CAIRO - Millions of Egyptians have been celebrating the success of their revolution, which has forced long-standing President Hosni Mubarak to leave office. Waving the Egyptian flag in pride, they aspire for a better future for their homeland. They dream of a day when corruption no longer exists in Egypt, and when every member of the toppled regime is held accountable for what he did and for what he stole from Egypt. The people have been celebrating the recovery of their human dignity after (for many of them) a lifetime of subjugation and repression. The atmosphere is electric and emotional. They are euphoric, but there's also an obvious wariness as they tell me: "Let's enjoy today, tomorrow is another day." In what might have seemed confusingto non-Egyptians or those outside the country, the mainly young protesters, backed and supported by millions of Egyptians nationwide, have been regarding the Army as an ally, shouting, "The Army and the people are one". In Egypt, this is true. For the Egyptian Army, unlike the police, the Interior Ministry forces and the elite Republican Guard, is a conscript force. Almost every family in Egypt has a son, brother, cousin or other relative either in the army or who has served in a force that is regarded highly as a national institution. However, reality began to dawn this weekend: the cleaning has to start. I'm not just talking about the streets littered with the detritus of weeks of protest and struggle, but also of a regime and governmental apparatus riddled with 30 years of ingrained corruption. Egyptians knew about the wrongdoings of the people in power, but fear kept them silent. The few who dared to reveal the rampant corruption paid dearly for their effrontery. The diverse groups that participated in the January 25 uprising are now forming a structured organisation that can potentially lead Egypt to a new era. One of the reasons why the younger generation are less fearful of the regime than their parents is their ability to use Western technology, such as cell phone cameras, and the Internet, as well as social media like YouTube and FaceBook. A long time ago, Arab regimes were able to use violence to oppress protests, but now the whole world can see what's been happening everywhere – even in remote villages in Tunisia and Egypt – in a timely manner, thanks to the vast progress in the field of information technology. Satellite television, which strongly encourages pan-Arab nationalism, and social media have enabled the Arab youth to stay connected with what is happening in other Arab countries. The barriers that the regimes have erected, and which Arab satellite television and social media have broken down in some ways, are now broken politically too. People and countries are borrowing methods and aspirations. Look at Bahrain, Yemen, Libya and Algeria. But the old guard in those and other Arab countries still believe that the protestershave an “outside” agenda; they don't believe that the younger generation have their own way of change, which has surprised even the Western countries. Something has definitely changed. Everybody now understands that this region is linked and everybody has the same aspirations. People are taking heartfrom what has happened in Tunisia and Egypt. You can here the same demands and read the same banners in the streets of Benghazi, Sana'a and Manama. The bannersread: “We need democracy. Weneed dignity. We need social justice”. Young Arabs have been complaining for decades that nobody listens to them. But now they have succeeded to make everybody listen to them – even the decision-makers. Regimes, which stayed in control for decades and ignored the demands of their peoples, are now paying a highprice for their wrong policies. The youngsters who have been revolting in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen and Libya are only asking for democracy, dignity and social justice. They're not after power or money, just a new future for themselves and their sons.
