Democracy Spreading to Egypt
2005/02/28
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
United States President George W. Bush continues his freedom spread
with now Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak promising presidential
"challengers" on the forthcoming ballot.
That’s a significant move of course because Egypt is a Muslim
nation. Muslim nations rule by despots, not democracies.
New Iraq is planting its first democracy. Afghanistan is planting its
first democracy. Now Mubarak takes the lead in Muslim heads of state by
"democratic reform in the world’s most populous Arab
country," according to AP’s Tanalee Smith.
This is indeed an historic move.
And it has to be traced back to Mr. Bush’s Iraqi Freedom Operation
less than two years ago. That eventuated in the three-week-win war,
often forgotten, but necessary to remember. That eventuated in the
historic January 30 Victory Vote in the New Iraq, hopefully never
forgotten, long remembered.
The Afghanistan president, along with that country’s first
Constitution, is worthy of note for that too is because of Mr. Bush’s
worldwide leadership. While hampered by free nations willing to remain
democracies yet maintaining their self-centered stance, Mr. Bush
championed liberties for all peoples of the planet. While frustrated by
America’s Democratic Party, enjoying daily its own free air to
breathe, Mr. Bush kept the course.
Now Egypt, primarily because of Mr. Bush’s tenacity for freedom’s
spread, steps to the voting plate by the president permitting
challengers to his very power. Surely the liberal media of the world
will treat this as simply another news item; but it’s not. It’s one
of the most significant events taking place in the shift of powers
planetary.
The three-week-win war shifted the planet’s plates militarily
forever. Now the free elections in Egypt are turning the planet’s
plates politically, such being preceded by the Afghanistan democracy
planting and the New Iraq Victory Vote.
It takes time and patience to see through dramatic changes, let alone
worldwide changes in attitude and approach, but that’s what has taken
place in the last several years, particularly since the first election
of Mr. Bush as leader of the most powerful country on Earth.
"The opposition long had demanded an open election, but Egypt's
ruling party repeatedly had rejected it.
"The Egyptian president, who has held power since 1981 without
facing an election opponent, only last month dismissed calls for reform
as ‘futile.’
"Mr. Mubarak made the announcement in a nationally televised
speech, surprising even some in his inner circle, one source close to
the presidency said.
"Touting ‘freedom and democracy,’ Mr. Mubarak told an
audience at Menoufia University, north of Cairo, that he had instructed
parliament and the consultative Shura Council to amend the
constitution's Article 76 on presidential elections.
"The changes would set a direct vote ‘giving the chance for
political parties to run’ and ‘providing guarantees that allow more
than one candidate for the people to choose among them,’ Mr. Mubarak
said," according to AP.
What was the audience’s response to Mubarak’s announcement? They
starting shouting "Long live Mubarak, mentor of freedom and
democracy," greeting their own voices with enthusiastic applause
throughout the auditorium.
This is exactly what Mr. Bush has reiterated throughout his
presidency, that is, that human beings yearn for liberties in the
street. Now slowly but surely that is what is taking place, Egypt now
being the latest "to see the light."
Thank you, Mr. President
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