Fix Opinion

Egypt’s Revolution Isn’t Over Yet

By Lama Tawakkol
Senior Reporter
CAIRO, Egypt – With the approach of the
first year mark of the start of the Egyptian uprising last January, things are
heating up and tension is building across the country.
Almost a year after the ousting of former
President Hosni Mubarak and the assumption of power by the Supreme Council for
Armed Forces, Egyptian citizens are far from satisfied.
When the military took over, it promised
the people parliamentary elections in September and presidential elections by
December. But as time passed and things progressed, the people found themselves
engrossed in legal debates, exaggerated sectarian strife and increasing
political divisions.
The violence and aggression inherited
from the Mubarak regime persisted and so did almost everything else. The change
was too small to be felt and too insignificant with regards to the people’s
initial democratic demands and the lives lost in the quest for them.
While some people remain in support of
SCAF – just as some remained supportive of Mubarak during the first 18 days –
most of the public believes it is time for the military leaders to go. They are
not willing to wait for six months as Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi
urged them two months ago.
Looking back at the past year and what
it brought, all people can see is the same thing as before: media used to
propagate the regime’s ideas, violence in response to peaceful protests, poverty,
inflation and efforts to divide and conquer. Revolutionaries have been labeled
thugs and some have even been put in jail and charged with the most
unreasonable crimes.
The question persists about what is it
that SCAF wants and what their plan is, because there’s bound to be one. They
claim support for the revolution yet do all they can for an entire year to
bring it down.
They imprison youth leaders and work on damaging the reputations
of others, in addition to the numerous times the army has had a direct hand in
the killing of protestors since January 25.
The people have lost all faith in them.
Now, the mood is one of cynical bitterness mixed with vows to continue on the
path to freedom on the same day it all began a year ago.
January 25th, 2012 is no longer
considered the first anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution, only the
anniversary of its start. The revolution here isn’t finished – not yet, not
until the people’s legitimate demands are met and actual change is felt.
Despite efforts on behalf of SCAF and the
military government to transform the day into a carnival-like celebration, the
protestors won’t allow them. The people are going back to the streets on that
day to finish what they started.