Blessed revolution

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The 55th anniversary of the 23 July Revolution is cause for reflection and introspection. This is the revolution that changed the face of Egypt. It ended feudalism and instituted a radical land reform. It transformed the status of the fellahin, the peasants, and tillers of the land.

The Blessed Revolution, Al-Thawra Al-Mubaraka, as it was called in its heyday, was an inspiration to millions of colonial peoples around the world, especially in Africa and Asia. Freedom from imperialist aggression and capitalist oppression were the main features of the 23 July Revolution. Social justice was at the heart of the core beliefs of those who initiated the revolution and it represented the main hope and aspirations of the Egyptians masses. Urban and rural poor supported the revolution. Those were the heady days of the 1950s. The revolution led to the nationalisation of the Suez Canal, a courageous move that not only changed the fortunes of the country, but that also led to the tripartite (British, French and Israeli) aggression against Egypt.

Wars only strengthened the populist appeal of the revolution. The country was never the same again. Rural electrification, widespread education and better health facilities for the needy laid the foundation for a more just society. Egypt was a country on the move. The advances that we take for granted today were buttressed by the revolution.

However, we live in a radically different world today. Globalisation and Pax Americana dictate new political realities. The political map of the world has changed beyond recognition. Today, ordinary Egyptians have different aspirations from the generation of the 1950s. The world has turned into a global village characterised by the revolutionising changes in information technology and mass communications. People yearn for faster economic growth rates and expect to partake of the benefits of consumerist society.

However, there are permanent fixtures that remain the same: people want better infrastructure, cheaper and more readily available healthcare, a more meaningful education, and the chance for a better future for themselves and their families.

Moreover, people anticipate greater participation in the decision-making process. It is sometimes said that democracy was the major ideal that was sacrificed to maintain the revolution. We sometimes forget that the establishment of a sound democratic system was one of the foundations of the revolution. Political and civic freedoms and rights are today considered a fundamental pillar of democratisation. People today want to see radical political reform. Human rights are now considered a cornerstone of the democratisation process. Respect for human rights is indispensable to the political reform process. As we remember the blessings of the revolution, we also know that we have come a long way from the days of feudalism and degradation when the vast majority of the people of this country suffered abject poverty, hunger and landlessness and walked about barefoot.

This is a golden opportunity to take stock of what has changed, what remains of the old ways, and how we want to chart our future. People yearn for social justice today as much as they did in the 1950s.

Certain segments of the populace are disheartened, even angry, about how the economic elite has set in place conditions for the ongoing inadequate provision of basic services. Unemployment and economic inequality are still considered major social scourges by much of the population. The vital point is that revolution is not static -- Egypt is a country on the move.