Egyptians can now remove any regime

Arabstoday interviewed Majid Yussef, the spokesman for Egypt's "Silent Majority" who let loose on the Abbasia demonstrations, parliamentary elections, political Islamists and more. AT: Why did you choose the name "The Silent Majority"? Majid Youssef: "Majority" is offset by the "minority." There are two methods to determine the majority and the minority. First is to invite people to a referendum. Second is to conduct opinion polls by a reliable neutral party. Since the first method was not implemented, we resort to the results of the second. There were two essential opinion polls, one held by a global company through one of the most watched satellite networks of which the results stated the majority of citizens trust the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF). The other survey was conducted by the Al-Ahram Center for Political & Strategic Studies, and reached the same conclusion. The minority, however, are the ones with media access. Their perspectives are considered, even if the majority do not express their viewpoints. AT: Instead of silence, why didn't you take a stand for about 10 months? Majid Youssef: We have been taking action for about four months now, but due to the few responses, our efforts went unnoticed. In addition, the nature of the silent majority do not tend to express their opinion through demonstrations and slogans, but through the ballot boxes. That's what happened in the referendum, when 18 million Egyptian went to vote. However, when they were fed up with the status quo, and names were suggested to form a presidential council, they broke their silence. AT: Do you think the silent majority can achieve something for Egypt? Majid Youssef: I'm sure. We have already made a difference and Tahrir Square is not the only destination now for the media. I also think the silent majority has indirectly affected the number of people voting on the parliamentary elections after demands for the postponing or cancelling it. In my opinion, the silent majority will be the guarantor of stability in the upcoming period. AT: So why didn't you have a list of candidates running for the parliamentary elections lists, as the revolutionary youth did? Majid Youssef: The task of the upcoming Parliament is to choose the founding committee for the constitution, which requires candidates with constitutional expertise. Many of us, however, will soon be able to take responsibility acquiring political and organisational expertise. AT: You called fordemonstrations in Abbasia square on Friday, in line with Tahrir demonstrations. Why did you choose this time in particular? Majid Youssef: We did that twice, first on November 25, after a week of unfortunate events, that many took advantage of to demand SCAF resign. We had to express our rejection of these demands. The second time, we went out to the streets to assert that our silence has been broken. AT: From time to time, accusations of collaboration and treason tend to ise. Have these accusations been directed at you? And what do you think of the accusations directed to the rebels of Tahrir? Majid Youssef: We've faced many accusations, such as the betrayal of the revolution, although most of us were part of it until the departure of the former regime, in addition to receiving money to demonstrate in Abbasia. We find the charges funny, and it saddens us that that some do not understand or do not want to believe that there are other voices than theirs. AT:What is your vision on the victory of the Islamists in the first phase of parliamentary elections? Majid Youssef: Polls brought Islamists, so democracy has to be applied and voters shall be respected. As for the Constitution, everyone knows that the Constitution is not drafted by the parliamentary majority. Egyptians can remove any regime no matter how powerful it is. So we just have to wait and see, if Islamists will offer solutions for the country's chronic problems or are they just relying on their religious cover. AT: What is your role as a majority, as you say, in the elections taking place now? Majid Youssef: We are not an entity to mobilise people in a certain direction. We held an intensive campaign, however, to persuade the masses to participate in the elections, in addition to a campaign aimed at educating voters about the process and the candidates. AT: What are your future political plans? Majid Youssef:We are working on an initiative that we hope all parties can reunite on, as we are holding campaigns to support national projects by Prof. Zewail and Dr. Farouk El-Baz, because we believe that the right move now is to help articulate a vision for Egypt. Politically, a party will be established soon to express Abbasia's perspective.