It is difficult to express lucidly the reasons that have led me to this conclusion. Many reasons such as no serious elections can take place under SCAF, my firm belief that fraud has taken place on a state level and the unfairness of the whole process factor in, but I will stick to the arguments that relate to the choice at hand.
In being persuaded to vote, I have been told that I should pick the lesser of two evils. The arguments are close to obvious for each side. Those asking me to vote for Shafik fear the rise of Islamists and a regime closer to Iran and Saudi Arabia considering the ridiculous lack of principles the parliament has shown. Those asking me to vote Morsi are aware that Shafik is the face of the old oppressive regime and he’ll be sure to subdue us all. He will bring back the Mubarak regime in a more brutal fashion and injustice will prevail.
I will not vote out of fear.
Shafik and Morsi are not equivalent, I know that. If we’re voting for their past, Shafik is categorically worse, and not only because Morsi is a non-entity. Shafik is a corrupt killer, backed by SCAF and bears all their sins. But even if not, he was Prime Minister at a time were people in Tahrir were attacked by armed mobs despite promises by him to protect them. He has recently revealed that he believes in using violence to clear the square which means the battle of the camel is completely in line with his philosophy. He stole a non-profit university from its students, helped corrupt regime figures smuggle their money out of Egypt and allowed the Ministry of Interior to burn implicating evidence. He is a corrupt man and the charges against him are not investigated because he is protected by his corrupt bosses in the military. He is a true symbol of injustice.
Morsi on the other hand is nothing but a weak conspirator and sell out. As a non-entity it is hard to point out his character flaws without resorting to investigating the sins of the muslim brotherhood. However we do know he was part of the corrupt deal with Omar Suleiman to clear out Tahrir square before the battle of the camel in exchange for the release of his boss Khairat Al Shater. The Muslim Brotherhood have proven beyond a doubt that they are the face of deception. They are involved in shady deals, they have backed the SCAF for a year and a half, faced off revolutionaries on SCAF’s behalf, called them thugs, condemned them, thanked the military, praised the government and alienated everyone else. Even at a time when they needed all powers to stand behind them, they have failed to even pretend to want to share power. They broke all their promises and still attempt to write the constitution all by themselves. All they are giving are false promises such as bringing justice to martyrs and sharing power. None of that means a thing because what they can give, they won’t. They are the symbol of deceit.
But I’m not voting for the past.
I’m voting for the future of Egypt. I would vote for either if their rule were to provide Egypt with a better future. The revolutionary argument for voting for Shafik is that we’ll be in direct confrontation with our true enemy, the military regime. We know them and we know their networks and we can perhaps continue our fight and eradicate them. The counter argument is that when Shafik takes over, things will be more brutal, the military will have all the oppressive tools and we will be hunted down and no one will stand in their way.
The argument for voting Morsi is that we will have gotten rid of all the Felool, and we can start another fight. The Muslim Brotherhood will help us in our fight against the military and we can capitalize on that. The regime will have a fight with the brotherhood and our chances will be better for the revolution to continue. But the Muslim Brotherhood aren’t at real odds with the military. They have proven to be reliable partners who will kill direct action. The presidency just puts them in a better bargaining position. I have no doubt in my mind they will turn against the revolution if they seize power. We also do not have entities in existence to capitalize on a fight between them and the military if such a fight were to ensue. Besides, if they do seize power and eliminate the remnants of the old regime, they will create their new oppressive networks. This time we won’t know them and it will take us a long time to know them. This time they will be hidden behind their beards or fake piety with religion as another layer between us and the real enemy, injustice. Their networks will be harder to penetrate, understand and fight and we might end up not knowing who we’re fighting against.
The truth of the matter is that I don’t really know which of the two is the lesser of the two evils. Because I’m voting for the future, I have to vote for that which I can fight more easily. If I were to be certain which path would be easier, I could vote, but I simply don’t know. I’m not being as idealistic as people think, I’m being honest. I have no clue which is better when of two tyrants will come to power. I’ll wait for the outcome instead of being a foot soldier for one of these tyrants.
I don’t want to answer this question when I’m not sure of the answer. I do not want to be responsible for an impact which I know nothing about. Let those who voted out of hate, fear and ignorance resolve their battle, but I won’t be part of it.
I won’t be part of ignorance.
I truly don’t know if it’s easier to fight blatant injustice or selfish deceit. Many might have an answer to this, but at times I feel deceit can be harder to fight because it hides so many of the injustices. At the same time injustice that is so blatant is too oppressive. I ponder over these sorts of questions often but I do not have an answer definitive enough to reach a decision. They both seem to be different kinds of the same coin, that same regime as though we changed nothing. Both are remnants of a past that has cultivated fear and hatred.
