769) Mohaly fel Magles el 3askary !!

I woke up on the morning of Saturday February 12th to realize that this is the fist morning for Egypt without Mubarak ... 10,720 mornings had passed since Mubarak came to power and didn't leave till The Military Council obliged him to... Now after more than 40 mornings without Mubarak, I find myself wondering why do I feel that I still feel, smell, and almost see Muabark every morning! I kept on thinking and thinking till I felt drained, so I decided to listen to some soft music in the radio and take a small nap!.....

I saw myself entering the Military Council on the morning of Sat 12th while wondering why everyone is saluting me with respect, then I realized that I am the head of the military council ... I am the Field Marshal himself ! I met with the extended council and stressed that we have supported the people's revolution, and we have to be up to the responsibility and trust that people have put in us. I have decided to have a whole day brainstorming session that ended up in an action plan. In the evening, I have called 50 of the prominent figures as well as some of the youth to discuss this action plan.. Everyone was happy about it and we did some modification to cater for everybody's needs.

On the following day (13/2), I have issued a constitutional declaration where:
- I dropped the 1971 constitution completely, and asked the Egyptian people to have a referendum on March 19th to chose the members of the establishing committee for drafting the new constitution that will be issued by the end of 2011 before the presidential elections.
- I have declared the cancelation of the Parliament (both houses) and local municipality senates as well.
- I have impeached Mubarak's appointed government, and asked Dr.Sharaf to head the new government, and have one of the young 30sh organizers of the revolution as his Vice.
- The declaration as well indicated that the ruling party will be dissolved and all its money and properties will be confiscated and returned back to the state.
- The council will be ruling along with a Consulting Committee (the 50 figures) till end of 2011 where the presidential elections will be done by then, and a new president is elected to rule the country for 2 transitional years (2012-2013) where a new parliament will be elected with a fair chance for everyone to run for it.

Then after the appointment of the new government, I have met with the new prime minister and decided do dissolve the state security services, and have its activities transferred to the Egyptian Intelligence and be under Judicial supervision. All the senior officers and their assistants were detained by the Army till their trail.

On the same day, I have issued a statement for the detention of Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, Gamal Hosni Moubarak, Suzan Thabet, Safwat Al Sharif, Ahmed Fathy Serour, Zakaria Azmy, and Mofeed Shehab where they will be obliged to be stay at their homes with no source of wire or wireless communication till they are put on trial. This is in addition to those who have been detained already. However, I have given my orders to have Habib El Adly's & his assistants’' trials transferred to a military trial for accusing him of Killing the 25 Jan Martyrs.

After a week, I have signed the new governors appointments along with the major and critical positions in Media, Universities, and civil society.

By the beginning of March I decided to re-open the stock market, and establish a committee to meet and deal with all financial problems in the different sectors, and report their recommendations accordingly. Meanwhile the corruptions trials have been accelerated to be able to get back our money as soon as possible.

I was happy to see the people participating in the referendum for the constitutional council on the 19th, and then calling for a 1 million stand in Tahrir for saluting the Army on April 1st for "saving the revolution".....

Mixed sounds were floundering in my head .. till I started recognizing a clear voice coming from the Radio saying: "We would like to thank you Mr.Safwat and Mr.Azmy for your valuable contribution in our program, and now we will be listening to Bataloooda Wesma3oooda, yama lessa neshof we yama".

Mohaly

P.S. In reality the Revolution Coalition has called for a 1 Million Protester day on Friday April 1st to Save the revolution!

768) Being Egyptian 2.0 ::: Being Optimistic !

Being Optimistic doesn't mean being an idiot as some people say ... Being Optimistic is having the faith that no matter what, you will reach your goal

In such major change, we need to keep up the spirit especially if there are others who are working hardly to destroy all the gains and guess what; it seems they still have the believe that they will win after all what happened.

You want to be pessimistic and see the future of Egypt as dark as it gets, it is your right ... but please know that you are contributing to this dark future by surrendering in the middle of the battle for democracy.

