Egypt – victory for the people, but what next?

Egypt’s wonderful cultural heritage did not escape the upheavals of recent weeks in Cairo unscathed, it would appear.

According to a BBC report, the venerable Egyptian Museum was broken into at the end of January during a period of lawlessness when police were removed from the streets and some 18 objects were stolen, including a priceless gilded statue of Tutankhamen. Many more objects were knocked over or damaged as glass cases were smashed in the raid, although thankfully the famous gold mask was not taken or damaged.

Egyptian Museum: thieves
broke in through the roof

It is a sad footnote to what has otherwise been a time of jubilation for the country.

The incredible events which have unfolded in Cairo over recent weeks have had the world spellbound – and with the resignation of Mubarak there has been an overwhelming outpouring of joy for the people of Egypt, not to mention a huge sense of relief that the popular uprising achieved its aim by and large peacefully.

That the will of the people, from all walks of life, could prevail against a dictator who had ruled the country through force and intimidation for 30 years and who met the protests with violence says much about their strength of character and bravery.

It is something their ancestors, ruled over by the omnipotent dictators of their day, the pharaohs, would have been proud.

Ancient dictators: statue of Ramses II at Luxor Temple

Like everyone else, I watched the TV news bulletins showing tanks lining up against the growing throng with foreboding. But, as with my own experience during the Cairo police conscript riots of 1986 (see previous blog, below), the army were the good guys. Their refusal to fire on the protestors like the security police and plain-clothed government thugs had done days earlier was pivotal in the final outcome.

The military have dissolved Egypt’s parliament and suspended the constitution pending the setting up of a committee to draft a new one, which seems to have appeased the protestors. Triumphant in victory, they initially refused to leave Cairo's Tahrir Square, resulting in an uneasy stand-off with the army. Most have now left the makeshift protest camp. However, the future remains far from clear, with the likelihood of widespread strikes which would cripple Cairo as the clamour for swift changes grows.

The hope, both within Egypt and around the world, is that its people will get the free elections and democratic government they deserve, coupled with higher living standards – in the same way the Romanian people have done since the overthrow of Communist dictator Nicolae Causcescu in the people’s revolution of 1989. Certainly Egypt needs stability to encourage visitors to return. With the country having lost $1 billion in tourism receipts by its own admission, and as much as $3 billion according to some reports, it can ill afford for tourists to stay away.

Machine gun and rifle on Nile cruise ship

However, there is also a risk that, with a power vacuum at the top until any election, rival factions may start bickering and even resorting to violence. Extreme fundamentalism, suppressed by Mubarak but never eradicated, could rear its ugly head with resulting indiscriminate terrorist attacks. One only has to look at what happened in Iraq post-Saddam to appreciate the dangers.

On Nile cruise ships, passengers have become accustomed to the presence of armed guards with machine guns mounted on the stern. It is a strangely reassuring sight. God forbid they will ever need to be used to ward off attacks.

I wish Egypt good luck for the future. It will need it, but the Egyptian people have the goodwill of the whole world to draw on.