Egypt: The counter-revolution

Some friends were angry at me when I said the following in an article yesterday: “Those who do not want to see that the current violence is between Mubarak’s state and the January 25th state are free to see and embrace what they choose. But the mind refuses to accept that the January 25 Revolution against police repression is similar to the one led by policemen marching in official uniforms.”

January was the month the revolution was born, and it seems that June will be the month of its death, fulfilling the general’s saying “A revolution against a revolution.” It is definitely a counter-revolution in every sense.

Today, I hope my friends have found their footholds and carefully followed up on the intensive appearances made by the state’s crowds on Monday evening on every television channel. They were full of confidence after the statement made by the armed forces, which announced that coups are not a part of their conviction. Meanwhile, between the lines of this statement, there was a call for a white or soft calm green coup.

I hope those who are angry notice this strange coordination of time between the issuance of this statement and the attack carried out by the statesmen on-air and at the judiciary, which ruled in favour of the return of Mubarak’s Attorney General. They forgot to take into account the constitution, the procedures of which the armed forces boasted about supervising, and which dictates that it is not acceptable to isolate the Attorney General.

Again, those who do not want to see that the game has come out into the open and that the struggle for power between the two states has became clearer than ever, are free to see what they want. However, the objective reading of the statement by the armed forces clearly indicates that the army has become the source of authority in Egypt; it raises whomever it pleases and drops whomever it pleases. It practices the logic of physical force above all else, overshadowing the values of democracy, constitutional principles, and revolutionary objectives, allowing the power of arms to outshine the strength of reason and justice, taking us to the time of “democracy through direct order.”

Now, whatever is left of the revolution’s spirit is being finished off; the revolution which continuously urged the end of military rule. We are now violently rebounding to what the January revolution overthrew, and the name has been replaced with the “June” revolution in order for our first revolution to be sent into retirement.

The voices of some have gone hoarse urging the elected president, who was charged with establishing a new regime differing from Mubarak’s in form and philosophy. They urged the president not to leave himself at the mercy of the ‘deep state’ under the pretext of reconciliation, harmony, and social peace. And that he should, instead, look towards the future. The truth of the matter, however, is that the embrace of the ‘deep state’ was fastened with thorns, which were sunk into the presidential sails. They then jumped off the ship they worked so hard to sink.

I remember that I wrote in this same place on June 30 last year, telling the president the following:

 It is enough for the new president to honour and celebrate by addressing his people and shaking their hands in Revolution Square from atop a modest wooden platform, that he walks to on the ground that has been soaked with the blood of martyrs who made this dream come true for him and us.

This nation created its revolution in order to have a respectable governing system and a new president who reaches his seat walking, rather than on a horse-drawn carriage. The new president is content with the crowd’s chanting and simple songs rather than flashy celebrations that burst the belly of the already ailing state treasury.

Mr. President: The people have given you the power, so take it from them directly, and let the “soldiers” go back to their barracks graciously, despite all the blood and wounds.

The author is an Egyptian writer. This is a translation of the Arabic text published in Shorouk newspaper on 3 July, 2013

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.