CAIRO: On January 3-4, the people of the Sinai peninsula's two governorates will vote in the final round of regional elections for Egypt's lower house of parliament. While much media attention was given to elections and voter interests in Cairo and other large cities in Egypt over the last few weeks, voting in the Sinai has largely fallen behind this spotlighting. Historically, the Sinai's local Bedouin community only enters into the official political arena when their interests are directly jeopardized, relying instead on traditional tribal structures and customary laws. Although there are many differences between the North Sinai and South Sinai governates, people in both parts seem generally very happy about one consequence of Egypt's January 25 Revolution: a reduction in police presence and enforcement, ending an era of police repression and marginalization. “We were not free to move in our own country,” Sinai resident Ahmed Salah told Bikyamasr.com. “For example, we were hindered to go to Sharm el-Sheikh. Not even when I needed to go to the hospital to get medicine for my mother-in-law did they grant me access.” This historic police presence, however, has decreased to a minimum as a security vacuum in the area manifested in the wake of the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak. All through the South Sinai, this relief is notable. In the Sinai, activity in the official political ring generally takes place only when the community feels it must organize against an unpopular state decision. For instance, when plans became public that the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company was to build a large power plant, covering some 105,000m2 in the middle of Nuweiba City, the local Bedouin community started a petition and waged a campaign that forced the project's main creditor, the European Investment Bank, to pull out of the plans. Salim Mansur, a former Cairo lawyer and now the owner of a tourist camp in Nuweiba, has been active on a community level in the Sinai, but has no ambitions to participate in the parliamentary elections. “I don't see how my voice could have an impact. Realistically, with two seats out of 498, how could we possibly make the voice of the Bedouins heard in the parliament?” He, like many other politically active people in the region, prefers to wait and see. “We will fight again, when our interests are at stake,” he explained. “If the parliament makes an unpopular decision, and I am a member of parliament, people will make me responsible for government decisions that I may not support,” he continued. Many Bedouins who are active on the community level share his stance, preferring to maintain their old ways of fighting. Stepping up for parliamentary elections seems more a way to improve prestige and access to state wind-fall profits than a serious attempt to help the indigenous community of the Sinai. Still, Salim Mansour stresses that Bedouins in the Southern cities and villages that have access to the polling stations will vote on January 3, and will certainly vote for Bedouin candidates. In the South Sinai, these Bedouin candidates have mainly joined center parties with a religiously moderate stance, such as the Hizb Al-Wasat or the Egyptian Bloc. In the north, where Islamist sentiments are stronger and Salafi activities are more common, religious parties are likely to win a main share of the votes. The Freedom and Justice Party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, just moved into a multi-story building in the North Sinai town of el-Arish. It has become heavily involved in arbitrating mounting tribal tensions in the area, thus gaining popularity and visibility in the community. Renewed eruptions of tribal clashes have soared in the North Sinai, as kidnappings and murders are in the rise in the post-revolution security vacuum. Though distrustful of the police, Hassan Khaleff, a tribal judge of Sawarekeh in North Sinai, said that his people have always been on good terms with the army and have called for their return in order to mitigate the violence. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/WP4VM Tags: Elections, Sinai Section: Egypt, Latest News
