Daily Times

It appears as though the Egyptian people have been forced to return to Tahrir Square for another uprising, only this time it would be directed against the military that had clung to power by making Hosni Mubarik the sacrificial lamb 10 months ago. With parliamentary elections approaching in less than 10 days, the authorities’ use of violence to suppress angry and betrayed demonstrators is indicative of a new phase in the struggle to conclude six decades of military rule in Egypt.

Ever since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in February, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has been ruling the country. Announcing the acceptance of the resignation of the second cabinet within eight months, Field Marshal Tantawi, second in command to Hosni Mubarak then and leader of the ruling military council now, made a speech that was widely rejected by the protestors calling for an immediate end to military rule. There has been a growing disquiet in the country over the military’s continuing moves to postpone the transition to civilian democratic rule, which is fraught with more uncertainty than ever and the deadly clashes between the security forces and demonstrators could very well be considered an attempt to compromise the upcoming polls. It goes without saying that when a military has been entrenched in power for so long, it is not easy to dislodge it and switch over to a civilian authority. For a military that has been in power since 1952, giving up power to a democratic government means having to relinquish all vested interests and being answerable to the civilian authorities for everything that it has had the untrammelled freedom to do for itself for six decades in power.

The situation vis-à-vis the role of the military in Egypt is comparable to that in Pakistan, which has also been subjected to military domination in its history. However, while no dictator in Pakistan has been allowed to stay in power longer than a period of 11 years, the military in Pakistan can still be regarded as an invisible yet dominant force and hence the struggle of the people against the military here is indirect, unlike in Egypt, where there is a head-on civilian-military confrontation.

The intensifying denunciation of military dictatorships in the Middle East is apparent from the inexorable resolve of the protestors, who will not tolerate such undemocratic authorities any more. And for all those rulers outstaying their welcome, the sooner they read the writing on the wall, the better. The wise thing for any military rulers would be to leave politics and governance to the political forces and pave the way for democracy to prevail., in the interests of their people and indeed of the military itself. *