Would you please join me in imagining the following:

- Imagine if Narmer (first Egypt King 3200BC) had felt that it is impossible to unite lower and upper Egypt, the whole pharohic era wouldn't have existed.
- Imagine if Ahmos (the king who kicked the Hyksos -16th century BC- and established modern kingdom) had felt that Kamos (his preprocessor) has done all what he can, and it is impossible to re-unite Egypt.
- Imagine if early Muslims had surrendered after their defeat in the battle of Uhud (7th century AD) and losing some of the best men at that time.
- Imagine if Mamluks had given up after the fall of the Islamic Caliphate in Baghdad (13th century AD) and killing all the Muslim Government by Mongols.
- Imagine if the Egyptian Sheikhs and Scientists had surrendered to the French & Turkish occupation in the turn of the 19th century AD and didn't insist on establishing modern Egypt through Muhammed Aly Pacha.
- Imagine if Nasser and Sadat had surrendered after the pan Arab defeat in 1967 and didnt stand up and fight for getting back Sinai in 1973.
- Imagine that we - Egyptians- have given up and left Tahrir during the 25 Jan revolution.

All of these incidents -and many others - in the Egyptian history prove one thing .... Those who have the faith that no matter what will happen they will fight and reach their goal, have always won, one way or another .. and those who had surrendered to their fears (that are true and on solid basis I cant deny) have contributed to their internal defeat that eventually lead to real defeat of everyone.

Think positive ... and realistic ... know your enemy, and know that he is powerful, and know that the more the enemy is strong, the more the victory is meaningful. Just start by yourself and think about the little things that will lead to bigger gains ... check http://www.facebook.com/Egy2020

Nefsak Fe 2eh?  (What do you wish) ... Would you please watch this Video, and write your comment about Nefsak fe Eih?

Mohaly

767) Mothers' Day: Masr Heya 2ommy !

This year we have all celebrated mother's day together, we have all celebrated it with Egypt (2om El Donya). The referendum day was a precious present that Egypt deserved big time. Although I wish that we have got her a better present (a new and soon constitution) by saying No, but the pride I have seen in the eyes of the people, and the millions standing in the streets for hours made me feel that Egypt is finally celebrating its first Mother's day in looooong years. I was optimistic about continuing the revolution and now I have more solid reason to be more optimistic despite of the disappointing results that I totally respect.

"Our Path for Democracy is not over yet, it has just became harder"... it wasn't a game or a battle as much as fighting for reaching democracy in a better way. Anyway, being a strategist obliges me to overcome my sadness, and think more strategically about reaching our goal... I think that there are some important points and lessons that we have to take into consideration after going through the first real democratic experience:

1. Saying Yes or No is over, and hence the split should be over, and we both should focus on reaching democracy in the best possible way taking into consideration the new obstacles resulting from saying yes. (Check The Egyptian Democracy).

2. There must be a coalition of all non-NDP, and anti-theocracy supporters, where we join forces in working together, reaching out, and campaigning so that this coalition can aim for 50% of the new People's assembly. We have to know who is running for each area and what is his/her "agenda" before voting. We have to fight as well for giving the right of Egyptians abroad to Vote.

3. The Internet is the right media for exploring, discussing, and agreeing upon strategies, but it is not the right media for a huge reach out (Cairo 41% said no, while it reached 80+% in some governorates). If we want to make a real difference, we need to be present in all the major cities of all the governorates, specially in "People's Assemble Elections". We need to talk to people in their language, and ADDRESS their concerns.

4. Egyptians love their country, but many of them are illiterate or politically ignorant, and it is the role of the well educated people to educate the first about how not to be bought, and educate the 2nd how to read between the lines and look further than his/her feet.

5. Religion will be part of the game whether we like it or not, so we have to make use of the religious figures who are supporting our approach for democracy (non-Theological), and be ready for all the questions, and assumptions made by Ekhwan, Salafyeen, Gihad...etc.

6. We have to know that the path is still long to reach the civil democratic state, and we should support each other, complete each other, and always think of the overall welfare of the country not ourselves...let's dedicate sometime every week for working on our goal, 5 or 10% of the time, let's forget about summer vacations this year and take the time off in working more toward the goal....

2011 is a turning point in the history of Egypt, and for the first time, we can really make a difference of where this country will be heading.

Happy Mothers' Day ya Masr.

we Bardo Motafa2el :)
Mohaly

766) We are making History .. Let's be up to it !

