Egypt was an economically sinking titanic. Homicide rates tripled since 2011, armed robberies rose by 1204 percent since 2010, abductions rose four-fold and burglaries up by 50 percent. The country was a slow roller coaster of economic disaster since Mubarak’s regime, gaining momentum under Mr Morsi. Inequality and rising prices marked Mubarak’s regime. This was coupled with increasing issues of debt and foreign currency crisis with Mr Morsi at the helm. Lawlessness spiked. Mr Morsi’s government also failed to clinch a $4.8b loan from the IMF to bail it out of mess. Rather than focus energy towards issues besieging Egypt, his government diverted its attention towards strengthening Muslim Brotherhood, failing to make a transition from an opposing movement to a governing party. Mr Morsi was also not successful in having a firm grip on the security services, state bureaucracy or the judiciary.Muslim Brotherhood claimed that after years of corruption one year was just not enough to eradicate the evil from the society. They have also claimed the opposition always worked against the regime. Declaring Mr Morsi as a legitimately elected President they based the military coup as one usurping the democratic process of the country.The claim of democracy by the Muslim Brotherhood is a legitimate claim. However, the term democracy is often misunderstood. The term “democracy”, comes from the Greek: dçmokrat; a meaning thereby “rule of the people.” Even though there is no specific, universally accepted definition of ‘democracy’, there are two principles that any definition of democracy includes: equality and freedom. These principles are reflected in all citizens being equal before the law and having equal access to power, and the freedom of its citizens is secured by legitimised rights and liberties which are generally protected by a constitution. This explanation raises many questions: Do political parties within their cadre, allow its workers equal access to power? Can a worker within a party structure have the opportunity to rise to the status of the chairperson of that party, in due course of time? The second part of the definition deals with the right of citizens that is protected by the constitution. I am reminded here of Aristotle: “If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost.”Democracy is a method of deciding who shall rule. It does not determine the morality of the resulting government. At best, democracy means that government has popular support. But popular support is no guarantee that government will protect your freedom. While democracy doesn’t guarantee either freedom or peace, there are many historical examples of societies that didn’t have either elections or legislatures, but in which people’s rights were strongly protected. Examples include the American Colonies before the Revolutionary War, the American West in the 19th Century, where violence was on a ratio of one to ten of what it is in large US cities today, many cantons in Switzerland today which have little government ... and the nations of Andorra and Monaco.Many political pundits claim that the coup is a result of Egypt’s “deep government” and outside powers. Let us not overlook, one cannot orchestrate millions protesting unless the ground is fertile with frustration. It sprang from one simple fact: the failure of Mr Morsi’s governance, external interests notwithstanding. So if Mr Morsi’s government was leading the country to a worse scenario compared to prior the Arab Spring, ignoring the reason for people’s mandate, was not on a path to mend wrongs, does it entitle the government to rule for the stipulated period or does it take away the moral right from that government? A lot of soul searching is needed to fairly answer this question.Restoration of a democratic order in Egypt as soon as possible is a reasonable desire. Elections held under international monitoring is a fair suggestion, but what is important for the world to understand here is that Egypt alone must decide what’s good for Egypt. Answer to any political dilemma must come from within the system; never from outside of it. If Tahrir Square can decide the fate of Mubarak, why may not the Tahrir Square decide the fate of Mr Morsi?The new government will be faced with many challenges. Most of Egypt’s areas of desert, as compared to tightly populated urban ones, are increasing population that in the next few years means putting pressure on the government in terms of provision of basic foods and job opportunities. Egypt is low on cash. Will it waive subsidies in order to generate more funds to run the government? In all likelihood, it will. This in turn, can have a negative cascading effect politically. The economic pressures are huge and options available to the Egyptian government limited.There is also a possibility, as raised by John B. Bellinger III, lawyer based in Washington, in his article, of USA cutting off assistance to Egypt. He quotes Section 508 of the Foreign Assistance Act through which the United States has cut off foreign assistance to several countries where the elected government has been toppled in a military coup, including the Cote d’Ivoire, the Central African Republic, and Pakistan. The US gives $1.5 billion yearly in aid to Egypt. Most of it, he states, goes into buying US military equipment.Mr Morsi’s dismissal may be a continuation of the Arab Spring. The military, the shaper of events to emerge out of the chaos, is to install an interim dispensation. In installing an interim setup sans Muslim Brotherhood, civil unrest is the expected outcome. Mr Morsi’s supporters have vowed to restore power to him. Lives have been lost in clashes between the security agencies and Mr Morsi’s supporters. His supporters have tried to storm local government buildings or military facilities, fighting police and his opponents. This does not augur well for the interim setup and the future of the nation. For six decades before the Arab Spring in 2011, military has ruled Egypt. If this polarisation turns uglier, Egypt may well be descending in a civil war. What Egypt needs to look towards is strengthening the democratic structure. Kofi Annan’s words ring true for Egypt today, “"No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime."In the case of Egypt, the process seems to be stretching indefinitely!
nThe writer is a lawyer, academic and political analyst. She has authored a book titled “A Comparative Analysis of Media & Media Laws in Pakistan”.