Same old conspiracy

By Nabil Abdel-Fattah

The last 12 months have seen the continuing tragi-comedy that is our national life further unravel. It is a tedious play replete with lies and deceit. Whatever the rhetoric, little was done to combat corruption, to further democracy or foster power sharing. And the lies came thick and fast -- from the government, the opposition and the public.

The opposition called on the government to introduce new policies and to facilitate democratisation. Yet the opposition parties themselves displayed not the slightest inclination to change. The opposition said the political system and its leaders were aging, that political life had stagnated. The irony is that most of the opposition parties are themselves brain dead.

Not to be outdone the public denounced endemic levels of corruption while partaking of the same. Media officials and writers, ministers and party leaders, all focussed on foreign conspiracies, and on Washington's double standards. They would have us believe that our troubles are all the fault of others. I am curious. Who exactly is conspiring against us, and when and where?

No one denies the impact US, Israeli, and western policies have on developments in the region. But this does not excuse the authoritarianism that dominates our politics, thinking, education, and economy. It does not explain our appalling human rights records? It does not explain the depths of corruption and lawlessness to which we have sunk, or the shambles that are our political institution, or why the old monopolise the political scene, or why education is so bad, or why our religious discourse is so moribund.

This week's Soapbox speaker is assistant director of Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies.