Egypt that we don’t know the reason FJP will win

Despite my internal resistance to curiosity ever sense it almost got me I deep trouble on Jan 26^th, I couldn’t stand against trying to visit polling stations today. I actually drove aimlessly in Cairo trying to find a polling station and ended up in Sahel after getting stuck in traffic in Ahmed Helmy tunnel in Ramsis. Driving along Ahmed Helmy street next to the train I came across a school that was almost empty, the polling station just had army soldiers at the door and nothing more interesting. Also observed a huge dump of garbage lying along the road and narrowing the street as we driving, and it hit me why people can accuse the revolution for this uncalled for change.

I finally made it to the schools district in Sahel, parked and started to walk. The first school was pretty calm, and the crowds were limited. There was a car driving along campaigning for one of the candidates, and irregularity that was against the rules of the elections. I continued to walk with a friend and came across a small table setup a minute or so away from the school where people were writing the name of a candidate on pieces of paper and handing them out to cars and people walking by. Again something that was supposed to be against the rules. I tried to take a photo from afar and then continued along to other schools in the district. There were people handing out fliers for FJP next to the entrance of the technical high school close enough to the gate for the soldiers watching over to notice. Actually bumped into one of them and one was reluctant to hand me a copy, but eventually did. The lines were a little longer but still manageable by far. As I continued to walk along, there was a “voter assistance desk” set up by the FJP to direct citizens to their polling station and it didn’t harm to write it down on a paper that had the candidates of the party listed. At the next entrance and again members of the FJP and Alnour party were there handing out material to voters. The next school had longer lines that looked more like what was being voiced in the media about the public interest in the elections. Flyers from a lot of parties and candidates we littering the sidewalks, again something against the rules of the elections and no one was doing anything about.

After spending about an hour I decided to head back to the office and tried to use my navigation skills to find the way back. I have to admit that it didn’t work and found myself in Shoubrah ELkhemah in Kalioubya, which was not entertaining elections on the day, so the schools were empty and quite. However I found myself in places that were really different then Mohandseen and Zamalek. The sight of the place and the people who are struggling in their daily life were a sharp contrast to the young liberals holding ground at the Prime Minister’s office. The people there seemed totally out of touch with the realities in Egypt. Even to someone like me, who claims to be able to relate to these sights and people I had the feeling that my world was far apart from what I was seeing. People struggling to find their place in a world that was difficult and frustrating to handle. People seemed to be struggling to find their daily portions and needs.

At that point in time it hit me that the FJP would probably be victorious at the end of the elections. Why would someone with so much trouble in their daily lives vote for anyone other than those who would help them immediately, even practically help them before the day of election. Food and basic needs are far more important than the theoretical ideologies being voiced by the people of other social classes. The only way out for these people is those who help them in their needs and provide parallel systems that can satisfy them. The people in Tahrir are totally detached and have no way to relate to this world. Building bridges on ideologies seems to be an impossible mission, and sitting away from the real Egypt would not help.

I tried to make it back to Mohandseen, and ended up being mixed upin all directions and disoriented. I long have claimed that I had a good sense of direction, but eventually had to depend on Google to get me back home. As I drove back the only thing that stuck on the day that the bubble that the liberals are living in will only make them shocked to hear that unfortunately the FJP will end up as a winner.

Tahrir, land of a 1000 islands

Tahrir remains the center piece of the Egyptian drive for change that the Youth have driven, not once but twice. Actually for Egyptians to rise it is something difficult, for them to rise twice it is impossible, but after all “impossible is nothing”. I have to confess that my presence in Tahrir in the second wave of change has been far less than the two weeks earlier in the year, but I have managed to find myself there on many occasions, and it feels different than Feb 2011.

I made it to Tahrir at a late hour on Friday evening and into the early hours of Saturday. It was different than a few night before and I parked in my usual place at the Zamalek end of Kasr Elnil bridge. I was the only car there, which was not the normal and I thought to drive up again and park further down but settled for the usual routine. It was a chilly night in Cairo, and the walk along the bridge was a pleasant memory of how beautiful this location is and also with a lot of memories of the revolution. Towards the end of the bridge the sound of music was loud from underneath where a tea stand was setup on the Cairo bank. I also noticed the degree of cleanliness was less than usual, even for the average of Cairo. As I approached the checkpoints set for those entering the square I noticed a lot of motorbikes and a TokTok parked, it was a different sight from the long lines and order back in Feb. Checking was simple and seemed to be disorganized then before, but I was in. I made it through the square and out from the end of Elsheikh Rehan street making my way to the prime Minister’s office building where friends were waiting. I noticed a few street venders setting up electricity from the light pole in the street and a lot of different faces in the square, a crowd that was different than before. A few kids were playing with a ball in the space inform of the Tahrir office building, tents of different shapes and sizes set in front of the building and a few guys trying to get a TV set operational to help pass the night. As I walked out I noticed a larger amount of garbage that was left on the side, and the public toilet cabin was over filled, abused and signs of vandalize all over it. Walking along Kasr Eleiny street towards the prime minister’s office building was far better, and brought better images of Cairo Downtown and how it can be charming. As I entered the zone around the Prime Minister’s office and through the checkpoint, the sight of the people stood out. This crowd was different from the one I left behind in the square. They seemed to be more educated, sophisticated and with means. Blackberries and smart phones were popular, English was used more, and people were engaging in more political discussion and the sense of cosiness, even in the sense of how cross gender relations were expressed.  The sight was a sharp contrast to what is happening in Tahrir. After a few hours there, I made it back through the square and at the entrance at Elsheikh Rehan I witness as heated discussion between a few kids on unlicensed motorbikes that wanted to make it in and the guards were not letting them, the tone was different and the peaceful nature and acceptance that was back in Feb were no longer there. The incident ended, and I continued to walk to my car passing through tents, then through street venders and people. I stood to notice the different type of food and services being provided, and how the street venders were many and different in the square making feel like a popular market place rather than a revolutionary square. As I walked out I also noticed the small busses and toktoks offering transport to Haram and Moneed, too close to the square and too many compared to before. Walking along the bridge the pleasant cool winds of the Cairo winter started to come back, and the observation of the Blue Nile boat further down the Nile with people having an evening out made me think of how the Egyptians can detach themselves from a lot and keep on going on their lives with no change.  

I have to admit that although the square for face value seems to be more unified than the last 10 month (since 12^th Feb) in the message coming out, but it was differently not the same inside. The square looked more like many islands that are far apart and different. The people camping out in the center square, the people camping in front of Omar Makram and at the Governmental office building, were different then the people in the street coming from Kasr ElNil bridge. They were also different from those still remaining at Mohamed Mahmoud and definitely apart from those at the Prime Minister’s office building. Each was a world of their own and the diversity in interests, people, language, and environment stood out sharply. I guess the Jan-Feb events happened too quickly and the people camped long before street venders made it to the square. The venders had to find their place amidst all of this then and focused more on water and limited services. This time around the street venders were there long before the people and they made sure to take prime and large places in the square. They setup chairs and stores and different type of food for different level of people. The people camping in had to find a place with the field hospitals and clinics that were big and setup all around the square in response to the violence that was happening the previous days. The people were different, with young kids and people from lower social segments and poor communities strolling in the square. The level of cleanliness and conduct were different then before. It was still a pleasant feeling in the place but hugely diverse than before. The crowd at the Prime Minister’s office were again in a huge contrast to square, engraving this sense of diversity.

It is different, and the memories of Jan-Feb 2011 and the feeling that used to come to me in the square were long gone. It was still more decent than other places in town and the revolutionary and young energy in the square were definitely nice, but the diversity made me feel more eerie about the potential of a solution out of the hole Egypt is in. Coming to bring all the walks of life in Egypt to agree would be far more difficult now, and unfortunately it is the only way out. The complexity of the situation needs people who can elevate beyond difference, and the environment they are in this time around doesn’t help. We need a miracle, in times where miracles are rare, e to come out of the hole safely and in ways to realise the potential of this country. Nonetheless, the optimist I am (yes I am a black hat but an optimist at the same time), still am hopeful that we will be moving forward from this and will end in a better place. May the Winter of change in Egypt come with better outcomes than those brought to use in the Arab spring.