The Egyptian revolution is leading to new civic attitudes among the country's young people in the wake of the leading role they played in the recent demonstrations, says Andalib Fahmy In the wake of the 25 January Revolution, political debate has taken over Cairo, with 30 years of political stagnation giving way to the conviction that Egyptians are finally free to shape their own destiny. Suddenly, people have begun to realise that political awareness should be fostered rather than smothered, and political activists have taken the initiative to raise awareness, create new political parties and help young people to voice their demands. According to 27-year-old Noha Saleh, "for the first time in Egypt political activists of different backgrounds and orientations have been able to speak openly about the corruption of Egyptian politics and the weaknesses of the country's constitution, along with other topics that were for a long time considered to be taboo." "This has encouraged me to read up about politics in Egypt, and I now think that the so- called freedom of speech we were encouraged to think we had over the past 30 years was in fact fake. In the wake of the revolution, people should aim to be more politically involved, and they should become politically literate so that no one will be able to buy their votes. People should read the different electoral programmes and choose the best candidates on the basis of them." Nineteen-year-old Mohamed Fouad agrees, adding that for the first time the revolution has encouraged him to read the country's constitution and to find out more about Egypt's political decision-makers. "Now I feel that this country is my country, and I have many obligations and duties towards it. One of these obligations is to make sure that the right people are elected, people who represent me and can represent Egypt to the world as a whole," Fouad said. Mohamed Ismail, the owner of a Facebook page, said that he intends to vote for "a programme and not a person" in future elections. For Ismail, the revolution was a transitional step on the path towards democracy, though Egyptian voters are still too ready to be swayed by emotions in their electoral preferences, choosing candidates based on personal considerations. "Even now, we tend to believe what we are told about people, and this affects our decisions," Ismail commented. "For this reason, I would like to see the country's intellectuals and educated people explain the importance of electoral programmes to the people as a whole, especially less well-educated people." Ahmed Samir, 19, agreed, adding that the Egyptian constitution guarantees every Egyptian the right to vote at age 18. "Unfortunately, the previous regime deprived us of our right to participate fully in politics, which is why we don't know how to make the right decisions in elections now." "Asking people to vote in elections when they don't have the right political background is like asking them to drive without knowing the traffic regulations," he said. "Accidents could happen." People were eager to develop their political awareness and to put democracy into practice in Egypt, especially as they had been deprived of both for such a long time, but these things needed the development of civic education among the population, as well as the raising of political awareness, Samir believes. "Young people need to learn to accept pluralism and the views of others in order to participate actively in public life and build a truly democratic society,'' he said. Such convictions are not restricted to young people in Cairo and Alexandria, and they have spread to young people in all the country's governorates. Marwa El-Touki, 30, has set up an NGO called Awareness ( Waai ) in Mansoura in order to help young people there to become more aware of politics and even to serve as the core for a new political party. "Egyptians have now begun to understand the political game. They have become more patriotic, and they have realised that it is they, the people, who are the most important elements in the country's development. It is for this reason that we set up the NGO in Mansoura -- in order to help people to create their present and their future with their own hands," El-Touki said.
