What is currently unfolding on the political stage is nothing less than a case of political schizophrenia affecting decision-makers such as the military council, as well as those championing so-called stability with their famous phrase: ‘We just want the wheels to keep turning.’ It seems, however, they have failed to realise that these wheels are riddled with punctures and corroded by rust.
The military council, which oversaw the revolution’s success and prevented further bloodshed, is responding to the revolution’s legitimate demands in a perplexing manner. It adopts a policy of forced dribbling, offering concessions only when the people raise their voices or when the revolutionaries threaten to return to Tahrir Square for another million-man march to complete what they started. This approach is eerily reminiscent of the deposed regime’s tactics of tossing scraps to the public whenever the pressure on the government became unbearable.
This raises pressing questions that demand clear answers. Why did the army delay preventing Fathi Sorour, Safwat al-Sherif, and Zakaria Azmi from fleeing the country or launching investigations into their actions? Was it not evident that the people’s will would not waiver on this demand? Is the military council still not convinced that the people will not let the blood of the martyrs be wasted without fulfilling all remaining demands? Why does the council fear the million-man protests in Tahrir and strive so hard to undermine them with chronically delayed decisions? Does the council not realise that swiftly addressing these legitimate demands is the quickest and most effective route to the stability it repeatedly calls for in its statements? Or is the council operating in a parallel universe, unaware that the street holds the true source of legitimacy, no matter how much time is squandered?
On the subject of stability, let us turn to the proponents of the ‘wheels’ mantra. It is perplexing that these individuals consider it wise to settle for the revolution’s achievements so far. It is as though they are choosing a long, drawn-out path of struggle to return to the pre-revolution economic state using those same broken wheels. Meanwhile, the gains that could be realised by fulfilling the revolution’s demands far outweigh what their narrow perspectives, confined to the stock market screens on their desks, allow them to see.
Do they not understand that new revenue streams could soon benefit this plundered and squandered country? Are they not fully aware that resolving just a handful of corruption cases could bring unprecedented wealth to both them and the economically marginalised majority? Consider the murky gas export deals, the recovery of stolen funds from abroad—now proven to be worth billions—and the wealth of Egypt’s natural resources, from precious stones to the world’s finest silica sand in vast quantities, all concealed from their rightful owners: the people.
What stability do they seek, and what benefit do they hope to achieve when so many issues and demands remain unaddressed? What kind of progress does the military council or the ‘wheels’ advocates envision by obstructing the revolution’s completion?
We must recognise that there is no escaping the need to confront the current political reality and abandon the political schizophrenia that pervades today’s decision-making processes. The Friday of Saving the Revolution has once again demonstrated that there can be no retreat from fulfilling every demand of the people. In their simplicity, these demands prove to be the most pragmatic and insightful path towards achieving real progress.
This article is originally published by AlBorsa in Arabic and later AI-translated by South Push.