Is This What a Democracy Looks Like?

The man who was just praised as the hero for the Palestinians and for the Israelis, the huge victor in the peace deal,  and as a major player, has now been dubbed the new Pharaoh and is even being likened to Hitler. 

What a difference a day can make. This past week, Mohammad Morsi, Egypt's President and central figure in the recent truce between Hamas and Israel, issued a declaration banning challenges to his decrees, laws and decisions granting him unchecked power. This extremely controversial move has been met with widespread protests in Egypt's major cities. The headlines have quickly changed and now Morsi is not being heralded as a hero but being painted as a dictator. His international 15-minutes of fame have quickly faded and he is losing credibility where it counts the most - Egypt. 

The actions of the Arab Spring demonstrated that Egyptians will not be silenced by an authoritarian leader. Morsi was democratically elected and meant to represent a departure form his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak. Knowing that Mubarak's downfall was the result of his authoritarian, one-sided, top-down measures, how on earth did Morsi think this was a good idea to grant himself unilateral veto powers? Following the events of the Arab Spring, Morsi's task in office couldn't have been clearer - not to go the same route of his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak's rule was an abusive totalitarian state that gripped power for 30 years. The Egyptian people fought for change and democratically elected Morsi but are now surprised by the recent turn of events that make it hard to distinguish the two. Protesters in Tahrir Square were shouting "Wake up, Morsi, it’s your last day,” "Morsi is Mubarak," and “The people want the fall of the regime!” Suddenly, Morsi has transformed into a dictator.

Are Egyptians jumping to conclusions? In Morsi's eyes, he is still acting as the champion of the Arab Spring who is working to protect the revolution and serve as the guardian of political, economic and social stability, albeit in the most sketchy and sneaky manner possible. He argues that this move is an effort to prevent the courts from disbanding the constitutional assembly for a second time as they work on writing the country's new constitution. This action is also ridding the legal system of remaining Mubarak sympathizers in a decision made precisely to respond to the demands of the Tahrir demonstrators. In short, Morsi is arguing that this undemocratic motion is precisely what is needed to make sure the transition to democracy does not get stalled or derailed. No matter how much I want to believe that delusion - I just can't.

Morsi's actions trigger interesting questions.  Was it intentional or merely coincidental that Morsi made such an important decision on the heels of an even more important triumph on the world scene? Did he feel suddenly bolstered by world leaders after earning his stripes in the deal that was brokered? Timing is certainly everything in matters like this and Morsi was definitely coming off a huge victory after mediating the truce between Israel and Gaza. Further securing his feeling of invincibility with a decree cementing uncontested powers is a good way to celebrate, but certianly not for the egyptian masses who took to the streets in protest.

Is Morsi truly interested in promoting democracy or is there a fear that he will take this power and never look back, taking a familiar post-revolutionary turn that ends up resembling the former authoritarian regime? I pray that it isn't the latter. Sure, democracy can't be born overnight - or even in a short year - but such an authoritarian move certainly doesn't accelerate the process, or give much hope for what this democracy will look like. While Morsi has done little to make one question his commitment to democratic change in Egypt, this move certainly sows uncomfortable insecurities that Egypt cannot afford to bear. One thing is for certain, he has lost the trust of the Egyptian people, so hopeful in this democratic experiment, and that is very difficult to regain.

Only Morsi knows what his next move will be,  the real reasons behind it, and what the next headlines will read. Egyptians hope that he will not abandon his democratic mission and relapse into a Mubarak-esque opportunist who will work independently without the consent of Egyptian people. Whatever it is, Mr. Morsi, neither you nor Egypt can afford to prolong this instability and uncertainty if democracy is the true goal. The Arab Spring sought transparency and accountability, and whatever reason Morsi has for making this decree, he must be upfront and forthcoming with it or be responsible for Egypt's democratic regression.