Deadly Israeli airstrikes pound Gaza as Doha talks raise hopes for ceasefire    Egypt accelerates coastal protection projects amid rising climate threats    Egypt's PM calls Israeli war on Gaza 'most dangerous crisis' at BRICS summit    Egypt's FinMin urges BRICS to support debt sustainability    Egypt's gold prices up on July 6th    Venezuela vows to uphold sovereignty on 214th independence anniversary    ADIB Egypt publishes second sustainability report for 2024    Egypt, Saudi FMs discuss Gaza truce, Iran-Israel tensions    Over 215,000 projects funded under Mashrouak, exceeding EGP 33bn in May: Minister    Egypt, Norway hold informal talks ahead of global plastic treaty negotiations    Greco-Roman tombs with hieroglyphic inscriptions discovered in Aswan    UN conference cites Egypt's 'NWFE' programme as model for development finance    Global tour for Korean 'K-Comics' launches in Cairo with 'Hellbound' exhibition    China's factory output expands in June '25    Philip Morris Misr announces new price list effective 1 July    Egypt teams up with private sector to boost university rankings    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Egypt condemns deadly terrorist attack in Niger    Egypt's FM, China's Wang discuss Iran-Israel escalation    Egypt's EHA, Schneider Electric sign MoU on sustainable infrastructure    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Grand Egyptian Museum opening delayed to Q4    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's EDA joins high-level Africa-Europe medicines regulatory talks    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Cabinet approves establishment of national medical tourism council to boost healthcare sector    Egypt's PM follows up on Julius Nyerere dam project in Tanzania    Egypt's FM inspects Julius Nyerere Dam project in Tanzania    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Their and our democracy
Published in Al-Ahram Weekly on 03 - 12 - 2008

The US elections but underline that the Arab region has far to go on the path to political freedom, writes Amin Howeidi*
Miracle of miracles! A black man is master of the White House. If anything, this tells us that the American people have turned a corner in their history. By giving a black Democratic senator a mandate to lead the country come January, Americans have turned racism into a relic of the past.
I remember times in which no one had expected such a day to come. When I was attending the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, decades ago, blacks had to sit in the back of the bus. Some restaurants banned dogs and blacks. Others banned dogs and Jews. Blacks and whites had separate schools.
One day, I went with my friend Haila, who was Ethiopian, to lunch. The waitress comes to the table. She takes my order and writes it down with a smile, then she makes as if about to leave, without taking the order of my friend. I stop her. "You haven't taken my friend's order." She replies flatly, "Sorry sir, but I don't serve blacks." We leave to look for another place that accepts black clientele and Haila starts on about American democracy. I tell him to shut up, for it's all getting just too crazy for me.
A tremendous shift is taking place in American society. It is too early to tell whether this shift will do us any good. We've all heard Obama saying all the right things, but deeds are another story. Is he going to be able to face up to the Zionist lobby? Are white supremacists going to make an attempt on his life? This is the same country in which men like Martin Luther King Jr and John Kennedy were assassinated, after all.
Pessimism aside, what we need to do now is get in touch with the new president and get our point of view across as fast as possible, preferably while he is still putting together his team and outlining the administration's policy. Right now, the president-elect is conferring with close colleagues and getting ready to start working as soon as the power is transferred. These are exciting times for America, and it makes one feel -- more than ever -- the lack of similar occasions in our part of the world.
I once met Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in Cairo on the very day a new US president was being sworn in. "Do you know that today is the swearing in ceremony for the US president?" I said. The Libyan leader said he did. I pointed out that in our countries power changes hand only upon the death of an incumbent leader, not when the constitution says so. And if the handover is not quite constitutional, we change the constitution to suit the new incumbent. Gaddafi chuckled, and invited me to visit Libya to talk a bit more. For some reason, the invitation never came.
The point I am trying to make is that we can learn from others as we go. We have to admit that changes of power are a delicate matter and that it is not just the business of leaders but the entire nation. Come election times, I cannot help making a comparison between America and countries in our part of the world during the presidential elections. The excitement, freedom and energy so visible in the US elections is unfortunately lacking in ours.
We need to work more on our political freedom, and we need leaders who show us the way ahead. Political freedom doesn't need to be an illusion. Votes don't have to be bought. And polls don't have to be rigged by the rich and powerful. In our part of the world, we may vote, but we're not free. Our poor and rich are not equal in political opportunity. And they won't be until we abandon revolutionary legitimacy and pay more attention to constitutional legitimacy.
* The writer is former defence minister and chief of General Intelligence.


Clic here to read the story from its source.