“It’s been a long time comin’, but I know a change is gonna come.” This sentiment, sung by The Fugees in 1996, has been a constant theme in people-powered revolutions throughout history. Decades of oppression and living in fear under authoritarian, often diabolical, dictators and military rule can probably only be survived with a seed of hope a better future, for the change to come. Fortunately, there are many of us in this world who know nothing of that reality and have never had to survive it. We take freedom for granted to an almost embarrassing extent.
For 18 days, millions of protestors in Egypt occupied the streets calling for the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, to end his 30 years of one party rule and emergency law. The act of protesting against the government alone was an incredibly dangerous one. But, like Egypt’s counterparts in the Arab world — Tunisia, then Yemen, Bahrain, Jordan, and Libya — the people demonstrated to have their demands met. They are only asking for rights they are entitled to: the end of police brutality, free elections, freedom of speech, and an end to rampant corruption. All of these constitute a quality of life that the UN Declaration of Human Rights has held as “a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations” since 1948.
After 18 difficult days of protest, the people of Egypt were rewarded with the resignation of Mubarak. More of their demands have been met or are in process of being met, and the military is the ruling power until elections can be held in six months. We have had the privilege of witnessing it all through mainstream and social media, both of which have been quite effective in aiding protests. As Paul Mason of the BBC put it, “technology has expanded the space and power of the individual.” The world is watching, there are billions of us, and we’re cheering for the protestors. But will we be there in six months, or a year, or five years, as the nation moves forward on the path to democracy?
Those in the American right warn that the fall of Mubarak will lead to the spread of Islamism in Egypt and increased power for the Muslim Brotherhood. How this revolution will affect the peace between Israel and Egypt is of course unknown, and an important issue for consideration. The warning is not without merit, but fear of an Islamist takeover in Egypt was not strong enough to mobilize support for Mubarak from the U.S. and others. It is true that in other countries the transition from authoritarian to democratic rule has not been completely successful. Critics say these revolutions in the Arab world will not yield working democracies.
In the Philippines, the People Power Revolution of 1986 marked the return to democracy — albeit a tenuous one — characterized by political clans, instability, corruption, and violence against the media (despite its freedom being guaranteed in the constitution). But the democratic institutions in place work to combat those difficulties, which are lacking in dictatorial times. In Nigeria, military dictatorship ended in 1998. The government is still dominated by elites and patronage networks, just as it was prior to colonial rule, and following independence. This is so entrenched in Nigerian society that it may very well be impossible to eliminate. Corruption and security continue to be major obstacles in the quest to free and fair elections. Politics is ruled by money as it can benefit the elites, not as it can benefit the best interests of Nigerian citizens. The religious and regional divisions in all of these nations are volatile and complex in ways we may never properly understand.
Ghana could be a beacon of hope, in terms of the potential for authoritarian states to reach successful democracy. Constitutional rule was restored in 1992 and in comparison to other countries in the region, it is well-administered, has a strong economy, and a free press. There is no prescription for a working democracy, no matter how much the western world may like to think there is. The difference in Ghana’s popular revolt may simply come down to the personality of its leaders, but it also goes deeper than that. There are bound to be innumerable flaws in the establishment of democracy, and life will not suddenly be sunshine and lollipops for Egyptians or their fellow revolutionaries. A quote from the novel Random Passage is metaphorically apt: “Men lack imagination. They see only ice and the seals, whereas women see the fathoms of black water below, visualize the frozen seaweed swirling and clutching.” Working democracy is not ice and seals, it is fathoms of black water in which even the dominant authoritarian family structure in nations requires adjustment. It’s been a long time coming, but change is going to come. Keep watching.
