Judicial independence

By Samia Farid-Shihata

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The next few months will be critical for the direction of Egypt's development. Either we will embark on a new trajectory leading to genuine democracy and participation and, hopefully, the start of an Egyptian renaissance, or we will, in the name of stability, continue as usual, confining reforms to window dressing that provides the illusion of change while falling far short of national aspirations.

Set in such terms it seems hard for anyone to choose the latter rather than the former. Yet the danger is real. Real change requires courage and is not without risks. Opponents of change choose to magnify the risks and allow their fears to lead to paralysis. True reformers understand that sometimes the risks of inaction, though not obvious, are greater than the risks of reform. They also know that the old adage of "nothing ventured, nothing gained" is as true in politics as in other areas of human endeavour.

The single most important step safeguarding our journey to democracy is to pass the draft law for the judiciary proposed by the Judges Club. The judiciary must have its independence from the executive and legislative branches of government guaranteed prior to upcoming presidential and legislative elections for this is the only way voters can be assured that the elections will be free and fair. Full independence of the judiciary will go a long way to restoring the checks and balances essential to democratic government. Once the rule of law is strengthened meaningful political participation will surely follow.

This week's Soapbox speaker is former senior adviser to the executive director of the International Monetary Fund and works as an independent consultant.