DAHAB: Egypt's Bedouin Sinai population, both geographically and politically marginalized by the Egyptian state, is among those voting in the nation's upcoming parliamentary elections. Voting for Egypt's parliament is taking place in three stages, the first of which is set to begin tomorrow, despite ongoing demonstrations against the nation's interim ruling military government. Egypt's Bedouins in the South and North Sinai governates are set to vote on January 3. “Now there is no security, there is not a strong police presence here. To be honest, the program is not even clear yet for the elections. No one knows much,” Jimmy, a businessman from Dahab told Bikyamasr.com. “Everyone here is waiting to see what happens tomorrow,” he said, referring to the opening of polling stations in Cairo, Alexandria and elsewhere in the nation on Monday. Egyptian Bedouins have lived under the command of Egyptian State Security since the Sinai was returned to Egypt in 1982. However, Egyptian authorities have long been unable to control stability and rule of law in the peninsula. Informal Bedouin tribal authorities have gained increasing power in the area, especially after Egypt's January 25 uprisings toppled the regime of former President Hosni Mubarak, creating somewhat of a power vacuum in the state. “A lot of Egyptian people live in the Sinai, and they vote for Bedouins too. The Bedouins here are like the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo. They are the most organized, and they do the most,” Jimmy explained. Indicative of the instability in the area, a natural gas pipeline in Northern Sinai was attacked for the eighth time since the ousting of the former regime on Friday. The gas pipelines are of essential importance to Israel and Jordan, who use the gas for energy production. They are essential for Egypt's diplomatic ties with the respective nations as well. However, authorities have accomplished little in stopping the ongoing attacks, waged by a group that some believe has worked in the area in affiliation with Al-Qaeda. As Bedouin leaders push to achieve more of a degree of local autonomy away from the state, which has remained largely defunct in the eyes of many there, several issues remain important for the local population. Bedouins have called for the ability to participate freely in Egypt's police and army forces, from which they have been historically marginalized. Only recently, have bedouin men been welcomed into the nation's police academy. Land rights and business is a high priority for Bedouins as well, who have long fought to secure their right to land ownership in the Sinai. According to a 2006 law, landowners in the Sinai can only hold titles to their land for 99 years at a time. Those in the area are pushing to overturn the legislation. Reports of Bedouin attacks on tourist and police hubs, particularly in the North of Sinai, have increased over the last nine months since the ousting of the former regime. Bedouin protesters have taken to blocking roads essential to tourism routes between Cairo and the Sinai to make their presence known, and reports of highway burglaries in the area have spiked. Egyptian authorities have long been criticized for capitalizing on the Sinai's bountiful tourism resources, while failing to provide sufficient public works, schools, and hospitals to the area, neglecting the rights of the local population. BM
