By Salama A Salama The sun of freedom has shone over Egypt after a lapse of 30 years or more. A new generation has risen in revolt, breaking free from the stifling ideas and reactionary modes of the 20th century. What happened wasn't a coup d'état but a white revolution using cutting-edge technology, Facebook and telecommunication, to make its voice heard. The Internet generation took the lead, but before long university students and professionals joined in. The ripples spread across the country as the rest of the nation shook off the shackles of submission, humiliation and graft. The revolution's goals were quite clear. The regime needed to end, not just its faces and methods. The outgoing regime responded with the usual police brutality, with its gangs of thugs and hired hoodlums, hoping to intimidate demonstrators. Eventually, the regime had to ditch some of the gloomy faces that had taken control of the ruling party and by extension the country. Then the president said he wouldn't run again, and that his son wouldn't run either. New faces were brought in to form a new government other than that of Ahmed Nazif. But the structure of the regime remained mostly unchanged. The parliament was still in place, so was the president with his imperial powers, the flawed constitution, and the state of emergency. The distrust lingered, and so did the fear that the regime would renege on its decisions and the concern that youths would be hunted down as soon as calm is restored. Regime change was far from complete. More than 300 young men and women died, victims of a worn-out regime bent on surviving no matter what. Consequently, the youth rejected any compromise, turned down every tempting pledge, and spurned a dialogue that meant so little to them. Speeches were made and statements were issued. Manoeuvres were concocted and promises were uttered. But in the end the dictator had to go. In a last ditch stand, he delegated powers to the newly appointed vice president, but it was already too late. What would have been good a few weeks or months earlier was now inadequate. The dictator never imagined that the people would spurn him so. He never thought he would be forced out of office. The man who refused to bow to the will of the people throughout his career, the man who failed to understand the nation's interests and ambitions, was finally ousted. No one can fully understand how and when the anger and rebellion built up to the point where civil disobedience spread so fast, not only in Tahrir Square but also in other governorates, even in Al-Wadi Al-Gadid. Entire families showed up for the protests, women and children included, many sleeping in the streets to press their point. Egypt is about to join the club of advanced nations. It is about to achieve what has escaped it for three decades. It is clear that the desire for change among the youth was not confined to the ousting of president Mubarak, but focussed on ending one-man and one-party rule, on terminating emergency law, and the rigging of elections. The Armed Forces, now in charge of the transitional phase, understand the demands of the people and are trying to achieve these demands. I was speaking to Ambassador Mohamed Qassem and he suggested a way of honouring the fallen. He said that the schools, institutions, societies, centres and hospitals bearing the names of Mubarak and Suzanne Mubarak should be named after the martyrs of the 25 January Revolution. To honour the martyrs is to honour the revolution.
