THE recent ruling, made by the Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) instructing the legislature to give members of the army and police institutions the right to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections, has triggered wide debate in Egyptian society generally and within the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in particular. This might not be the only amendment that the SCC has requested to add to the draft election law, yet it is the most shocking for the society. On one hand, the country has toppled a military rule that lasted for more than half a century during which military officers and soldiers never had the right to vote in spite of a constitutional article ensuring equality among citizens according to which the SCC based its ruling. Objections to the suggestion are based on three points. Firstly, the neutrality of these two significant institutions must be protected from political conflicts. The MB's objection is based on the fact that military and policemen are trained and required to be obedient to their superiors as a matter of professional necessity, which the MB believes creates problems when it comes to exercising political independence and freely choosing between candidates. The third reason given to reject this recommendation is that the police and the Armed Forces are responsible for guarding the voting process, which creates a problematic conflict of interests. To settle this debate, we should admit the major changes introduced to the Egyptian character after the January Revolution. Besides, most Egyptians turned out to show a real interest in politics including the military and policemen. Although they belong to institutions where obedience and following orders are crucial, soldiers and policemen have started showing their objections to some of the decisions being made by their ministers and the President. A good example of this is the ongoing strikes by policemen, seeking certain rights and better work incentives. Besides, there are many other institutions, such as the Muslim Brotherhood movement itself, based on the principle of the obedience of its members to the commander, the MB General Guide. Meanwhile, it may be too early for taking such a wide step till after establishing the requested rules to preserve neutrality of the security and military institutions. What is more important is not to let such a recommendation cause more delays to the badly needed parliamentary elections so that the process of building political institutions of post-Revolution Egypt may be completed.
