Last statement by Essam Sultan before his detention

In his last tweet before his detention, former parliamentarian Essam Sultan reflected on the past as he wrote about the American and British occupations who had their own ways of dealing with countries around the world, especially those in the Middle East.

Al-Wasat party’s deputy leader, Essam Sultan, was detained on Monday morning along with his party’s leader, Abul Ela Madi. Before his detention he tweeted that “both American and British occupations have made famous the phrase, political process.”

Defining this phrase, Sultan wrote, “From their [America and Britain] point of view, it is based on the idea of changing reality by force (an occupation or military coup). Then, they propose a political roadmap that it is laid down either in London or Washington; definitely not in the capitals of our countries.”

This is the rest of Sultan’s statement:

It is American and British embassies that carry out and supervise the implementation of (political) roadmaps, not our elected national institutions. It is protected either by the occupation’s armies or by our national armies under the leadership of traitors.

After the US, UK and their collaborators in our countries seize large amounts of our wealth, they allocate just a small part of it to pay for the roadmap. This is accompanied by professional media coverage.

The door to enjoyment is then opened for the youths in order to absorb their energy, not in political activities and other legal pursuits, but through football or illegal activities, such as drugs. Thus, the political process is monopolised by people in their seventies, who practice politics inside a limited network and within a limited framework.

Adly Mansour, the current interim president, is 71, Mohamed al-Baradei, the current deputy prime minister, is 71 and Hazem al-Beblawi, the current prime minister is 77. All of them are not allowed to speak or take any decision regarding Egyptian politics. The most they can do is tweet, this is what they mean by taking part in the political process.

However, the political process, from our point of view, should be one that is developed by our elected national institutions, which build and develop the Egyptian identity with its components based on Egyptian morals and within a framework of independent Egyptian decisions.

This political process should be established by peer-to-peer engagement and benefit from the abilities and material capabilities of people, in building a free and productive country that contributes to history.

Our political process may drag on; it may face obstacles from our opponents or from errors due to a lack of experience. It may be delayed for some time, and it may need the sacrifice of souls, money and freedom, but it is the only path to progress.

The difference between our political process, which we adhere to, and the one they call theirs is that we are truthful with ours whilst they are performers or representatives of others! We are free in ours, but they are followers in theirs! We target the entire country with our policy, but they only target bank accounts and twitter.

Our political process is based on promising to free the youth from restrictions, while theirs is very old and on the verge of graves! For this reason, we are sure of victory.