Deceit or injustice? I cannot choose between them. I do not know the answer. Those who have the answer can go ahead and vote, but I can’t. I have a responsibility to know what I’m doing.
 |
| Voting for the lesser of two evils |
I will not vote out of fear.
Shafik and Morsi are not equivalent, I know that. If we’re voting for their past, Shafik is categorically worse, and not only because Morsi is a non-entity. Shafik is a corrupt killer, backed by SCAF and bears all their sins. But even if not, he was Prime Minister at a time were people in Tahrir were attacked by armed mobs despite promises by him to protect them. He has recently revealed that he believes in using violence to clear the square which means the battle of the camel is completely in line with his philosophy. He stole a non-profit university from its students, helped corrupt regime figures smuggle their money out of Egypt and allowed the Ministry of Interior to burn implicating evidence. He is a corrupt man and the charges against him are not investigated because he is protected by his corrupt bosses in the military. He is a true symbol of injustice.
Morsi on the other hand is nothing but a weak conspirator and sell out. As a non-entity it is hard to point out his character flaws without resorting to investigating the sins of the muslim brotherhood. However we do know he was part of the corrupt deal with Omar Suleiman to clear out Tahrir square before the battle of the camel in exchange for the release of his boss Khairat Al Shater. The Muslim Brotherhood have proven beyond a doubt that they are the face of deception. They are involved in shady deals, they have backed the SCAF for a year and a half, faced off revolutionaries on SCAF’s behalf, called them thugs, condemned them, thanked the military, praised the government and alienated everyone else. Even at a time when they needed all powers to stand behind them, they have failed to even pretend to want to share power. They broke all their promises and still attempt to write the constitution all by themselves. All they are giving are false promises such as bringing justice to martyrs and sharing power. None of that means a thing because what they can give, they won’t. They are the symbol of deceit.
But I’m not voting for the past.
I’m voting for the future of Egypt. I would vote for either if their rule were to provide Egypt with a better future. The revolutionary argument for voting for Shafik is that we’ll be in direct confrontation with our true enemy, the military regime. We know them and we know their networks and we can perhaps continue our fight and eradicate them. The counter argument is that when Shafik takes over, things will be more brutal, the military will have all the oppressive tools and we will be hunted down and no one will stand in their way.
The argument for voting Morsi is that we will have gotten rid of all the Felool, and we can start another fight. The Muslim Brotherhood will help us in our fight against the military and we can capitalize on that. The regime will have a fight with the brotherhood and our chances will be better for the revolution to continue. But the Muslim Brotherhood aren’t at real odds with the military. They have proven to be reliable partners who will kill direct action. The presidency just puts them in a better bargaining position. I have no doubt in my mind they will turn against the revolution if they seize power. We also do not have entities in existence to capitalize on a fight between them and the military if such a fight were to ensue. Besides, if they do seize power and eliminate the remnants of the old regime, they will create their new oppressive networks. This time we won’t know them and it will take us a long time to know them. This time they will be hidden behind their beards or fake piety with religion as another layer between us and the real enemy, injustice. Their networks will be harder to penetrate, understand and fight and we might end up not knowing who we’re fighting against.
The truth of the matter is that I don’t really know which of the two is the lesser of the two evils. Because I’m voting for the future, I have to vote for that which I can fight more easily. If I were to be certain which path would be easier, I could vote, but I simply don’t know. I’m not being as idealistic as people think, I’m being honest. I have no clue which is better when of two tyrants will come to power. I’ll wait for the outcome instead of being a foot soldier for one of these tyrants.
I don’t want to answer this question when I’m not sure of the answer. I do not want to be responsible for an impact which I know nothing about. Let those who voted out of hate, fear and ignorance resolve their battle, but I won’t be part of it.
I won’t be part of ignorance.
I truly don’t know if it’s easier to fight blatant injustice or selfish deceit. Many might have an answer to this, but at times I feel deceit can be harder to fight because it hides so many of the injustices. At the same time injustice that is so blatant is too oppressive. I ponder over these sorts of questions often but I do not have an answer definitive enough to reach a decision. They both seem to be different kinds of the same coin, that same regime as though we changed nothing. Both are remnants of a past that has cultivated fear and hatred.
Deceit or injustice? I cannot choose between them. I do not know the answer. Those who have the answer can go ahead and vote, but I can’t. I have a responsibility to know what I’m doing.
Deceit or Injustice?
1 comment:
And not voting is sticking your head up your backside and expecting things to be great when you pull it back out
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