Following are some of the documents I've been able to secure reflecting some of the political positions demands and expectation of some of the forces on the ground and in the front lines.I believe these documents are critical to our understanding of the realities and real positions of the primary actors in this process. What academic talking heads and even other well meaning legitimate analysts have to say from outside Egypt, in my humble opinion, is rather secondary in nature and importance. The power of the Word belongs to the people. Our word is our weapon.
DOCUMENT 1
The
coalition of protesters have drawn up a common list of demands.
These
include:
• The resignation of the entire ruling party, including the new vice-president Omar Suleiman, whom the Obama administration believes is best placed to oversee a transition of power.
• A broad-based transitional government appointed by a 14-strong committee, made up of senior judges, youth leaders and members of the military.
• The election of a founding council of 40 public intellectuals and constitutional experts, who will draw up a new constitution under the supervision of the transitional government, then put it to the people in a referendum. Fresh elections would then be held at a local and national level.
• The end of the country's emergency law.
• The dismantling of the state security apparatus.
• The trial of key regime leaders, including Mubarak."
• The resignation of the entire ruling party, including the new vice-president Omar Suleiman, whom the Obama administration believes is best placed to oversee a transition of power.
• A broad-based transitional government appointed by a 14-strong committee, made up of senior judges, youth leaders and members of the military.
• The election of a founding council of 40 public intellectuals and constitutional experts, who will draw up a new constitution under the supervision of the transitional government, then put it to the people in a referendum. Fresh elections would then be held at a local and national level.
• The end of the country's emergency law.
• The dismantling of the state security apparatus.
• The trial of key regime leaders, including Mubarak."
DOCUMENT 2
A Statement from the protesters at Cairo's Tahrir Square
To the Egyptian people
The President's promises and the bloody events of Wednesday February 2
We the protesters who are currently on sit-in at Tahrir (liberation) square in Cairo since January 25, 2011 strongly condemn the brutal attack carried out by the governing National Democratic Party's (NDP) mercenaries at our location on Wednesday February 2, under the guise of "rally" in support of President Mubarak. This attack continues on Thursday February 3. We regret that some young people have joined these thugs and criminals, whom the NDP is accustomed to hire during elections, to march them off after spreading several falsehoods circulated by the regime media about us and our goals. These goals that aim at changing the political system to a one that guarantees freedom, dignity and social justice to all citizens are also the goals of the youth. Therefore we want to clarify the following.
Firstly, we are a group of young Muslim and Christian Egyptians; the overwhelming majority of us does not belong to political parties and have no previous political activism. Our movement involves elderly and children, peasants, workers, professionals, students and pensioners. Our movement cannot be classified as "paid for" or "directed by" a limited few because it attracted millions who responded to its emblem of removing the regime. People joined us last Tuesday in Cairo and other governorates in a scene that witnessed no one case of violence, property assault or harassment to anyone.
Secondly, our movement is accused of being funded from abroad, supported by the United States, as being instigated by Hamas, as under the leadership of the president of the National Assembly for change (Mohamed El-Baradie) and last but not least, as directed by the Muslim Brotherhood. Many accusations like these prove to be false. Protesters are all Egyptians who have clear and specific national objectives. Protesters have no weapons or foreign equipment as claimed by instigators. The broad positive response by the people to our movement's goals reveals that these are the goals of the Egyptian masses in general, not any internal or external faction or entity.
Thirdly, the regime and its paid media falsely blame us, young demonstrators, for the tension and instability in the streets of Egypt in recent days and therefore for damaging our nation's interests and security. Our answer to them is: It is not the peaceful protesters who released the criminal offenders from prison to the unguarded streets to practice looting and plundering. It is not the peaceful protesters who have imposed a curfew starting at 3 o'clock PM. It is not the peaceful protesters who have stopped the work in banks, bakeries and gas stations. When protesters organized its one-million demonstration it came up in the most magnificent and organized form and ended peacefully. It is not the protestors who killed 300 people some with live ammunition, and wounding more than 2,000 people in the last few days.
Fourthly, President Mubarak came out on Tuesday to announce that he will not be nominated in the upcoming presidential election and that he will modify two articles in the Constitution, and engage in dialogue with the opposition. However the State media has attacked us when we refused his "concession" and decided to go on with our movement. Our demand that Mubark steps down immediately is not a personal matter, but we have clear reasons for it which include:
* His promise of not to run again is not new. He has promised when he came to power in 1981 that he will not run for more than two periods but he continued for more than 30 years.
* His speech did not put any collateral for not nominating his son "Gamal", who remains until the moment a member of the ruling party, and can stand for election that will not be under judicial supervision since he ignored any referring to the amendment of article 88 of the Constitution.
* He also considered our movement a "plot directed by a force" that works against the interests of the nation as if responding to the demands of the public is a "shame" or "humiliation".
