Egyptian army must heed the will of the people

Late last week, Egyptian military leaders gave the green light to their troops to storm the office of three American organisations in Cairo, citing the need to protect their country’s independence and integrity.

With no warrants, the soldiers stormed the office of the three democracy-building groups, and at one point held their personnel illegally and confiscated their material.

The three groups were Freedom House, the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute. The latter two have ties to the main American political parties. All are well known internationally and are respected for their commitment to transparency and democracy.

Besides being in Egypt to help political parties make the transition from three decades of authoritarian rule, the democracy-building groups are also there to monitor the country’s parliamentary election, the first since former strongman Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year.

With the exception of the Muslim Brotherhood, all the political parties are quite new and inexperienced. Some are from the liberal and secular camp and have formed the engine for the ongoing “revolution”, which could very well be hijacked by the military.

It is an open secret that the military, after initially siding with the revolution, has now began to slip away from the course and is looking for ways to retain power or at least cement a permanent position in Egyptian politics.

The recent raid was nothing more than an unabashed attempt to intimidate the pro-democracy movement. And because the three groups were under the auspices of foreigners, it wasn’t hard to play the foreign card against them.

But the voices of the Egyptian people will be heard and there is no stopping them now, no matter how many the military decide to beat, detain or even gun down.

The United States and other traditional donors from the West must speak out in one voice and make it clear that they are against the raid and the military’s continuing meddling in the democracy-building process. In other words, the army has to stop harassing political parties and democracy advocates and protesters, and return to barracks.

The international community must drive home this point clearly and then be prepared to use the billions of dollars in aid and assistance to the country as collateral.

For too long the generals have postponed the transition to democracy by coming up with all sorts of excuses that don’t hold water.

Just two weeks ago, five days of violent clashes between soldiers and civilian protesters achieved nothing, but gave a black eye to the generals. The images of soldiers stomping and kicking civilians were appalling. One notorious video showed soldiers kicking, beating and stripping the traditional dress from an Egyptian woman as she was forced on the ground nearly half naked. Thousands of women had gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to show their disapproval of the treatment of women by the military.

The army called the women’s gathering an attempt “to destroy the state”.

A new parliament is currently in the process of being elected, and its members are scheduled to be seated in the coming weeks. There are a number of challenges ahead for Egypt, and the country needs a military that will go along with the public’s desire, and accept civilian supremacy. Besides coping with a serious economic crisis, Egypt will be drafting a constitution in such a way that captures the heart and soul of the nation. It must take account of all of the country’s people, including the ethnic and religious minorities.

In this respect, Egypt’s revolutionary forces will need all the cooperation they can get from all sectors, including the military. If the soldiers can’t contribute, the least they should do is stand down and swallow the bitter pill. For decades they have enjoyed the superior status given to them by Mubarak. Those days are gone and the top brass are going to have to learn to live with it because no matter what, the Egyptian people have made it clear that there is no turning back, even if it means their lives are on the line.