Homeland and Egypt’s Political Future by Hossam Badrawi

Wednesday’s article
At the “Dreamers of Tomorrow” Café
The homeland and Egypt’s political future
By
Hossam Badrawi
The current government’s mission is to establish a sustainable path for development for great Egypt, not by relying on an individual but on a sustainable system, a peaceful transfer of power with the free will of voters, and respect for the balance of power within Egyptian society.
Perhaps the greatest concern of the citizen now is focused on the effectiveness of the government, i.e. the extent of achievement and response to the demands of the citizen regardless of the ideological idea adopted by any regime.
The country’s leadership must work on the sustainability of development and the wisdom of not repeating actions that led to failure and waiting for different results.
A strong Egypt internally, socially and economically is the Egypt that can create balance in the Middle East and protect the homeland.
Achieving the greatest effectiveness of the ruling system is linked to the arrival of the most competent to the seats of power through a system that allows this, and is also linked to the importance of having a system of oversight and accountability for the executive authority, and setting periods of rule to ensure renewal in thought and vitality of performance.
Politically, we must focus on the following elements:
– Effective governance,
– Competence of rulers and institutions.
– Independent oversight and accountability from the executive authority,
– An independent and effective justice system (the real revolution must happen here in this area)
– An education and cultural system that allows citizens to build their capabilities so that they have the opportunity to choose the best, and to contribute effectively to the development of themselves and their society..
– Commitment to implementing the philosophy of the constitution, its articles, and providing citizens’ rights.
In our vision for a political future that ensures sustainable development, we are looking for initiatives that achieve our dreams of a modern civil republic, with a balance between the real powers on the ground, an initiative that does not deprive the country of its human potential or its effective national institutions, an initiative that gives freedom its place and respect by controlling the accomplished justice that does not allow freedom to turn into chaos, nor selective manipulation of the law, an initiative that allows the general public to freely choose, and to choose their representatives in parliament well.
The Egyptian Armed Forces are in charge now, and should not be politically placed in front of the responsibility of challenging development, and lose their reference value in the event of a departure from the constitution and legitimacy, or destructive revolutions, if the people call for them.

Therefore, a new formula must be found that respects the balance of power but does not waste the rules of the civil state, and this is what all stakeholders in society should strive for, and write about it without sensitivity or fear.

We believe that the presidential system of government, in which the elected president assumes broad powers of government, is the ideal system for Egypt, and it has been the political reality since 1952, although we claim otherwise.

However, this system leads to tyranny of power unless the term is limited to two terms at most, not exceeding twelve years. This is what the constitution emphasizes, and it is a constitutional choice that cannot be amended by any ruling authority in favor of its survival..
It must be parallel to the presidential system that gives broad powers to the president, parliamentary representation that guarantees the free selection of representatives of the people, which may not bring the best elements as a result of poverty and ignorance, but it must happen, otherwise we will deprive the majority of expressing an opinion, so the existence of another upper chamber for parliament as approved by the amended constitution becomes vital, but not in the way that was applied in the last parliamentary elections, which used the absolute list method and were carried out under pressure from the executive authority.
The Senate should only represent a limited number of educated people and thought leaders in society, and it comes with an electoral system with specific frameworks, and an appointment system in which the number of appointees gradually decreases over a specific number of years at the beginning, and the criteria are specified and announced.
The decentralization approved by the current and previous constitutions and which must be applied gradually, is the widest vessel for listening to the people at the village, center, city and governorate levels..
All of this must be based on two main pillars: the effective application of the law, and a human development plan through education and health care that cannot be reversed under any circumstances..
The truth is that societies that have succeeded in developing their countries have reached a combination of understanding that prevents the integration of religion into politics, the non-control of military force over civil authorities, the rejection of extremist human ideologies, and the effective practice of freedom and respect for citizens’ rights within the framework of the effective application of the law, and in which the church or the armed forces do not compete with civil society for power, as the wheel of circulation turns clearly, and the armed forces maintain their influence, respect and non-interference in civil rule, and the church and mosque remain within the framework of spirituality without interfering in people’s lives.
The exception is what we see in the absolute support for Israel and Zionism, which represents a waste of human rights within the framework of an extremist religious state with an unprecedented bias that is contrary to all the values ​​that the United States and the United Kingdom in particular claim for which they hold others accountable.
In developing countries, including Egypt, civil society and economic forces are still not partners in governance, and whenever the private sector grows, changes come through revolutions or military coups to limit it again, then describe it as inefficient and corrupt, and even create a lasting negative mental image of it. Religious ideology has proven in Egypt that it is not suitable for the culture of the Egyptian people, who got rid of it in one year, which is considered an exceptional act in history. The fall of the authority of religious rule has begun in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but Salafism and Wahhabism are still operating in Egypt under the roof of a political reality that does not deter them sufficiently, and are prepared through well-funded religious organizations to pounce on the government at any moment of laxity or failure, which I fear is a reality that does not satisfy our dreams.

What is strange and also needs to be studied is why did the Arab Spring revolutions take place in republican countries and not in monarchies even though they do not have the potential for democratic rule, and they are countries based on inheriting power without partnership with the people!!!!?? Because they are revolutions whose fires were fanned by an intelligence agent par excellence.±
The modern civil state is the “logical development of Egypt”
So what is the modern civil state that we call for, its foundations, and how to establish its concept among the new generations?!.
I remind you that the entire people approved a constitution that begins with this phrase:
“We are now writing a constitution that completes the building of a modern democratic state, whose government is civil”
“The political system is based on political and party pluralism, the peaceful transfer of power, the separation and balance of powers, the correlation of responsibility with power, and respect for human rights and freedoms, as stated in the constitution.”
This is the introduction to the constitution and its fifth article, which was approved by the Egyptian people by an overwhelming majority in 2014. Neither this introduction nor Article Five were amended in 2019, as happened to others. The constitution is our reference for governing and preserving Egypt.

I conclude my article with a parallel battle for development, which is developing citizenship and instilling it in the conscience of our youth to preserve the philosophy of our identity and make it a foundation for building the future.

Positive citizenship is not limited to the citizen’s mere knowledge of his rights and duties, which must be available to him, but rather his keenness to practice them through an independent personality capable of choosing boldly and politically empowered.
The societal application of the concept of citizenship in all institutions leads to the development of a set of values, principles and practices that affect the formation of the individual’s personality and identity, which is reflected in his behavior towards his peers, towards state institutions, and towards his country.
The concept of belonging to the homeland is the intellectual and emotional connection to the nation, which extends to include the connection to the land, history, people, the present and the future. It is a charge that drives a person to work hard and participate constructively in the progress and advancement of his homeland. These things do not happen on their own, but rather the child and the youth acquire them from their family, school, university, work, culture, art and media.
Belonging to the homeland does not depend on abstract concepts, but rather on a lived experience between the citizen and the homeland. When the citizen senses through his experience that his homeland protects him, provides him with his basic needs, and provides him with opportunities for growth and participation with appreciation and justice, the values ​​of belonging to it become entrenched in him and he expresses them through work and construction for its advancement.
Simply put, the homeland is not a land without a people, it is not just drawn borders, the people are the soul of the homeland. A person is a soul that inhabits a body. If it leaves it, it dies, and every nation is a soul with its history, culture and civilization, and when it is present in a land, it creates a homeland.
Homeland is not a hotel we live in and leave if we don’t like its condition in a moment of history, but it lives within us with all our history, culture, and most importantly, our hopes and dreams.