How can President Mohamed Morsi's rule of Egypt succeed amid crashing waves, when he, his party and the group they are affiliated to are not providing the reasons for it to succeed? Why have some Egyptians, who supported the Revolution and participated in it, begun to pine for the days of the regime that has fallen, while admitting that it was corrupt? And when will the feeling go away that no one has benefited from the Revolution except for the Islamists in general and the Muslim Brotherhood in particular? Can Morsi complete his term in office amid such a climate, or is Egypt headed towards a phase of reshuffling the cards... and perhaps bloodshed? A prominent leading figure of the Muslim Brotherhood and member of the Constituent Assembly in charge of drafting the constitution was asked about the impact of the withdrawal of the representatives of secular forces from the assembly in protest of the Islamists monopolizing the drafting of the constitution, and of the announcement by the board of advisors, formed of public figures gathered to offer advice to the assembly, that they were suspending their work for the same reasons. After expressing his regret at these withdrawals, he answered that some will be selected from among those in reserve to replace those who have withdrawn, and that the problem of those who have withdrawn will thus easily be resolved, considering that the board of advisors had already completed its task and offered its advice, and that its members no longer had a role to play in drafting the constitution! He then added with praise that the constitution was now in its final phase, and that its articles had been agreed upon! Such a statement by this leading Muslim Brotherhood figure does not differ much from one issued by President Mohamed Morsi, when he spoke last month before the crowds of Muslim Brotherhood members who had gathered at the Cairo Stadium, where he considered that the thousands of traffic tickets that had been issued represented evidence that the traffic problem in the country had been resolved to a great extent! The truth is that the words of both the President and the leading Brotherhood figure sum up the situation on the Egyptian scene. Indeed, the Muslim Brotherhood considers that there are no big problems; that Morsi took over a country “in disrepair"; that renaissance requires some time; that the Liberals, Nationalists, Nasserists and Leftists deem it beyond the ability of the Brotherhood in particular and of Islamists in general to rule the country; that businessmen who own satellite television networks are using their channels and shows to bring down the elected President; that competing or opposition forces are placing obstacles; that, had it not been for the latter fishing for mistakes or trying to prevent the President and his government from governing, and for the media and the elites turning people against them, the situation would have been far better; and that secular forces are engaging in political blackmail in order to obstruct the passage of the constitution, while they seek at the same time after the failure of the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated President. The brotherhood also blames the “remnants" of the former regime, whether the issue regards a demonstration, a protest, a clash with security forces or even a horrific train wreck. Those following the situation in Egypt had realized before the presidential elections that the next President, whoever he may be, would face numerous difficulties, among them his competitors' rejection of him, the conspiracies of the “remnants" against him, the decay of the state apparatus, the corruption of those in charge of it, and the fact that people can bear the burden for a while and even help the President bring the country to overcome this difficult phase, if they find the government to have a clearly defined vision as well as short and long-term plans for lifting the country out of its misfortune and laying the foundations of a modern state, in which human dignity would be respected and citizens could live and exercise their basic rights to have a decent life, even if such citizens are not members of the ruling party or of the President's parent-group, nor care in the first place about politics and its “filth" or seek after a seat in parliament or a ministerial position. It was believed at the time that the President would gain the support of the masses of the people if citizens realized that the government had executive cadres with the ability to be creative and to work skillfully to strike at the web of corruption, not exploit it, and to cure the illnesses of the past, not “patch over" them – and if people really believe that the Revolution will achieve what they have sought and will not take away anything they already have. Had people kept their hopes for a better future, some Egyptians would not be angry at the fact that the President is standing alongside and supporting the Hamas movement, and would not consider him to be preferring “his own tribe" over them; they would realize that the government's plans have begun to resolve the decay of public utilities, and would not accuse it of negligence if a train wreck occurs or fires spread; they would unite with it to confront terrorism in the Sinai, and would not believe that the President and the groups he is affiliated to are one of its causes; and they would support the Constituent Assembly if they saw that the majority of its members understood the apprehensions of others and gave their competitors equal opportunities as themselves in drafting a constitution that would achieve the interests of all. On the whole, it is not yet too late, and President Morsi, his party and the group they are affiliated to can still forestall this difficult situation if they begin selecting a government whose members would have extensive capabilities for dealing with the exceptional situation the country is going through – a situation that cannot bear the appointment of trusted friends to high-ranking positions or the rewarding of faithful supporters – if they put a stop to their campaign against the opposition media and if they make sure to concern themselves with people's interests, and not just their votes... Then, citizens will no longer fear going to a sports stadium and returning in a coffin! Or walking into a police station and being tortured, or participating in a demonstration and being wounded, or standing at the border to guard it and being killed... Then too, one would no longer find those who would criticize the President's visits to pray in mosques, because no one would be suffering or being forbidden from exercising their rights. If, on the other hand, the government considers itself to be flawless, or that the flaws reside solely in its competitors, then fears of further disasters will increase, which will make some expect for the President to no longer participate in group prayers in the future because... he will not find anyone to stand behind him!
