In the late 1950's Britain's Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, was asked by a journalist what he saw as the greatest challenge facing his government. Macmillan's reply has become one of the most famous ripostes in British politics: “Events, dear boy, events." In other words, whatever a politician might do to plan the future course for his country, Macmillan knew that things happen quite out of the blue, over which they have no control, that throw them completely off course. Many a politician has had to resign over events beyond his control. Egypt's now jailed former president saw to his cost that unforeseen events in January 2011 were able to force him from office. Japan's Prime Minister saw it necessary to resign in the aftermath of the devastating tsunami that ravaged his country. The unforeseen production a few weeks back of a film about Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) by a few fanatics with a cheap camcorder was enough to set the whole world in turmoil. Only just over one week ago, we saw on US television a very uncomfortable and worried looking President Obama speaking to the nation about the approaching storm that would hit the east coast of the United States. With a Presidential election only days away, it was clear to everyone that the President saw the potential that storm had to wreck his chances of re-election. If not handled properly, he realised, he would be blamed for what happened. No ordinary man can control the winds and the waves, yet people tend to blame their leaders for things quite beyond their power. After all, who else can they blame? A sudden increase in the price of wheat or a shortage of oil have been enough in the past to cost many a politician his job. No matter what a leader's past achievements may have been, people remember what is happening right now. Egypt has passed through one major phase and is now entering another. The revolution which saw the overthrow of the now jailed former president was followed by eighteen months of uncertainty and turmoil. This is quite normal in any transition from authoritarian rule to democracy, yet if you are the one living through it, it still remains very tough. Earlier this year, though, we saw the free election for the first time of a civilian leader to guide Egypt into the next phase. Even though Egypt's fragile democracy is still less than perfect, with the parliament dissolved and the courts vying for power with the executive office, Egypt seems to be on a course that will lead it to a better future. There just remains one great challenge that no one has any control over: events. A demonstration in Tahrir Square, a football match, even a shortage of gas bottles can be enough trigger off a series of events which might ultimately derail the democratic process itself. Those inside and outside Egypt wishing to de-stabilise the country and see it return to its former days have seen all too clearly how a minor clash between Muslims and Christians can flare up into something major and threaten the nation itself. The challenge in these days, then, is to keep calm and not allow events to throw Egypt off course. It often seems that the president is like a man carrying an elephant on his shoulders. The weight of problems facing the country is so heavy that it has the potential to crush him if he is not careful. One wrong step, one word spoken out of turn, is enough for the President to stumble and for all the weight of the elephant to fall down upon him. Unrealistic expectations after the revolution of January 25 left many Egyptians disappointed and feeling that the whole episode was not worth all the trouble it had caused. Many still feel this way. Many people have not seen any positive benefit in their own lives. Hey didn't get the job they were looking for, or a new flat or a wife. What use is freedom of speech, they say, if they have nothing to eat? What use are human rights to them, they complain, if there is no safety for their families? The ideas which inspired many people last year to stand up and confront a massive security machine were very simple. Those who fell as martyrs in Tahrir Square and throughout Egypt were asking for freedom, dignity and social justice for all. These are lofty aims, even if somewhat remote from people's lives. Rubbish in the streets, though, is something they can see. Long queues for petrol are something very real. In such an atmosphere, those lofty goals of the revolution can go right out of the window if the immediate problems of life are not addressed. Many see it as a pressing need that something must be done to make a positive change in the lives of ordinary Egyptians before they give up on the revolution and turn, instead, to the perceived security of yesterday. Prices cannot continue to rise. The rubbish cannot continue to be piled in heaps on every street corner or people will lose faith in the democratic process itself and turn, instead, to those remnants of the former regime who are waiting in the wings to take over once more. Just managing the day to day lives of Egyptians is enough to occupy any President from morning till night. Trying to solve the traffic problem is enough to distract him from the greater problems facing the country, such as what direction the nation should be going, what kind of Constitution it should really have and who its friends abroad should really be. Whether or not the country should have a treaty with Israel, for example, is a question of great importance, but it will never even be addressed if the concerns of life are consuming all our energies. Unfortunately, people have very short memories and even shorter tempers. Dr Morsi is not superman. No president could ever be, no matter how much his media machine might portray him as such. The president has to steer a course through the rubbish and the traffic and the gas bottles, to do what is truly right for the country. On our part, we need to be patient. After all, in a democratic system the people call their leaders to account every few years. If they haven't done what they promised to do, then the people have the option of getting rid of them and choosing someone else. After only a few months, though, it is too early to give our judgement. All we can do is to hope that events, dear boy, will not intervene and throw the whole project off course. Inshallah, Egyptians will have the wisdom and the patience to wait and see. British Muslim writer, Idris Tawfiq, teaches at Al-Azhar University. The author of nine books about Islam, he divides his time between Egypt and the UK as a speaker, writer and broadcaster. You can visit his website at www.idristawfiq.com and join him on Facebook at Idris Tawfiq Page. British Muslim writer, Idris Tawfiq, teaches at Al-Azhar University. The author of nine books about Islam, he divides his time between Egypt and the UK as a speaker, writer and broadcaster. You can visit his website at www.idristawfiq.com and join him on Facebook at Idris Tawfiq Page.
