CAIRO: Egyptian activist Wael Ghonim, a Google marketing executive based in Dubai, sent a letter to Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi, head of Egypt's ruling military council. Ghonim's letter follows: "I write to you this message after more than seven months since the start of the January 25 Revolution, writing inspired by history books and documents that I have been reading for the last weeks to learn about the history of revolutions in our countries [the Arab world]. [I wished to learn] all dimensions of those revolutions away from the pages of the textbooks which were imposed upon us in school during the rule of the former regime. "God wanted me to be one of the many faces associated with the events of the revolution in the mind of the public – though I myself did not want this. I came out of prison, where I spent a short period, which cannot be compared with the sentences of tens of thousands who spent moths or years in prison or who lost their lives for no reason, except that they wanted to save their country from the abyss. "As I write I imagine my son reading this letter, thirty years from now and feeling the consequences of historical responsibility vested in me…the system in which our parents grew up was corrupt. [It] planted in their hearts fear of the security services and cowardice, which eventually had a negative impact on Egypt: it resulted in a fake democracy, sham elections, useless parties, a truncated media and established prisons and detention centers for those who decided to go against this trend. “This democracy allowed our presidents to ‘win' elections by comical proportions of up to 99.99 percent. The latest [president] broke records in increasing the rates of poverty, corruption, unemployment, ignorance, and crime, which has forced hundreds of thousands of Egyptians to emigrate in order to find a new home that respects their humanity and gives them the opportunity to have a decent life. “On February 11 [the day of Mubarak's resignation], we all celebrated the victory over a system we thought we had overcome. We all started, after we got rid of the nightmare that had long loomed over us, to dream, and many young people spent days after this visiting each other and meeting for the production of ideas and dreams and aspirations combined with faith and determination of invincibility. Many felt for the first time in their lives that Egypt was theirs, and they were now responsible to put their country on the right track. “Large groups of young people who work in various areas inside and outside Egypt began to communicate with each other to in order to combine their experiences to solve chronic problems in Egypt. There were countless online initiatives started by youth who were often no more than 16 years old. Though these initiatives were often very simple, they confirm that the greatest crime committed by the regime for the last thirty years was attempting to sow fear - the fear of change - and distrust, and appropriating the resources of the country for the benefit of their corrupt system. “Weeks and months have passed, and the way the country is being ruled has not changed dramatically - under the pretext of stability. Dialogue with young people ceased, which made us angry because of the slowdown we observed in achieving the demands of the revolution. [The ruling military] council proudly boasts in each statement it issues that it is protecting [the revolution], while arresting some young people and trying them in military courts at the same time that all leaders of the former regime are being tried in civil courts, despite the gravity of the crimes they committed. [The military] even came to accusations of treason… for some who oppose the policies of the military under the pretext of trying to drive a wedge between the people and the army, in spite of the fact that many of these were in the first row of the revolution [that] the military described as one of the greatest historical moments in the life of the nation. “You may know more than me that the system is not a person nor a law, the system is a way of thinking and working. Many young people noted that the revolution was able to change some people, but has not yet succeeded in imposing real change in laws or revolutionary decisions to ensure that we are on the right track. Even the legitimate demands of the revolution did not happen unless there was pressure through demonstrations and sit-ins in Tahrir Square. “Every day that passes without a clear road map for radical change in the governance of our country will affect larger groups of young people who are becoming increasingly more frustrated and likely to lash out in ways that have unknown consequences. “History has shown that democratic countries are best placed to continue and thrive. We are now in the era where it has became impossible to maintain policies of repression or to strike fear [into the people] to control people in the light of the development of modern means of communication. “And you, as head of the military, have a historic opportunity to contribute to a people who rose up to revolt so that Egypt would to walk on the right track. We have young, well-educated people in every field who want to do their best to push Egypt into a renaissance, but this requires real change: a change in that way of thought. Not [change] in the people, a change in strategy, not tactics, but change to achieve social justice and the freedom that we dreamt of after decades of oppression and repression. “We want you, as an authority that gained legitimacy from the revolution by the people, to announce to us a timetable for the handover of power completely to a democratically elected civilian authority “We want you to intervene decisively to affect real change in the rebuilding of the security system on the basis of respect for human rights, without which we cannot succeed in achieving the goals of the revolution. We want you to work to restore trust once again between you and the youth of revolution, who are angry because of the continuing military trials of civilians who have the right to a fair trial before a civilian court. The continuation of these trials is an insult to the revolution which started as a movement against the suppression of freedoms and dealing with citizens under extraordinary laws that undermine their rights. We want you to act quickly to reform the official media that brings hope to the hearts of the sons of the homeland and keeps them motivated to build a bright future, after the completion of democratic transformation and does not focus on the language of conspiracy and intimidation, warnings of the unknown instead using the language of optimism and hope which is the only way to lead us into a renaissance. “We want the military council and Council of Ministers to maintain a conversation on an ongoing basis with citizens through the media, which should be transparent, and in which you must admit to mistakes and rectify them. A lack of transparency will cause greater friction and more problems. “We want a strong government that has all the powers to begin to make real revolutionary decisions in order to fight rampant corruption within government institutions. We want you to protect the real revolution that you committed yourself to making radical changes in policies to benefit the poor and disenfranchised who felt such hope at the start of the revolution, but are now wondering 'How have we benefited from it ?' Aid does not reach them and it must . You must also realize that the youth of this nation, who dazzled the world with their revolution, should be given the opportunity to lead this country. “Know for sure that the youth of Egypt, who dreamed of a better future for their children, decided to risk their lives and face the system, and saw their peers dying before their own eyes, will not accept that their children and grandchildren will read that we failed to achieve this noble dream.” Signed, Wael Ghonim