 19/3/2011 is a historic day in Egypt ... 

For the first time since the establishment of the Egyptian Republic in 1953 (actually since 1924), many Egyptians are going with a free will and after long debates to give their vote knowing that every vote does count and make a difference. This is the first time that we don't really know what will be the real result. Actually, I am expecting that about 20 million people will join and the winning majority won't be like the unrealistic previous differences.

By now, you most probably have made up your mind...and whether you will vote Yes or No, you have to be ready to accept what the majority chooses and start acting upon it and see how you will plan for the next period accordingly. No for Violence, No for protesting, No for attacking, Yes for working together for a real Democracy. Democracy means ... thinking, debating, campaigning, voting, and accepting, then evaluating, thinking...etc.

I am completely convinced with NO, and respect those who will say Yes.

May God Bless Egypt and guide us for its best.

Mohaly

P.S. Please don't campaign for or against in the comments to comply with the restriction made by the Armed Forces for not campaigning pro or against the referendum today and tomorrow.

765) Yes & No Scenarios!

I am really happy with the debates taking place these days .... It is not easy and people are not used to it, but bit by bit everyone will be an expert in applying it. There are people who has made it clear that they are convinced with no, other with yes, and still some left undecided. 

This is a summary of both scenarios and consequences for those who are still confused. If you are pro or against, please respect others opinions, and remember that:YOUR VOICE IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.For me, I have already made up my mind against the amendments as indicated in the last post (764).

Please remember it is not a fight, we are exercising our first real debate for democracy... There are no personal interests, we are all trying to vote for a better Egypt, each from his/her point of view... So let's debate but not fight, and ask God to Bless the country in both cases.

Mohaly

764) I will GO and say NO !

I usually don't take much time in realizing and taking decisions. However, it took me a whole week to think about shall I vote for or against the constitutional amendments on the referendum taking place after another week (on March 19th). Although I am aiming for having a completely new constitution -since we had a revolution for "eskat el nizam" and starting a new era with new rules, values, and systems- I tried to give it a try and think about the amendemnts, read a lot, watch TV programs, and discuss with friends... After all these activities I have finally decided to go on 19/3 and vote AGAINST the amendments, I will simple say NO.


Why did I reach this conclusion, why will I say NO?

1. Presidential Powers: In a country still having people protesting saying "We are Sorry Mubarak", I don't trust any president with such Devine powers in the constitution. I don't even trust myself if I have all these powers. So what will oblige the new president to call for a consitution that will minimize his or her authorities

to less than half. Please don't say: Tahrir Square, this is like "Wednak Meneen ya Go7a" (Arabic quote for taking the long and sophisticated way instead of cutting it short and simple)! I do support having the next president for 1 term only.

2. The Package voting: (voting for the whole changes) is simply unfair and doesn't make sense because if I don't agree with any of the articles, I have to say No for the rest as well. For example, I am pro cancelling article 179 (Terrorism), but at the same time against some of the modifications in article 75 (Marriage, & No max. Age), and some other points, then simply I can't say yes.

3. No Options:  Even if they will have it as a package there should be 2 options. For example in article 139, I am for obliging the president to have a Vice-President, but I am not for having it by appointment (what prohibits him of getting his cousin, or even son as a VP!). Electing a VP will help us to have more control on the absolute power of the president, and have smooth transition of power till the fixed elections date. I would have preferred to have 2 or 3 clear strategies or plans to choose from.

4. Obligation for a New Constitution: article 189 obliges People's assembly to call for a new constitution, and says nothing about obliging the president to call for it if he was elected first! In addition, the committee responsible for establishing the new constution should be elected directly from the people like what happened in many countries all over the world (Tunisia will do it in July).

5. People's Assembly elections: Voting yes means I agree on the Supreme Council plan to have parliament elections in June, and this is a scary thought for me. Elections while the revolution is not over yet, and parties are not formed yet, is very risky and won't have real reflection of the street powers specially if we continued electing people the same way we do (single vs. coalition lists).

6. Gaining Time: There should be an extra point in the referendum giving us the option of what will be done if the majority said no (most prob. re-amending, or hopefully new constitution). I think saying No will oblige the Supreme council to consider what the people want and stop the unrealistic plan of finishing everything by August without having clear and solid steps in paving the way for democracy and new parties representation.

