"Revolution is not something fixed in ideology, nor is it something fashioned to a particular decade. It is a perpetual process embedded in the human spirit. When all today's isms have become yesterday's ancient philosophy, there will still be reactionaries and there will still be revolutionaries. No amount of rationalization can avoid the moment of choice each of us brings to our situation here on the planet. I still believe in the fundamental injustice of the profit system and do not accept the proposition there will be rich and poor for all eternity." -- Abbie Hoffman

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Why I reject the proposed constitutional amendments to the Egyptian constitution

Egypt is abuzz these days with discussions over the proposed amendments to the 1971 constitution. The country is divided into two camps, each rallying supporters to vote for or against the amendments in the referendum tentatively scheduled for March 19 by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). In a poll conducted by the Egyptian Cabinet’s Information and Decision Support Center, 58 percent of over 60,000 participants said they “would not agree to the suggested modifications of the Egyptian Constitution.”


From the beginning, I have set my mind against any amendments to the constitution, seeing the question as a matter of principle: the 1971 constitution had lost its legitimacy with the fall of the Mubarak regime and with the SCAF’s decision to abrogate it, acknowledging the revolution as the only source of legitimacy. Many prominent figures, including reform advocate Mohamed ElBaradei, have stood against any constitutional amendments and have called instead for a declaration of constitutional principles to govern the interim period leading to the drafting of a new constitution.


You can read the full article on al-Masry al-Youm website.

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