Don't walk like a Maldivian - what Egyptians can learn

By Moussa Muneer

There is a revolution brewing in Egypt. It is being cooked in a cauldron in Tahrir Square. If the heat is strong enough the dictatorial rule of Hosni Mubarak will be over in a matter of months if not weeks. When a new democratic government is established in Egypt, it can learn some lessons from the democratic exercise of the Maldives.

The new President of Egypt should be someone with a vision, bold enough to take decisive action and should prefer action over words. He or she should not make false campaign promises. Major cities in Egypt has a large population but people are living in abject poverty. The new president should not promise to build 10,000 flats in Alexandria, 10,500 flats in Cairo and 11,500 flats in Sinai in five years. The economy of Egypt should be in a better shape before such ambitious projects are implemented. Or else the new president will earn the nickname of Al-Akh Imaaraath.

The new President, whether he is El-Baradai or Amru Moussa, or a completely different person, should not appoint corrupt figures from the Mubarak regime to influential posts. The new president should not appoint as the president's special envoy someone accused of profiting from selling resorts in Sherm Al-Shaikh.

The new President should immediately work to promote the living conditions of the inhabitants of Cairo. He or she should appoint a competent person as the president of Cairo Municipality. This post should not be given to a person just because he has spent a fortune to bring the new government to power. This post should not be given to a person who used influence to bring back to Egypt his son who was serving a drug related sentence in Libya.

The new President should not appoint former porn stars to Cabinet. He or she should not appoint a nutritionist as deputy foreign minister or a liar as foreign minister. He or she should appoint very capable people to the Cabinet because the failures of the Cabinet will collectively weaken the democracy.

The new president should not trust the leaders of the political parties in the ruling coalition, especially the Chairperson of the largest party. If an inefficient person is the Chairperson then the majority of the seats in parliament will go to Mubarak sympathizers and Mubarak's party NDP in the next parliament election. Majority of seats in the local council election will also go to Mubarak's party except in Cairo and Alexandria.

Even if Gemal Mubarak tries to run for a seat in parliament, the democratic parties should not promote an idiot as a candidate in that constituency with the aim of defeating Gemal Mubarak.

The new president should not make bold promises that Mubarak will be prosecuted and taken to International Court of Justice if the new president has no intention of doing it. Mubarak must be able to live in Egypt with dignity but the people who were wronged and tortured under his regime must be provided with justice.

The new president should appoint someone with courage to reform the judicial sector of Egypt as it is one of the most corrupt sectors. However, if a gang riding horses or camels come and attack the reformist with knives, the president should protect the reformist and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The new government can cut state funding for pro-Mubarak newspaper Al-Ahram but the state-owned TV stations should be fully independent. Those TV stations should not be another vehicle of propaganda and air programmes praising the new government.

The new president should be a president for all cities and towns of Egypt. He or she should be willing to reach out to Mubarak supporters and unite the whole Egypt. Hence, he or she should make sure foundation stones and bricks are not in the colour of the ruling party or parties but in the colour of concrete. The lesson the new president should learn from Maldivians is "ka'cha'h elhi bingale'h kechaai hamayaih elhiyas hunnaanee kachaseheve." A foundation that is laid in a wrong way will affect the building even if it reaches the sky. This is the wisdom used by Egyptian pharaohs when they built the pyramids.


Moussa Muneer is a student of journalism at Al-Azhar University of Cairo. He has been brought back to the Maldives because of the unrest in Egypt. This is his first article for a newspaper in Maldives.