The Government has launched a poll to see the overall direction of the people regarding this issue (they finall decide to make use of the IDSC) and it ended up in 59% saying No.

I think the best solution is setting some "Mabade2 Destoreya" that can temporarily replace the illegitimate constitution and make us survive for the next 6 months while working on a new constitution leading to electing a new People's assembly and eventually a new president by the end of 2011.


I didn't write this article to make you say no, it is your vote and you are responsible for it. I was just reflecting my thoughts, findings, and concerns. The only thing I am urging you to do is to go and vote. I am against boycotting it as I see it very risky... Experience having a value and the ability of making a difference.


For me, I will GO and say NO...

Mohaly

Link to Amendments: http://www.almasryalyoum.com/node/332005

763) Ana Ba7ebek ya Belady !

After exactly 1 month of our victory in the 1st battle of the revolution (stepping down of Mubarak), I can't find better than this song to share... In order not to forget our beloved martyrs and those who lost their eyes, and other body parts to give us the power to continue and win..

I can't hold my tears everytime I listen to this song ... just cant.... begad ...

Mohaly

762) Being Egyptian 2.0: The Egyptian Democracy !

Since Mubarak's second speech, I have been watching -and experieicing myself- numerous debates between people for and against one issue or another (Mubarak ends his term or not, people leave the streets or not, and the famous debate about Shafik that wasted a lot of precious time and effort). Having different opinion is something needed and very healthy if we want to have a democratic system on all levels, I remember a Japanese proverb saying: "The day we stop discussing different opinions, they day we stop producing". However, what I didn't like is the immature culture of not understanding what debates and discussions are all about. I have seen friends un-friending each other on facebook, I have seen friends insulting and cursing each other...FOR WHAT, for having different Opinions!!



Honestly I was afraid that this will be the Egyptian Version of Democracy, and for a minute I was afraid that what Omar Soliman said about democracy in Egypt was right. But I quickly got these negative thoughts out of my mind, and decided to be more positive through getting engaged in all the discussions and keeping the highest level of tolerance and acceptance till I oblige the other party to respect the conversation without turning it into personal debate or fight.

That is why I decided to write about democracy and how can we have our own positive understanding of democracy in Egypt keeping into consideration our culture and norms. I do believe that there are certain rules about democracy that is common everywhere, but there are some other that have to consider the culture of each country.. So how do I see Egyptian Democracy?

Common Rules:
- Freedom of expression: Listening to each other, and respecting others opinions evern if we disagree.
- Tolerance: Entering any debate with the intention of changing your mind if it makes sense.
- Acceptance: of the opinion of the majority, and the rigths of the minority.
- Faith: Knowing that your voice count even if you are a minority.
Egyptian Flavour:
- Charisma and Kindness: It is part of the culture here that at least 50% of the discussion will be based on the charisma and how kind is your opposition.. We are emotional, and we have to take that into consideration.
- Sarcasm: Ability to mock different parties but within the limits of not insulting them.
- Fazlaka: We may expect too much talking and lengthy introduction to the point, and knowing everything.

What was happening for those for and anti Shafik, and now between Muslims and Christians, Men, Women, black and white lists...etc is not right... I mean everyone has the right to express his opinion but without attacking or fighting others. Your opinion is right but may be wrong, and my opinion is right but may be wrong. We have to realize and differentiate between having different opinions, and those who want us to be always on fire leading to Chaos. We need to reach a win win situation. We can't afford any party losing in such critical time.

(c) Olemdia

How to Turn REVOLUTION to EVOLUTION?
Educate people about Democracy and its values.
Volunteer time to help People understand and share.
Optimism will never let you give up, specially during hard times.
Love will help you not to hate people who have different opinions. 
Unity of different backgrounds and ideologies into one big vision.
Trust is essential for people to cooperate even if they have different beliefs.
Integrity leads to credibility and trust.
Organization of people who share the same values and thoughts.
Non-Violence is the tool of the powerful people (we were a great example for the world).

We have impressed the world with our Egyptian Revolution, and we need to continue impressing them with our Egyptian Democracy.

