Today is a historical day. No, in fact, this entire week is historical! I believe this week marks the beginning of a new era for Egypt.
For the first time in the history of any nation, almost an entire government ends up in prison! Not only that, but news last night of the questioning and imprisonment of former president Hosni Mubarak and his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, is also unprecedented!
Given the horrific events of this past Saturday, where army and police forces attacked Tahrir protesters, leaving at least one dead and over 70 injured, these arrests provide big relief for most Egyptians.
Maybe it's the army's way of saying it's sorry? Or it's the army's way of proving to protesters, who were increasingly becoming distrustful and impatient, that they are serious in their intent to trial every single corrupt official. Whatever the intention, I know I am not alone in feeling like a huge weight has been lifted off my chest. The recent arrests of Zakaria Azmy, Ahmad Nazif, Safwat el-Sherif, Alaa and Gamal are long-awaited actions that Egyptians have been waiting for since day one of the fall of Mubarak's corrupt regime.
Now, I might be feeling huge relief and happiness at this moment, but that is not to say I am 100 percent confident. I know some people will probably hate me for the pessimism, but I can't help feeling skeptical and slightly distrustful.
What I'm trying to say is, we should be happy and relived, but we also need to be very cautious. I mean, we've experienced 30 years of nothing but corruption and unfairness and now all of a sudden, in one week, we're witnessing the imprisonment of one corrupt thug after the other! How else should I feel?
I can't help feeling that yes, these people are being questioned and might in fact be in Tora prison as we are told, but is this enough to prove that justice will be served? Will every single corrupt official who inflicted years of pain and unfairness on Egyptians be subject to a fair trial and receive a long-term sentencing? I still feel the answer is NO.
I hope I am wrong and I pray to God to inspire the army and our new government to prove myself and other skepticals wrong. Please army, do the right thing and finish what you started this week till the end. Every single official who stole our money, who tortured our people and who humiliated us, should be trialed and punished.
In the meantime, I will try to force the skepticism to the back of my mind and enjoy this moment of victory; a victory that is unprecedented and is being recognized worldwide at this very moment.
It's a victory, because even if these people are set free tomorrow, we, the people of Egypt, have lived to witness the day when our dictators have tasted some of their own medicine and have been humiliated big time!!!!!!!
So, let's enjoy our moment of victory today; but let's get back to work tomorrow to start thinking planning how to keep things moving in the right direction! We need to make sure that what we're celebrating this week is in fact a sign of a new democratic & just Egypt!
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