Sixty years ago, the country was on the brink of civil war and various branches of the army were on the verge of infighting. Cavalry officers had declared a sit-in in protest against the recent resignation of Mohamed Naguib.
With the artillery's move to besiege them and the air force flying over the scene of the protest, there was no alternative but to retreat.
The Revolutionary Command Council had backtracked on accepting Naguib's resignation and he was reinstated.
The majority of the council members yielded to Naguib and Khalid Mohey Eddin and announced the decisions of 5 March 1954, which stated the election of a constituent assembly for the Constitution, canceling censorship on newspapers, and the abolition of martial law.
Meanwhile, members of the council suggested announcing that the revolution had ended, dissolving the council without forming them into a political party, reinstating old political parties and handing over power to the Constituent Assembly.
The suggestions made by members of the council seemed more democratic in the face of Naguib and Mohey Eddin. But in truth, it was an impetus for a comprehensive mess through the abandonment of all responsibility. The public, who benefited from some social reforms, found themselves before two choices: either a revolution, social reforms and the handover of power to the council unconditionally, or democracy.
At dawn on 28 March, Ahmed al-Sawy, president of the Federation of Transport Workers, who later admitted to have been paid LE4,000 in return for his role in this event, coordinated with workers to announce a strike on that day in protest against disregarding their demands.
Since dawn leaflets were distributed declaring that the four demands of the strike were as follows: Not to allow the establishment of political parties, the continuation of the Revolutionary Command Council, the formation of an advisory national association, and not to engage in electoral conflicts.
Violent demonstrations instigating riots headed to the headquarters of the parliament, the Republican Palace and the State Council, where demonstrators attacked Razek al-Sanhoury, while reiterating slogans like: "Down with democracy," "Down with the intellectuals," and "No parties, no parliament."
Under the pressure of this "organized" mess, everyone had no choice but to undo the decisions of 5 and 25 March 1954 and to postpone them until the end of the transitional period, which has not been officially declared until now.
Many of the beneficiaries were driven out to achieve their interests, while others joined them hoping for a just homeland as they cared for a revolution they had long dreamed of to save them from corruption and social inequality.
They came out calling for the fall of democracy, and since then we have been paying the price for a state of despotism and autocracy. The experiences of history tells us that the dream of a 'fair tyrant' usually ends up in the absence of justice and the survival of the tyrant.
Today, some people fear to openly proclaim: "Down with democracy," but actually do all that leads to it. That includes the authorities, the beneficiaries to keep their interests, and others who follow them for fear of the unknown democracy.
I understand that some on bona fide have participated in the 1954 protests to maintain the social gains. But my mind is unable to understand the repetition of the same crime now with the increase in social injustice. In fact, democracy will not fall, and we will not allow for those who benefit from corruption and tyranny to waste additional 60 years of our homeland. Democracy corrects its own mistakes by itself. The wrong choice of people at moments is the only way to correct these errors in the future. It is not a tool for beneficiaries to maintain their gains at the expense of the homeland.
Remember the screaming of Major General Mahmoud Abdellatif Hegazy, who was a Lieutenant at that time, in the face of Gamal Abdel Nasser: "The Constitution is suspended, the parliament is disabled, public freedoms are wasted, the press is under control, and your council seizes power alone even without consultation with the Free Officers who made the revolution, which means we are underway to a military dictatorship."
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
