http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2011/1035/op212.htm
17 - 23 February 2011 Issue No. 1035 Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 Egypt's IT evolution Egypt's young people must now use their IT skills in phase two of the revolution, making the country a model for democracy movements in the Arab world, says Baquer Namazi* -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Young people with laptops and fired by souls thirsting for freedom have become the defining forces for democratic change in the 21st century, using peaceful and non-violent methods of protestation against state oppression. Iranian young people affiliated with the country's Green Movement were the first to use such new tools for mobilising a political movement. While the movement was crushed, the world became aware of the tremendous potential available to people bereft of state power who seek to protest injustice and oppression peacefully. In Tunisia, the movement worked well. However, it was IT-savvy young Egyptians, led by Wael Ghoneim and team members such as Ahmed Maher and Amr Salama, who were able to make the technology work on a spectacular scale. Modern IT facilitates instant communication and makes the global village into a reality. Internet tools, particularly social-networking services like Facebook and Twitter, have been credited with playing an important role in the Egyptian uprising, helping protesters to organise and communicate. The story can be told in Ghoneim's words. "I've read about Egyptian history in history books, but they convinced us for 30 years that Egypt had died and that there was no such thing as Egypt any more. We were just a generation that needed to eat and sleep," he said. Yet, the new social media helped this generation to re-awake, to hunger for more than just food, to connect and share ideas, to dream and to plan for change. "Tens of thousands of people on 25 January decided to start a search, a journey, for Egypt. And then they convinced hundreds of thousands, and then millions, of others. We were all looking for Egypt, and thank God we found her." When combined with satellite TV, the popular power to promote just causes through IT has become a formidable force. When the demonstrators in Tahrir Square seemed to be facing obstacles, Twitter messages brought hundreds of thousands more flowing into the Square. The participants in the protest demonstrations were people from all walks of life, moved from being passive observers to being active participants. As the movement gathered momentum, it broke down resistance to the will of the people, and Hosni Mubarak caved in and resigned. This leaderless movement of millions of people was able to connect with its members through IT. Ghoneim's followers on Twitter now stand at 750,000, and they are still growing. Now that the primary goal of the uprising has been achieved, the more difficult task of building a truly democratic society, one that cannot be dismantled by any future dictator, lies ahead. The unlimited energy, resourcefulness and creativity of the youth movement, which previously channelled its anger into toppling the leadership of the regime, must now be harnessed to the task of building sustainable democratic institutions that will ensure the realisation of the aspirations of the people, for which at least 300 young people gave their lives. Safeguards must be built into any new system of government that will ensure that state power cannot be hijacked by any special-interest group. In this regard, IT tools can become an essential tool for all citizens, particularly young people, allowing them to exercise direct democracy, to safeguard their achievements and to shape a future agenda. Egypt can now become a model for genuine democracy, allowing this to take root first in Egypt and then in all North African and Middle Eastern countries, which are sometimes seen by outside observers as infertile lands for democracy. Democratic societies, governed by accountable leaders, do not pose threats to the human rights of their citizens or the security of their neighbours. International and national standards of justice can be upheld far more effectively when promoted by leaders who are genuine representatives of their people than by those who are not. The basic rights of oppressed peoples, such as those of Gaza and the rest of Palestine, cannot be violated with impunity and in violation of international law and UN resolutions. The US public should not allow its leaders to veto such UN resolutions, including those seeking to prevent the building of illegal settlements in occupied Palestine. While there was consensus around the goal of removing Mubarak and dismantling the instruments of state oppression, there is, and will continue to be, considerable divergence in Egypt on how to shape the future. The major challenge ahead is to form a credible platform for citizen participation, with no segment of the population being excluded, through a process of dialogue and consensus-building from the grassroots upwards. The Egyptian youth movement can and should take the lead. Egypt has the potential to become a model for other Arab and Middle Eastern countries. Let us see young people with their IT skills succeeding where older generations have failed. * The writer is former UNICEF representative to Egypt. 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