Hosni Mobarak is no more president of Egypt. Yet “Mobarak Spirit” has never left the country!
Dictatorship does not always require a dictator. It is a spirit. It might be embodied in an individual or a group of (privileged) people. There are so many countries in the world ruled by dictators who are not even alive.
Dictatorship is a jealous and patronizing “mindset” which has no tolerance. It is jealous of power that enables control over the “others”. This mindset is conservative as long as all of the resources are under his patronage. This mindset will never accept any change in status. It becomes extremely retrogressive once the privileges providing sense of superiority starts fading away. Democracy, rule of law, citizenship based on equality are all regarded as nothing but a myth by this mindset.
However, change is inevitable in today’s world: Democracy, transparency and rule of law have to be institutionalized. Will of the people has to be gradually consolidated in the political system. All sorts of guardianship must be ousted from the public life. If such steps will be taken in any country, there will be enormous change and advancement in social, economic and political life.
Change has always faced resistance.
People who are trying to conserve the present or implicitly claiming the past are those who have had privileged position for decades. Equality will annoy them. They are alien to justice and development. They will retrogressively dream for the old order.
This is what is happening today.
Egypt is striding to the past. Restoring the old order where a small group will have a superior status in the country. Ironically, all is happening within a democratic formalism. Tragically, the would-be democratic standard bearers applaud this drama.
Is there anyone in the world who is not aware of the fact that this mindset controlled (military) power, economy, politics and all natural resources for decades. Majority was deprived of all rights and no democracy was bestowed to them.
Today, democracy is ignored, just because there is a risk of power moving from the privileged to the people. Will of the majority is neglected, because they do not share ideology of “the mindset”.
***
It seems that struggle for democracy in Egypt (and elsewhere in the world) will not be over until the moment when there will be no mindset controlling the political system at the expense of those who do not belong to this mindset.
