Another massive, or not so massive, demonstration is expected in Tahrir Square tomorrow amid signs of polarisation on both sides, reports Dina Ezzat "Of course I will go. I haven't been going for the past few Fridays, but this Friday especially I intend to go," said Mona, a political activist who took part in the demonstrations leading up to the 25 January Revolution that started in Cairo's Tahrir Square along with other urban meeting points elsewhere in the country. Mona's determination to join tomorrow's demonstration was prompted by concern and frustration, she said. Her concern is over how the transitional period in the country's history is being managed. "Nobody really understands what is going on, and every day we wake up to some new arrangement or other that we have not really been consulted on. We made this revolution, and we deserve to be part of the decision-making," she said. Mona's view has been echoed by many of the leading faces of the 25 January Revolution, who have also been expressing concern at the management of the transitional period and at how laws influencing political participation are being drafted. Like Mona, many are angry over the way these laws are being drafted, allegedly in a "unilateral and almost presidential way," and they are concerned that crucial steps may be taken in the future without consulting, or without sufficiently or broadly consulting, the forces that led the revolution. For Mona, tomorrow's demonstration will be one of the strongest messages sent by these forces to ensure that their views are taken into account and transparency prevails. "We need to make it clear that we are not willing to accept that [former president Hosni] Mubarak is tried for financial corruption or ordering the killing of demonstrators alone. He also has to be tried for massive political corruption," she said. "We made a revolution, and we are following up on the fulfillment of our demands. We are not threatening anyone. Everything will be perfectly legitimate." The calls for a massive demonstration in Tahrir Square this Friday were made in a context of considerable political confusion over the fate of Mubarak, his family and his associates. They also came as part of a pattern whereby demonstrations are called almost every time a decision is made deemed incompatible with the will of the revolutionary forces. Yesterday's decision by the country's prosecutor-general to refer Mubarak and his two sons, Gamal and Alaa, for prosecution on charges levelled against the former president of ordering the killing of peaceful demonstrators during the first days of the 25 January Revolution and financial corruption against the former president and his two sons are expected in official quarters to dissuade many from taking part in Friday's demonstration. Also expected to reduce the number of demonstrators at tomorrow's demonstration are the appeals made by many, including many intellectuals, to end the present state of political uncertainty and the negative impact this is having on an already weakened economy. There have also been splits between the revolutionary forces themselves on the wisdom of calling for weekly demonstrations and warnings of possible confrontations between the demonstrators and the army. Nevertheless, tomorrow's demonstration, massive or not, is expected to take place. "These follow-up demonstrations are parts of the revolution and very important parts. They are the way by which people are able to speak their minds on how things are run," said political analyst Emad Gad. "Think of how things have been run since Mubarak stepped down on 11 February. It has been the demonstrations in Tahrir Square every Friday that have led to the granting of key demands." According to Gad, without the follow-up demonstrations Mubarak's last prime minister, Ahmed Shafik, would still be in office, Ahmed Abul-Gheit would still be foreign minister, and Mubarak himself would still be enjoying immunity in Sharm El-Sheikh. Today, Gad argued, it is clear to all that the voice of the street needs to be heard and taken into consideration. According to both Mona and Gad, the demonstrators tomorrow will demand swifter legal action to be taken against figures from the toppled regime, as well as against figures suspected of inciting unrest to be brought to justice. The demonstrators will also demand the election of a committee to draft a new constitution ahead of the parliamentary elections, they said. This third demand is a particularly tricky one, given that the constitutional amendments voted for in a referendum some weeks ago stipulated that the drafting of the constitution should be done after the parliamentary elections by 100 individuals expected to be members of the new parliament. However, this is only one interpretation of a confusing legal text. Today, some political forces are saying that this arrangement should be reversed on the grounds that the constitution is designed to arbitrate between the executive, judicial and executive powers of the state. It cannot be drafted by one of those powers. "What if the demands are granted? What happens next? Next Friday, we will see another demonstration over some other demand," complained one official source. "What happens if the court does not find indisputable evidence that Mubarak should be indicted on charges of ordering the killing of demonstrators? What if he is not found guilty on some of the charges? Will we then have another demonstration?" Sources say that the calls for more and more demonstrations are increasingly being matched by calls in government for greater firmness. According to one source, "some are already saying that we cannot keep bowing to the demands of the street, arguing that the stability of the country as a whole should be the paramount objective because otherwise we will find ourselves in acute economic problems." Calls for taking a firmer line are gaining ground, the source said, and "a message is being communicated to all concerned that order needs to be put in place and other channels of communication besides Tahrir Square should be used." (see pp.2-5)
