What if?

The so-called "Arab Spring" started in Tunisia in 2010 when Mohammed Bouazizi, a street vendor set himself on fire as an act of protest for the government's confiscation of his wares and humiliation by a public official. This triggered a wave of protests in Tunisia that led to the leader of 23 years to step down. The protest spread to Egypt next in 2011. Then President Hosni Mubarak was faced with a swelling protest action against his government. He eventually stepped down, prompting other Arab nations to follow suit like Libya, Yemen and of course, Syria. Mohamed Morsi succeeded Mubarak as president.

Apparently, the Egyptian people were not happy with the elected replacement government, so another wave of protests began, with the military removing Morsi after two years. But it seems that Morsi still had a substantial number of supporters, and since protesting seems to work in Egypt, they too took to the streets. But this time, the current government is handling it much differently. Egyptian security forces, using bulldozers to clear two camps where the protesters stayed, made good on their warning. More than two hundred civilians have already been killed by the crackdown, with chaos ensuing since the start of the raid. Images of Tiananmen Square fill my mind. The country is now in a state of emergency.

The finger-pointing has also started, with the one side blaming another for starting the violence. Security forces claim that armed supporters from the "Muslim Brotherhood" were the initiators, something the protesters deny. What is clear is the number of dead and injured mostly come from the protesters. Even media people were not spared from the violence. A Sky News cameraman was shot and killed.

The month of August is always known for Ninoy Aquino. It is in this month when a dictatorial government, made him a martyr of the Filipino people. His death was the catalyst that started "People Power," as it is popularly known. In essence, it was "People Power" that showed the effectiveness of mass protests. But has it gone too far in some cases? We ourselves have had three "EDSAs." Of course, EDSA III did not achieve what it wanted, but it also showed how people will support their leader, however flawed. Such is the case in Egypt, which has, so to speak, gone through two EDSAs. But I really wonder what would have happened, if then president Marcos decided to do what the current Egyptian government has done to their protesters. He did send the troops and the tanks, but they stopped at the sight on nuns with rosaries. I'm really glad they did stop. I can't imagine what would have happened to the country if they did not. Something far more worse than Egypt?

Absolutely.