Messages are flying around left and right, on the street, on television, on Twitter, Facebook and elsewhere on the internet. Some support President Mohamed Morsi’s decision to reinstate parliament and some are against it. From a distance, I watch the arguments in favour and those against, as though I’m watching a rally in a tennis match. I feel impassioned because I would like both players to lose.
Those blaming Morsi for his decision are saying that he has no respect for the law or the judiciary. But they make it sound like there is a law to be implemented or a judiciary to be respected. SCAF and the constitutional court have long disrespected the law when they wielded it to serve their own interests. It is an unfair criticism of Morsi since he is fighting fire with fire. You cannot criticize Morsi for disrespecting the constitution when the constitutional declaration and its annex completely disrespected Egyptians. The rulings have no legitimacy since they were never based on justice. President Mohamed Morsi is trying to forcefully take power, much like SCAF did. He has less corrupt institutions on his side, but that doesn’t make his actions any less sinister than what SCAF has done so far.
Praising Morsi is unfair as well. The decree to restore parliament is a selfish act that will benefit no one but the Muslim Brotherhood. This display of force is unfair to those unjustly held in military prisons. The one thing Morsi had the power to do was to bring justice to those in military prisons. No one would have contended the legality of it, since it is explicitly stated in article 56 of the constitutional declaration. Instead, Morsi repeated the army rhetoric, saying he was told that those imprisoned were mostly thugs and their release would cause chaos. He simply formed a committee, much like the one charged with investigating the Port Said massacre; a committee that may not bring about any justice. The fact that Morsi is not willing to do the one thing he can to alleviate injustice dispels the myth that once the Brotherhood are in power, justice will be served.
The more I see the messages going back and forth, and all the more I’m convinced this is not my fight. Both are fighting against my interest, and both will turn against me no matter what stance I take once they win their fight.
I will not side with SCAF’s illegitimate laws and constitution, , not after their soldiers crushed protesters, humiliated women and and imprisoned us; not after sabotaging our attempts at freedom and democracy. If there were any rule of law, or any justice, the 19 generals would be brought to justice for their crimes. I will not pretend our institutions are not corrupt, I will not pretend they do not symbolize oppression.
I will not take Morsi’s side. He’s represents the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood who joined forces with SCAF to supress street movement and hamper the revolution. They were the Trojan horse that attacked us from within. They saw democracy as a threat to their existence and yet freely used the word, along with ‘revolution’, devaluing those words, turning our gold into dust. They also used the old regime’s vocabulary just as much. Words like thuggery, foreign elements and chaos were used against the Egyptian people liberally.
Bringing back an impotent parliament will not help with our fight against SCAF. Parliament has played politics for the benefit of both SCAF and the Muslim Brotherhood. It does not represent me, it does not represent the interests of the Egyptian people.
This fight against SCAF is not for democracy, it’s for power. What do I care who wins? It’s not my fight. Let them fight one another. I’m already certain of the outcome. A tyrant will prevail.
Wael Eskandar is a blogger and a writer for Egypt’s Ahram Online. He has written for publications like Daily News Egypt, Community Times and others. He blogs at notesfromtheunderground.net. He has an engineering background and has been closely following the events in Egypt since the 18 days.
