That's why the Egyptians are in the streets again.
"Egypt military moves to protect power; Sets constitution rules that define its governing role" July 17, 2011|By David D. Kirkpatrick, New York Times
CAIRO - The military council governing Egypt is moving to lay down its own ground rules for a new constitution that would protect and potentially expand its own authority indefinitely, possibly circumscribing the power of future elected officials.
The military announced Tuesday that it planned to adopt a “declaration of basic principles’’ to govern the drafting of a constitution, and liberals here initially welcomed the move as a concession to their demand for a Bill of Rights-style guarantee of civil liberties that would limit the potential repercussions of an Islamist victory at the polls.
Yeah, sure (keep reading).
But legal specialists enlisted by the military to write the declaration say that it will spell out the armed forces’ role in the civilian government, potentially shielding the defense budget from public or parliamentary scrutiny, and protecting the military’s vast economic interests.
Also see: Egyptian military shows entrepreneurial side with US funds; Uses aid money to further its own financial interests
Critics question billions in aid routed back to US contractors
Like I said, no change.
Proposals under consideration would give the military a broad mandate to intercede in Egyptian politics to protect national unity or the secular character of the state....
The military plans to adopt the document on its own, before any election, referendum, or constitution sets up a civilian authority, said Mohamed Nour Farahat, a law professor working on the document. That would represent an about-face for a force that, after helping to oust President Hosni Mubarak five months ago, consistently pledged to turn over power to elected officials who would draft a constitution.
Though the proposed declaration might protect liberals from an Islamist-dominated constitution, it could also limit democracy by shielding the military from full civilian control.
The military is long accustomed to virtual autonomy. Its budget has never been disclosed to Parliament, and its operations extend into commercial businesses such as hotels, consumer electronics, bottled water, and car manufacturing.
Some are already criticizing the military’s plans as a usurpation of the democratic process. Ibrahim Darwish, an Egyptian legal scholar involved in devising a new Turkish constitution to reduce the political role of its armed forces, said the Egyptian military appeared to be emulating its Turkish counterpart. After a 1980 coup, the Turkish military assigned itself a broad role in politics as guarantor of the secular state, and in the process, contributed to years of political turbulence.
“The constitution can’t be monopolized by one institution,’’ he said....
The announcement of the declaration is a setback for the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group considered Egypt’s best-organized and most formidable political force. It was poised to win a major role in the new Parliament and thus the writing of the new constitution.
I wouldn't be too sure of that (keep reading).
The group has opposed liberal proposals to draft a constitution before parliamentary elections expected this fall, or to postpone the elections long enough to let liberals catch up in organizing.
Demonstrators have returned to Tahrir Square with increasing frequency to voice their demands, culminating in a weeklong sit-in rivaling the days of the revolution.
The revolution is still a work in progress.
The military-led government, in turn, has appeared to respond to public demands with repeated concessions and military leaders are sounding increasingly exasperated....
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And about those Islamists the military will stop:
"Egypt’s ruling military and protesters seeking greater and faster change are moving toward an outright collision, as the generals try to strip away public support for the movement while cozying up to the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood.
Youth activists are not backing down, betting that Egyptians’ dissatisfaction with the military’s running of the country will grow.
The generals, in power since the February ouster of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak, have launched an intensified media campaign against the protest activists, depicting them as a troublemaking minority and agents of foreign governments.
Un-f***ing-real!
The military also is cultivating ties with the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, which joined liberal and leftist youth in the 18-day uprising that toppled Mubarak but has since split with them on multiple issues. By cultivating the Brotherhood, the generals can take advantage of its large popular support base to counter the young protesters’ influence.
I am NOW CONVINCED the Muslim Brotherhood is in fact a co-opted organization of western intelligence.
Major General Mohammed al-Assar, a member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the body of generals that has taken over from Mubarak, praised the Brotherhood yesterday, saying it was playing a constructive role in post-Mubarak Egypt.
That pain in your back is a knife, Egyptian liberals.
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"In bid to appease protesters, Egypt forces 600 police to retire" July 14, 2011|By David D. Kirkpatrick, New York Times
CAIRO - Egypt’s transitional military government announced the early retirement of more than 600 senior police officers yesterday in an effort to mollify thousands of protesters at a six-day-old sit-in in Cairo’s Tahrir Square....
Kind of seeing through this shit now, huh?
