Dr. Hossam Badrawi Official Website
There is no doubt that free and fair elections are the essence of democracy and a necessary condition for it, but they may produce governments that are incompetent and short-sighted, dominated by special interests, whether ideological or economic, and may produce governments that are unable to adopt policies that advance society… All of this makes them governments Incompetent, but it does not make it undemocratic.
We must realize that what precedes the elections in terms of directing public opinion, especially if it is not immunized with science and knowledge, and attracting, intimidating or threatening it affects the results of the elections. Also, using the power of money or creating an atmosphere that does not allow any organized forces for free political action to direct and influence the voter.
As for what follows the election box, the elected’s respect for freedoms, the constitution, the law, the balance between powers and being accountable, are essential in implementing democracy. The issue is not only an election box.
Perhaps the experience of the elections of Mr. Mohamed Morsi, representing the Muslim Brotherhood as president of Egypt, was a practical application of a democratic form that preceded and was followed by all the circumstances you mentioned that strike democracy in death.
Perhaps, while I remember this, I warn that everyone who attains power in a country not accustomed to democracy prepares for him that his presence is the only guarantor of the country’s safety and stability and lives in the illusion that he is the only one whose presence the state is cohesive and the surrounding state agencies compete with him and the media directed to deepen that feeling for him and a large sector from the masses.
Therefore, while I was within the ruling party, I was declaring and insisting that the most important amendment in the constitution was a duty to amend the article that should specify the period of rule, and perhaps the most important positive impact of what happened in 2011 and then on 6/30 is the people’s insistence on specifying the period of rule to ensure the development of democracy and circulation of power.
It remains that in this case, which occurred and the possibility of recurrence in Egypt, and in other countries that are newly transitioning to democratic systems – the most important question is raised: Where lies the protective deterrent that ensures the righteousness, stability and sustainability of democracy? How can it be applied in our country?!
In the West, deep-rooted traditions have been established in protecting the autonomy of the individual, his rights and his dignity from coercion, regardless of its source, whether from the state, the church, or even the majority of society, within a framework that protects the rights and liberties of minorities, because it is based on a marriage between democracy, freedom and order.
As for us, these axioms are still unstable, not in the conscience of rulers or even individuals, within the framework of an educational and cultural system that does not develop this trend, nor does it make it stable in the societal conscience.
In our country, there is no clear institutional framework that prevents those who sit on the throne of government, even if they come with a free and fair popular will, or any government that comes within the framework of a real parliamentary majority, from crossing the bridge using the election box, then to tyranny with freedoms and staying in power by calling for public interest and stability within the framework of an ideological view Especially, or fear of chaos, or a grouping of local, regional or international interests, or a religious framework that imposes on society a specific culture, and prevents pluralism and citizenship.
I remind everyone that the constitution (the father of laws) was found to regulate life in the state, and its role as a reference that society agreed upon grows when conflict occurs between factions. In moments of disagreement and revolutions, during which the most organized, the most funded and the loudest are riding, the constitutional reference is greater and more important. However, when we go through this moment, we are accustomed to dropping the reference and canceling the constitution, and the fate of the nation is in the hands of the owner of matters in this historical snapshot.
What do we do to make our call for democracy a call also for freedom, protection of individual rights, and of institutions not collapsing at the moment of change? .. And how do we guide the effects of free and fair elections if they bring about a new dictatorial rule or chaos in which interests conflict? .. Which is what we see now unfortunately on multiple levels in every parliament Elected, starting with the councils of buildings, neighborhoods, local councils, professional unions, departments in universities, or even parliament. A recurring model in Egypt that gives a clear and explicit indication of the higher level in the country, which is the sum of what happens at the lower levels. Everyone is in conflict, intolerance and argument, inability to make decisions, and chaos that makes some individuals want the state to intervene, to impose order by force as it did before in a reverse return to everything we fought for over the years for free and fair elections.
True freedom is the guarantee, not represented by chaos, but by a measure of order. Freedom needs guidelines and sometimes restrictions.. The real security of freedom depends on the strength of some protective walls that protect it.. This is what produced modern liberal democracy, through the accumulation of years in the West, which we cannot wait for in our country for long.
We must restore the balance between democracy, freedom, and the need for order, as democratic societies need new equipment and accompanying guiding features to address the problems and conditions of the current era.
This begins without hesitation with justice and strict application of the law, without selectivity, and to think of the law as the wise ruling restrictions that make citizens free, within the framework of the freedom of the whole society, stemming from a constitution that is actually respected by the ruler and the ruled.
This constitution and the laws that emanate from it must allow basic freedoms for every citizen without reversal, and no authority whatsoever, no matter the degree of integrity of the one who brought it, to continue to rule under any circumstances for more than a specified period. Within a framework of political accountability in a parliament balanced with the executive authority and not subordinate to it, and that the constitution protects society from any ruling regime that seeks, directly or indirectly, to amend it in favor of its survival or infringement of the rights of citizens.
Democracy and freedom are an essential coexistence of not moving to chaos, governed by the application of justice and a new revolution within the institution of justice to ensure the right, accomplished, at the right time, not from a political or ideological standpoint, but from a neutral standpoint to protect Egypt from
Next shot. Any system of government should not bet on time to practice injustice temporarily, through procedures depending on the length of litigation time to achieve justice, as the state in this case becomes an dishonest opponent.
It aligns with the reform of the judicial system and the full implementation of the law, within the framework of achieving justice, by raising the efficiency of the police apparatus entrusted with implementing the law with the knowledge, training, and professionalism necessary not to violate the rights of the innocent on the way to reaching the guilty.
As for the second ruling approach on democracy and freedom, it is confirmed by changing the concept of education and cultural awareness to build the conscience of a normal citizen who understands the difference between the government and the homeland, and can actively participate in choosing the management of his country at the central and decentralized level, and choosing his representatives to hold the executive authority accountable, which does not have the right to rule alone without Democracy and freedom controls. This main and basic axis for building a person capable of seeing the future will remain my passion, and I will continue to fight for it, regardless of the obstacles and challenges.