Mohaly

761) The Arab Kleptocracy of Egypt !

After seeing all this corruption in Egypt by the "National Democractic Party" and the "State Security", I can say that we will be unfair if we called what was happeneing in Egypt as Autocracy.


An autocracy is a form of government in which one person possesses unlimited power, but this person may be working for the sake of Egypt with a clear vision and doesn't hear except his voice, and this wasn't exactly the case with the former regime.
I think what we had is simply a kleptocracy which is a term applied to a government subject to control fraud that takes advantage of governmental corruption to extend the personal wealth and political power of government officials and the ruling class (kleptocrats). This is done through taking from state funds at the expense of the wider population, sometimes without even doing an honest service. This is the official definition of the word, and I feel that as if it has been tailored exactly on the Egyptian Regime although it has been there since the Greeks. The word has a complete and solid meaning now when you apply it on Mubarak's era. The term simply means "ruling by thieves". 
I am asking you dear readers to use the right word for what we have been through. We were experiencing  a nightmare of a Kleptocratic Regime that had been ruled by Theives, and had been protected by Thugs. We have to be persistent on getting everyone specially the big whales on trial and pursue every penny in Egypt and abroad. It is our children and grand children's right and they won't forgive us if we didn't do our best to get it back.
 "تسقط لصوصية مصر العربية".


So let's work together on removing the traces of this UGLY regime and move on to Real Democracy where we, through consensus, direct referendum, or elected representatives exercise equal control over the matters which affect our interests. Sometimes you will be within the majority, sometime you will be a minority, but this doesn't matter as long as you have a say.


Mohaly

We don't wanna FINISH our Revolution ... We wanna COMPLETE it.

760) Egypt 2.0: ENGAGE in the Major CHANGE!

Before you read... I am not lecturing you or forcing you to do anything... I am just putting down my thoughts, expertise, and experience through my writings as a trial to contribute for helping people to understand and manage change in such challenging period. Just read, digest, and build your own conviction.

From what I have seen and read in the facebook, twitter, and even on some blogs, I can say that there are many people who are not fully aware of what does major change mean.  Change simply and generally means moving from one stable state to another. In order to understand the nature of change you need to realize:
- Its Magnitude: How big it is?
- Its Scale: What & Who does it cover?
- Its Direction: Which way it is heading?


In the case of major changes, there are certain things that have to be expected and taken into consideration or else we will be in real mess. These things are:
- It is a dynamic, fast, and relatively chaotic period.
- It experiences never ending conflicts, discussions, & rumors.
- There are Change agents (promoters), critical mass, and opposition (anti-change who may hate change or fear it or were benefiting from the old situation).


The best kind of change is gradual change but that is in the normal situations, sometimes -like now- the best change is the radical change with all its casualties. 


So mapping this to the current situation, you may expect the following:
1) Feeling lost understanding the magnitute, scale, and direction of change.. We are 85 million, and there are many teams involved:
- the revolutionist who are insisting on the radical change to clear it all once and for all, 
- the ordinary people who are mainly watching and are sincere about wanting the best for Egypt but don't really know what is the best thing to do (Critical Mass).
- the non-revolutionists who are with the revolution but anti-fast change and seeking gradual change & more time. 
- the opposers who were benefiting from the previous situation (legally or illegally).
2) Instability in the typical day-to-day life and dynamic changes at least till the Presidential elections if not till end of 2011.
3) Changes in the behaviour and attitude of the people (some immediately, some gradually).
4) Lots of rumours, decisions, anti-decisions, discussions, attacks, counter attacks, conflictis..etc.
5) By time you will find yourself driven either for being a change agent promoting for change and fighting till the last minute, or being anti-change or anti complete change (for one or more reasons of the mentioned above). The side that will prevail and decide the dimenions of that change is the side that will attract the critical mass of people.

SO WHAT SHOULD BE DONE?

On the Marco/General Level:

1) I think that in order to pass this period successfully, there must be a coalition of all the different sectors that meets with the Army and the Government every 2 weeks during this period to:

- follow up with a definite action & timed plan.

- exchange and explain different points of view

- discuss what is next.

2) After each meeting there must be a press conference explaining what happened and what to expect.

