Fine line between liberty and chaos

The year 2011 will forever be known as the year of revolt; I just pray that it doesn't become the century's most revolting. There are so many revolutions and civil uprisings it's almost impossible to keep up with them all. And they're not confined to the Arab world either. The fashion has spread to Athens, where anti-austerity demonstrators have been throwing petrol bombs at riot police.

Even the US hasn't escaped the trend. Up to 100,000 people have rallied in Wisconsin over a bill to limit the unions' collective bargaining rights. Former Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Jim Hightower, joined a demonstration outside the state Capitol, saying he was happier than "a flea at a dog show".

If you imagine that protests in the West are unrelated to the fever gripping the Middle East and North African (Mena) region you're mistaken. The rallying cry of Wisconsin demonstrators carrying placards comparing their governor to Hosni Mubarak, have come up with the rallying cry, ‘Fight like an Egyptian'. Hightower feels like a flea at dog show; that's his privilege. But should civil disobedience become uncontrollable worldwide, freedom will turn into anarchy.

While I sympathise with the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, where people have suffered from corruption and oppression, I'm appalled that sectors of the public in peaceful, prosperous countries, such as Bahrain and Oman, have chosen to take to the streets, instead of appointing representatives to put forward their demands to their governments.

God forbid this contagion should spread to other Gulf countries. What could they complain about in a place where the nationals enjoy a lifestyle that is the envy of the world? Could they say that the sea wasn't blue enough?

Freedom to peacefully demonstrate is one thing; setting fire to government buildings and lobbing petrol bombs at the police quite another. The idea that a state can run efficiently on people power alone is nothing more than a pipedream. Once the heady days of revolution, when everyone is united, are over, people revert to their own opinions and divisions.

Any interim government has to assert its authority before chaos prevails. Law and order must be reinstituted. Citizens must return to their jobs. The economy must be kick-started so that the state can provide a better future for all.

Take Egypt for example. As revolutions go, this one was a textbook success. The tyrant's loot has been frozen and he's forbidden from leaving the country. His corrupt cohorts are being arrested and investigated.

World leaders are heaping praise upon the courageous youth who braved live bullets and tanks in pursuit of their dream. But let's be realistic. Without the support of the Egyptian military their story could have turned into a tragedy.

Egypt's Supreme Military Council has, thus far, behaved in an exemplary fashion. Its leaders are meeting with youth committees and opposition groups. They have appointed a panel to rewrite certain articles of the Constitution, unveiled on Sunday, and they have sworn to hold elections in September.

Also promised, is the lifting of the emergency law and an increase in salary for public sector employees. In return, they are asking for people to exercise patience and work to bring normality to towns and cities. Tahrir Square is going nowhere, yet a few of the hard core revolutionaries seem hell bent on holding a knife to their throats.

When the military doesn't instantly respond to their demands — such as a request to sack the Prime Minister Ahmad Shafik who was appointed by Mubarak — they shout ‘Everybody out'. Shafik is just an administrator until there is a ballot. No political figure wants to step into his shoes for fear of being tainted. No on with popular standing is rushing to join his cabinet.

Last Friday, protesters once again pitched their tents in the square and were forcibly moved on. Their response was to call upon the millions, provoking an apology from the Supreme Military Council, which denied issuing any such orders. Just who is in charge of the country — the military in its role as caretaker or the revolutionaries?

The youth are playing a dangerous game that could end up being counterproductive. What happens if the military gets fed up with being held over a barrel? Are they prepared to face-off against the army?

Worse is the public's attitude towards the police force. The country is lawless, yet the police are being treated as pariahs. Few dare to wear uniforms or drive police cars for fear of being insulted or attacked. A case in point was highlighted on Nile TV. A civilian brutally attacked a police officer who defended himself by firing a non-lethal shot. The result was shocking. A crowd rushed to the scene and beat the policeman unconscious.

My sources in Egypt tell me that this is far from being an isolated incident. Policemen have fallen victim to revenge attacks. Prison guards have been beaten, shot at and held hostage. And a rift between the security forces and the people is emboldening criminals and angering policemen. One-and-a-half million armed and angry police officers roaming the cities is a disturbing thought.

Egypt urgently needs leadership. The revolution is over. Authority must be respected. All Egyptians should roll up their sleeves. The real work must now begin.

Khalaf Al Habtoor is a businessman and chairman of Al Habtoor Group.