In Tahrir Square, where crowds have grown to rival the earlier demonstrations, protesters appeared to be unmoved. Human rights activists called the reorganization a modest first step toward a more thorough reform of the Interior Ministry, which remains widely despised for its practices of extrajudicial torture and detention....
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"Mubarak denies any role in killings" July 15, 2011|Associated Press
CAIRO - Hosni Mubarak has denied any responsibility for his security forces killing nearly 900 protesters in Egypt’s uprising, according to a transcript of the ousted president’s interrogation published yesterday.
Asked to explain the killings, Mubarak dismissed the lethal crackdown, saying: “Our people and our security are like that.’’
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The transcript was leaked in the midst of new protests across the country, one of them a week-old sit-in in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, where protesters camped for most of the uprising.
Justice for the uprising’s victims is among the hottest issues in Egypt’s bumpy transition to democracy. And the protesters camping out in Tahrir are demanding that those behind the killings be swiftly tried. They accuse the military generals who took over from Mubarak of stalling on the prosecutions.
Mubarak comes across in the transcript as aloof and totally out of touch with the fury his regime created....
He is no different than most leaders.
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"Heeding protesters’ calls, Egypt alters Cabinet" July 18, 2011|By Sarah El Deeb, Associated Press
CAIRO - Egypt’s prime minister named 12 new Cabinet members yesterday in a reshuffle under pressure from protesters demanding a purge of remnants of the former regime, state television reported.
Also yesterday, Farid el-Deeb, a lawyer for Hosni Mubarak, said the ousted president had suffered a stroke and was in a coma. Assem Azzam, the head of Mubarak’s medical team, quickly denied the report and said he had suffered a bout of low blood pressure and dizziness. Azzam said Mubarak, 83, was stable.
The former president has been in a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh since April. He is set to face trial in about two weeks on charges he ordered the killings of protesters during the 18-day uprising that ousted him on Feb. 11.
State TV dubbed the new government lineup the “Revolution Cabinet.’’ Most of the ministers were relative newcomers, clearly a way to avoid further criticism by the protesters.
Thousands of Egyptians have returned to Tahrir Square, the epicenter of Egypt’s uprising, complaining that change has come too slow under the military council that took over power.
Even after the Cabinet reshuffle, many of the protesters in the square, more than a week into their sit-in, said they have no intention of quitting.
“The real power brokers are the generals of Hosni Mubarak,’’ said activist Hossam el-Hamalawy. “Nothing has really changed on the ground.’’
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Tension has been on the rise in Egypt over what many perceive as the military rulers’ reluctance to act against Mubarak and his loyalists.
Justice for the families of nearly 900 people killed during the uprising is a key demand of protesters. They are demanding a public trial for Mubarak and other regime officials accused of complicity in the killings.
A conviction could carry the death penalty for Mubarak, and activists suspect his lawyer may be using health problems as a ruse to sway public opinion and perhaps even win amnesty.
Deeb has made other claims recently about Mubarak’s deteriorating health that were also denied by senior medical officials....
Related: Who Cares About Mubarak?
Just die and save us the trouble.
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Update: Mubarak refusing to eat solid food
Who does he think he is now, Gandhi?
Yup, the Egyptian military is heeding protesters my newspaper tells me!
"Egypt sets time frame for elections" July 19, 2011|By Sarah El Deeb, Associated Press
CAIRO - Egypt’s military rulers commissioned a top judge yesterday to form an electoral commission, starting the process of organizing the country’s first elections after the popular uprising that ousted authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak.
The military decree effectively sets a time frame for the first parliamentary elections in Egypt’s transition to democracy. The commission begins work on Sept. 18, with the vote expected to follow roughly two months later, according to human rights lawyers. The decree, reported by the state news agency, did not set an exact date.
The decision settles a major dispute among various political factions over whether elections should come before or after the writing of a constitution. Many liberals fear well-organized Islamist groups are poised to win big in Parliament and hence influence the writing of the country’s postrevolution constitution.
“This is a strong indication that the military council is still committed to holding elections first,’’ said Hafez Abou Saada, the head of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, which monitored previous elections.
As an apparent compromise, the ruling military council said it will prepare a document that would introduce guiding principles to prevent any group from heavily influencing the new constitution....
But GO Muslim Brotherhood, sigh!
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Related:
Egyptian military rejects poll monitors
Egyptian prime minister promises reforms, end to emergency law
Also see: Egyptian Revolution, Round Two
I suspect there will be a round three, four, and five.
