by Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa Al-Omrani, Inter Press Service
CAIRO – More than two months since former president Hosni Mubarak was forced from office after 30 years in power, local political figures and analysts warn of “counterrevolutionary elements” still working behind the scenes to thwart Egypt’s ongoing transition to democracy.
A protester holds up his palm during a protest for labour rights on Labour Day or May Day, in Cairo May 1, 2011. The palm reads, “social justice”. (REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany)
“These elements have consistently worked to reverse the gains made by the Jan. 25 Revolution by sowing fear, chaos and fitna (discord) between different segments of society,” Essam al-Arian, spokesman for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood movement, told IPS.
In the first days of the 18-day uprising, the embattled Mubarak regime used its expansive state media machine to spread false news reports of murder and mayhem in hopes of terrorising the public and discrediting the revolution. It went so far at one point as to release convicted criminals from prison.
Mubarak, who relinquished executive power to Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) in February, is now under house arrest, while his ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) has since been dissolved. Nevertheless, many political observers point to “remnants of the former regime” still actively working to maintain the Mubarka-era status quo.
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