Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jul 20, 2013 Letters
DEAR EDITOR,
The current situation in Egypt is most interesting. After a long and protracted battle on the streets to get rid of Hosni Mubarak, elections were held which were won by Mohamed Mursi and his Muslim Brotherhood Movement.
No sooner had the dust settled on the streets in a location that has now become internationally famous, Tahrir Square, there were massive protest actions, this time for the removal of Mursi and his Muslim Brotherhood from the seat of government. Incidentally, Mr. Mursi was the first democratically elected President in the history of Egyptian politics.
At the time of this article, the army-backed administration swore in a new interim Cabinet which did not include any of the Ministers from the deposed Cabinet of President Mursi.
The current situation in Egypt is reminiscent of what took place in Guyana in 1953 when the democratically elected PPP government was overthrown from office by the British government following the suspension of the Constitution. By Order in Council of October 4, 1953, the PPP ministers were effectively deprived of ministerial responsibilities and steps were taken to amend the constitution so that the Governor, in exercising his powers, was no longer obliged to act on the advice of the Executive Council. This was followed a few days later by a 15-paragraph statement by Her Majesty’s government justifying the decision to suspend the Constitution. The Statement read in part:
“Her Majesty’s Government has decided that the Constitution of British Guiana must be suspended to prevent communist subversion of the government and a dangerous crisis both in public order and economic affairs…The damage which this communist plot has done to the economic and social life of the community must be repaired as quickly as possible.”
It went on:
“It has become clear to Her Majesty’s government that the Ministers have no intention of making the constitution work; that on the contrary, their sole object is to seize control of the whole life of the territory and to run it on totalitarian lines.”
An interim government was foisted on the people of what was then British Guiana which was made up of persons who not only lost the elections, but some of whom also lost their elections deposits. For the benefit of younger readers, those were the days when each candidate was required to place a deposit or a sum of money in an attempt to weed out those with political ambitions, but who lacked any significant political constituency.
The army in Egypt justified its action to remove the democratically elected government of President Mohamed Mursi on the grounds that it was carrying out the popular will of the Egyptian people. The deposed government refused to accept the legitimacy of the interim administration which it considered illegitimate. The Muslim Brotherhood insisted that it would never give in on its demand for Mursi’s return to power, despite the fact that several of its key leaders are now behind bars.
The situation in Egypt is not dissimilar to what obtained in 1953 in British Guiana, even though the circumstances which led to the overthrow of the PPP government were very much different. The PPP administration was removed by what I would describe as a ‘constitutional coup’ whereas the Mursi administration was deposed by a military coup. In the case of the PPP, the removal from office was driven by ideological and geopolitical considerations which were quite unlike the case in Egypt where the overriding issues appeared to be mainly driven by sectarian interests.
Unlike the PPP of the 1950s, there were no mass demonstrations or political unrest before or after the suspension of the Constitution. In fact, there was a high sense of nationalism and political unity in the colony at the time with both the two main ethnic groups rallying behind the charismatic leadership of Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham. Egypt, on the other hand, saw massive rallies and street demonstrations both in favour and against the leadership of Mohamed Mursi and his Muslim Brotherhood.
The removal of President Mursi has bitterly divided Egypt with thousands of his supporters maintaining a vigil to demand his release from confinement and for his return to power. The deposed president is being held incommunicado at an undisclosed location. No criminal charges were laid against him, but authorities say they are investigating him over allegations of inciting violence, spying and wrecking the economy.
Democracy at all times must be the basis of rule, even though mechanisms must be put in place to accommodate the interests of minority groups especially in ethnically diverse societies.
Hydar Ally
Please share this to every Guyanese including your house cats.
Apr 19, 2024
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