An administration riddled with failings
Morsi bungled badly: Egypt’s economy stagnated, the trading volume of its stock market fell in the first five months of 2013. Its budget deficit currently stands at about US$29.2bil while unemployment is at 12.5%.
Karim Raslan, The Star
OVERTHROWING a legitimately elected government is a coup d’etat – however you cut it. Being a democrat means taking the rough with the smooth.
The ouster of Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi and the ongoing crackdown on the Muslim Brother-hood will only lead to greater tragedies.
Certainly, the secular liberals cheering on the sidelines will regret their initial glee at Morsi’s reversal as truth, public trust and law and order become the biggest casualties of the sequence of events unfolding in Cairo.
Those who feel that “political Islam” should be halted by whatever means, legal or illegal, are wrong.
Once you subscribe to the ballot box you cannot turn back.
Political expedience brings short-term and unsustainable “solutions” that will in turn lead to greater injustices.
Indeed the Algerian experience back in 1990 when the army denied a clear electoral mandate, imprisoning and slaughtering thousands is a stark warning of what could lie in store for Egypt.
At the same, many Islamist parties across the globe – the spiritual heirs to Egypt’s Ikhwanul Muslimin – will feel that democracy, (one-man, one-vote) is not meant for them even though they often have the raw “numbers” to win elections.
Instead they will become increasingly convinced that a shadowy network of Americans, Europeans, liberals, financiers and “global Jewish forces” will intervene to seize power.
In short, whatever they do, they’ll always be victims of a determined conspiracy to deny them their legitimate place in the world.
This will mean, in turn that they don’t need to address their own failings in terms of corruption, poor administration and hard-headed ex-clusiveness.
Morsi’s administration was riddled with failings.
Many had great hopes for him when he took office back in June, 2012.
It seemed as if he would be able to project a moderate face after decades of former President Hosni Mubarak’s authoritarian rule.
Unfortunately, this was not to be.
Morsi bungled and badly: Egypt’s economy stagnated, the trading volume of its stock market fell 31.2% in the first five months of 2013.
Its budget deficit currently stands at about US$29.2bil (RM91.8bil), while official figures rather conservatively put unemployment at 12.5%.
At the same time, Morsi alienated both secular and liberal communities.
Moderates and Coptic Christians were upset enough to boycott the drafting of the December 2012 Constitution – which was criticised for lacking sufficient safeguards for freedom of religion and the rights of women – due to the administration’s perceived lack of consultation.
Indeed, political Islam is facing setbacks even in South-East Asia.
In Indonesia, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) has suffered a series of crises as multiple scandals destroy its once pristine anti-corruption reputation.
Closer to home, PAS finds itself in the need of extensive soul-searching after its less than stellar performance in the 2013 general election – when it lost control of Kedah.
The coup in Egypt (let’s call a spade a spade, ya) will only reinforce the suspicion among these parties that they should be wary of democracy.
This is a neat but flawed conclusion because most if not all of their failures have nothing to do with democracy.
Instead their failures are linked to poor administration, corruption and a refusal to acknowledge the need for balance and inclusiveness.
Sadly with Morsi’s ouster as a backdrop, conspiracy theories will only proliferate.
Consultation and consensus, in particular, are critical aspects of good governance.
Riding roughshod over the rights of minorities, whether racial, religious or ideological, is a recipe for trouble.
Another great icon of political Islam – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (who himself is facing protests at home) allegedly once dismissed democracy as merely a bus which you get out from once you reach your destination.
Well, the bus PM Erdogan’s referring to, looks set to crash injuring everyone in it, from the liberals, to the military to the Islamists as accusations and counter-accusations fill the air.