* As regards to his promise of conducting a dialogue with the opposition, we know how many times over the past years the regime claimed this and ended up with enforcing the narrow interests of the Mubarak State and the few people who control it.
And the events of Wednesday proved our stand is vindicated. While the President was giving his promises, the leaders of his regime were organizing (along with paid thugs and wanted criminals equipped with swords, knives and Molotov bombs) a brutal attack plot against us in Tahrir square. Those thugs and criminals were accompanied by the NDP members who fired machine guns on unarmed protesters who were trapped on the square ground, killing at least 7 and wounding hundreds of us critically. This was done in order to end our peaceful national popular movement and preserve the status quo.
Our movement is Egyptian - Our movement is legitimate- Our movement is continuing
The youth of Tahrir Square sit-in
February 3, 2011 at 11:30am
Document 3-
Earlier Demands of the Protesters-with analysis by jamal1936
1. Resignation of the president
Mubarek is finished. He was wounded in the battle of 25th Jan.
he came back to battle in Tahrir Square on 28th Jan. Unfortunately (for him), he did not die on the battle field. He did not die as martyr. He was stabbed in the back by his friend. The Orders came from far away west of Egypt (US). Technically, he is alive, but he is definitely a dead leader. He wouldn’t have a place in the future shape of Egyptian politics.
2. End of the Emergency State
This is only relevant if the government wishes, in the future, to go on all out war against the Brotherhood. But, I am not sure that the regime would go back to its old violent ways. I am sure the government will agree to lift the Emergency State. I think, neither parties can benefit from it really and it would not make a real difference to anyone at the present. Besides, its a mere switch that you turn on and off at will when in power.
3.Dissolution of The People's Assembly and Shora Council
The current Parliament (with both houses) is irrelevant. It has a sticker on it that says: Best before 25TH Jan 2011. It does not have the time to influence the future of Egypt. The government knows this. And the protesters know it as well.
4. Formation of a national transitional government
The system is ready to accept this. Besides, no matter who will control Egypt between now and September, we are going to see a temporary government. This is inevitable.
5.An elected Parliament that will ammend the Constitution to allow for presidential elections
Of course the government will not object. After all they want a new president “elected democratically”. So long as it will be Suleiman !
6. Immediate prosecution for those responsible of the deaths of the revolution's martyrs
I am sure they will agree to this. Besides, they already have some dumb Thugs (Baltajiya) to blame and maybe one or two policemen. They will not hesitate in scarifying anyone. Remember, they stabbed Mubarek in the back.
7. Immediate prosecution of the corrupters and those who robbed the country of its wealth."
No problem at all here. They have already started freezing accounts.
Closing analysis
Battles are usually fought in a multidimensional space.
However, I thing the battle for Cairo is now a mere one dimension one ( I am
not in no way reducing its importance). One single dimension: Time. Around 9 months of it to be precise. If the
government gets its “ Time” it will be victorious. Egypt would change in
appearance but retains the same substance. It will remain an important Ally to
the US, a friend of Israel. And above all the wind of change would have changed
direction away from the Arab world. However, if the government does not get
the 9 months it needs, Egyptians will be the winners. We will see democratic
institutions with genuine broad and all inclusive participation in the
political sphere. The Muslim Brotherhood would have the chance to prove to the
word that they are a force for good that should be taken seriously.
The point is that the government will agree to anything so long
they get their 9 month, during which they will rebrand the same regime. New
logo, new Slogan but the same old US friendly, secular, backward regime.
Jamal1936
Jamal1936
Document 3
Night of Feb 4th
The
coalition of protesters have drawn up a common list of demands.
These
include:
• The resignation of the entire ruling party, including the new vice-president Omar Suleiman, whom the Obama administration believes is best placed to oversee a transition of power.
• A broad-based transitional government appointed by a 14-strong committee, made up of senior judges, youth leaders and members of the military.
• The election of a founding council of 40 public intellectuals and constitutional experts, who will draw up a new constitution under the supervision of the transitional government, then put it to the people in a referendum. Fresh elections would then be held at a local and national level.
• The end of the country's emergency law.
• The dismantling of the state security apparatus.
• The trial of key regime leaders, including Mubarak."
• The resignation of the entire ruling party, including the new vice-president Omar Suleiman, whom the Obama administration believes is best placed to oversee a transition of power.
• A broad-based transitional government appointed by a 14-strong committee, made up of senior judges, youth leaders and members of the military.
• The election of a founding council of 40 public intellectuals and constitutional experts, who will draw up a new constitution under the supervision of the transitional government, then put it to the people in a referendum. Fresh elections would then be held at a local and national level.
• The end of the country's emergency law.
• The dismantling of the state security apparatus.
• The trial of key regime leaders, including Mubarak."
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