Egyptian Eviction

"We'll not just throw him away, we'll kill him." Powerful words spat at the Channel 4 news camera. The jubilation once felt by the Egyptian people over their first democratically elected President, Mohamed Morsi, is long gone as the former premier spends tonight under house arrest having been stripped of his position.  

The stock market is surging and the Egyptians are seeing the benefit with fruit and vegetable prices in the capital having fallen already. It is unsurprising that the Egyptian people are still riding high after the 'carnival' atmosphere of Tahrir Square last night as the military ousted President Morsi. However, it is somewhat strange seeing so much jubilation over the military intervention (with many actually calling it a coup) of politics, particularly considering Egypt was ruled by military oppressors for so many years.

Around 50 people have died, 14 since yesterday, as pro and anti Morsi groups clash on the streets all around the country. The Islamic Brotherhood's headquarters were destroyed and 8 people lost their lives. Morsi came to power a year ago as over 50% of the population voted him into power, and when he took up the presidency he, as promised, stepped down from his position in the Brotherhood. However, people believe Morsi was ruling for the Brotherhood alone which would obviously cause considerable discord throughout the population. So it is unsurprising that the HQ was attacked, it was seen as a focal point, a representation of Morsi oppression and failure.

As an outsider, I do believe Morsi needed more time. Much like Barack Obama, Morsi inherited a failing country and came to power on a wave of expectation, except when every body is counting on you to work wonders with a failing economy and restore your country to it's former wealthy glory, that wave of expectation will drown you. If you build your campaign on great expectations, well, realistically, this can only lead to disappointment. 

Unfortunately for Morsi, he inherited more than most. Democracy is still in an infantile stage in Egypt, and I do not mean that to sound patronising, but it is only a year old. The fact that no Egyptian politician has real  experience of governance in a democratic society is enough of a challenge itself, however, Morsi's government had also to deal with a public geared by the knowledge of their own power.After the Arab Spring a few years ago, the Egyptian public feel they are the ones who truly have power (to be honest, after recent events, it seems like they do). 

Most of the population calling for Morsi to step down seem to be under the impression than democracy means doing exactly what the public wants at any given time. If you do not fulfil every promise, you have to go, someone else can do your job. The problem is, real democracy takes time which is why most democratic countries have 4 year elections, as  it allows the opportunity for the president to lead the country for a respectable amount of time. If the country is still a shambles, well then it's time to elect someone else take the reins. We vote in the party and leader who we believe can really help the country progress, and if the Egyptians cry mutiny after only a year, then how do they ever expect stability to take hold and let the country get back on it's feet? It seems like the dictator of Egypt is, bizarrely, the masses.

With no word yet on an election to find a replacement for the interim president, Adli Mansour, all we can do is wait and hope that this will come sooner rather than later, and that the 'liberating' 'people's army' don't remember how much they liked power before.