3) Have a webpage/group and hot number for people to ineract with their different opinions and suggestions before and after each meeting.

4) Keep trusting the army (as a whole), while keeping the right of protesting every friday as well. There are many people in Army supporting the revolution, so even if some of its leaders against, our pressure will give more power to those with us to help in pushing the change towards the right direction. We were partners in making this revolution happen and we have to continue as partners in managing this period with complete transparency till this challenging transitional period ends.

Then, What is expected from you?
1) Thinking positively and having faith in order to ride through all the setbacks.
2) Working hard and producing as much as you can in order to increase the overall production of the country.
3) Double checking any piece of news before believing or promoting, and don't set your opinion according to one source... read as much as you can, and develop your own conviction.
4) Speaking up your opinion and accept different opinions as we are all (hopefully) seeking the welfare of the country. There is no one always right opinion, but respect and acceptance is the key for fruitful discussions.
5) Help others who feel lost, or thinking about the current damages or losses. The 1st and 2nd priority goes to leading the change successfully, then there are many ways to compensate for the collateral damage happening. We dont pass through such circumstances even every century!
6) Don't rush getting back to normal.. Please don't treat the revolution as if Egypt was engaged in the world cup for 2 weeks, it won, we celebrated, and that is it .... What we are passing through is like having an operation where we wish to have it over and get back to our life, but the operation has to be done in the right way, time, and procedures or else you will be risking our health or may be our whole life.

We are in a state of major change ... A REVOLUTION...A radical change.. Thinking as if we are in normal circumstances is against all the concepts of successful change management. We have been in deep shit for decades, and we have just stopped its feed, but there is still hard work to clean it up then polish it to be able to live in 3ala nadafa.

Mohaly

We don't wanna FINISH our Revolution ... We wanna COMPLETE it.

759) Is it Intended "My Dear" ?!

Although we should be now focusing mainly on the constitiution and preparation of elections and the checklist we need to finish during the transitional period, I find that huge amount of time is wasted of Shafik where people are split and really wasting a lot of time and energy (latest online poll with 124,000 particpants indicated that 57% against and 43% for Shafik)... which I hope that it is not intended. Although I am completely against him being there as I don't see him up to the event but I am trying to be objective and see what did he do till now, taking into consideration 1 month in a revolution time is like a year in normal times.

Today Shafik completes 30 days in office. 

For me what he did so far:

During Mubarak:

Positive:

- Appearing on TV in 3 channels talking in simple way, dressed informally, and trying to open communication channels with the people (it is positive compared with the complete ignoring people used to with Nazif's Government).

- First prime minister to say sorry (although it was ridiculous coming after 24 hrs 11 dead amd 1000 injured).

Negative:

- Promising that no one will touch us in Tahrir, and find the thugs coming to start an 11th century battle in Tahrir after couple of hours of his promise.

- All over the TV channels for the rest of the week except on "Mawk3e3t el Gemal" where his presence was needed the most, I wonder in such critical time, when did he work.

- Extremely provoking Interview  with BBC telling people in Tahrir to keep there and everything will go on, mubarak will stay, and we will be getting bonbon.

- The famous on air scandal of "It is not intended my dear" with Candy Crowley on CNN.

After Mubarak:

Positive:

- Changing some of the hated old faces.

- Smiling.

Negative:

- Again Talking Talking Talking ... ( he never acknowledged it as a revolution in all that talking as well), and telling Reuters on 13/2 that the country is being governed in the same way it was under the ousted president!!!

- I cant count how many times he said "I don't know".

- No progress in the business flow, no clear cut solutions, no transparency in even changing the ministers.

- No clear timeline of the change period specially that it is restricted by 90 days.

- Being too shallow to call Mona El Shazly in an episode dedicated to the most important issue (constitution and elections), to JUST talk about Mahmoud Saad's salary!! 7aga teksef.

Again, I am against him for both being one of the closest students of Mubarak and not being a suitable PM in such critical period... he may be the right person, but at the wrong time ... so I may not be as objective as it should be, but I can assure you that "It is not intended my dears"...

Can you help me to fill out the positives please?!

Thank You in Advance,

Mohaly

We don't wanna FINISH our Revolution ... We wanna COMPLETE it.