed their children, do you think they're in the wrong?"

    "They have a right to do that."

    "Okay, and when the people who killed them are under orders from the military council, should the investigation be by an impartial body chaired by an independent judge."

    "That would be fair."

    "Does your daughter Shayma use computers?"

    "Of course, she's very clever."

    "Take this CD and have her play it for it so you'll know why we're calling for the trial of those who killed the young people and abused our sisters."

    The man took the CD and put it carefully in the pocket of his galabia. Then the young man stood up and said, "Thanks for the coffee, sir."

    "It's me who should be thanking you."

    "You might come out with us on January 25?"

    "I'll be there with you, God willing."

    The young man embraced the honourable citizen, shook his hand warmly and went on his way.

    Democracy is the solution.                                    

 

    

 

 

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