Election Day Diary - May the Voting Begin!

continued from "Election Day Diary - Intro"...

The voting started at 8:45 a.m.

They were late because of something about the phosphoric ink and the committee's Registered Voters List not being received on time.

When the voting started, a few of the NDP gang that was there started to go and vote. The rest had a copy of the committee's Registered Voters List and were helping out other voters find their names. Which is kinda odd. How come the NDP gang had the List before the committee??!

Anyway.. This is how the voting worked:

To prevent causing a bottleneck INSIDE the committee, the voters were asked to search for their names in the Voters List that was OUTSIDE. The List didn't seem to me to be in any sort of alphabetical order 'cause I saw a Mohammed something then a Mohsen something then another Mohammed something. Maybe sorted against the first letter only. Anyway. Those who find their names would copy down their number and then go inside. Inside the committee, one of the committee members would scan the list to go directly to that number (I'm assuming it was sorted against the number) and make sure the name paired with the number was the same name on the voter's Personal ID card.

For those who didn't have their names in the Registered Voter's List of that committee:

By law, those who were in a committee in which they were not registered (i.e. their names were not in the Registered Voters List for that committee... or simply were supposed to be registered to that committee but for some reason were not added to it) could vote in it, provided they had their pink voting card. In cases like these, the voter would not need to look up his name in the Voter's List (because it would simply not be in it) and could directly go into the committee, show his pink voting card and the member of the committee would jot down his name and voting number (which was in the voting card) in a list of "outside voters" (i.e. voters not registered with that committee).

Many voters wanted to vote as 'outsiders'. I.e. they didn't find their names in the committee's Voters List but they had their pink voting card. However, I observed that many of these were turned away. When the voter would argue with the committee member that by law since he had a voting card he could vote as an 'outsider', the member would reply:

"We have instructions that we are to treat voters as 'outsiders' only if they live outside the Governate of Cairo"

Now how about that! At first I thought maybe it was to ensure that voters wouldn't vote as 'outsider' in several committees. But then that would mean you could have a guy from Aswan, vote as 'outsider' in several committees in Cairo because, since he lived in Aswan, he would be treated as a 'outsider' in ANY committee in Cairo. And wasn't the irremovable phosphoric ink the REAL guarantee to prevent multi-voting? What logic could possibly lie behing such an "instruction"? I cannot understand.

By 11:30 a.m. the place was starting to look like those lines of Tsunami sufferers at the Red Cross distribution points. There were like 60 men and women all crowded together. About 30 attempted to line themselves up to wait their turn to go in the committee while the rest were either just sitting there waiting for their friends or looking up their names in the Lists.

I'd understand if they were distributing bread along with ballot cards. Only then I'd expect these numbers. Call me a disbeliever: but this just looks too suspicious.

"Where are you coming from?"
-"Ezzbet el Arab"
"Did all of you come together?"
-"Yeah"
"How did you come?"
-"Buses"

I note that down. Masses come together from Ezzbet el Arab by buses. The guy who was supposed to be monioting outside said he got the numbers of several mini-buses that were constantly unloading passengers. He said the same bus would come again in a while. Things seem to have been neatly planned by the NDP.

"I am from a neutral organization.
I will ask you a neutral question.
You are free to refuse to answer if you feel that I am not being neutral."
-"Sure" (with a fat smile. Smartass thinks he knows what I'm going to ask)
"Why are you voting?" (and before I finish the sentence...)
-"For the president of course! Who else will I vote for?! We love the president! We are all here with the president"
"No I don't want to know who I want to know why"
Another guy in the line overhears us...
-"Yes! Hahaha! Yes! We want to know WHY! Why don't you tell us WHY?" (His smile is from ear to ear.. he had a look like he was cornering him and had pleasure seeing him try to wriggle out)
-"Hahaha.. I am here for the president! Because he is a great man. He did so much for us." (He to had a smile from ear to ear)
"Really?!" (I couldn't help laughing)
-"Yes ofcourse! Hahaha!"
"Yeah but you didn't tell me WHY you are here to vote?"
(The other guy... laughing)
-"Yeah why don't you tell him WHY?!"
-"Hahaha! Without Why's!"
"I am from a neutral organization and I won't take your name. If you choose not to answer you are free!"
-"Ok then we'll leave it at that!"

Hehehe... the other guy was having the time of his life!

Don't let the beard fool you. This is a die-hard NDP voter.

I then start to wonder whether ANY of these masses are going to vote for anyone other than Hosni. They were all poor. They seemed to know each other somehow. At least they seemed to know that the NDP guys were waiting for them. I actually heard one of the NDP guys shouting out to a colleague of his "Hey... You take this group" while pointing at a group of newcomers. They all looked the same. The dark skin, the poor 'galabeyya', the big smiles. They had this excited gleam in their eyes. Like they were about to embark on some great new experience for the first time of their lives. They gave me shy silly smiles like they didn't really know what they were doing here. All of them were from Ezzbet El-Arab.

To be continued......

Election Day Diary - Intro

I finally decided to sit down and write all I saw and heard on Election Day... beginning to end.. and be forewarned... it will be long... but hey.. I got pics and stuff! :-D

The day is 7th September 2005...

I can't tell you what time I woke up because I didn't really get much sleep. Too restless. Thinking what could happen in a few hours.
Anyway I got out of bed.. got dressed.. and drove off to the meeting place in Nasr City. I was supposed to meet a few guys and a hot gal there and from there we were to decide which polling station we were to monitor. They had supposedly scanned the area the night before to locate the polling stations in Nasr City (since they only got the names of the polling stations that day). Meeting time was 7:30 a.m. I wanted to meet up earlier because we were told and amongst the tricks that these people pull to forge, is to open the polling stations earlier than the official start of the elections (8:00 a.m.) so the monitors and party representatives wouldn't get a chance to check whether the ballot boxes were empty or not. "Oh you came late.. we already started.. people already casted votes" and shit like that. You never know really. We're in Egypt. Anything can happen.

I was there at 7:25 a.m. A few minutes later I meet up with one of the guys. A few minutes more and our coordinator shows up. She, her dad, and a couple of other chicks.
Looking good! :-D

We had two options:
1) Go to a polling station that was expected to be crowded. We could easily catch the expected "mass shipping" of people by the NDP to go and vote.
2) Go to a polling station that was NOT expected to be crowded. Here we would require a little more effort to catch any wrongdoing since polling stations such as those would probably mean the wrongdoing was happening INSIDE the secondary committee (where we didn't expect to be allowed in) probably with the consent of the heads of the committee. On the other hand, such wrongdoings were a run for our money.

Just in case you are not following: I am using the term "polling station" to mean the building/school/police station/club that was assigned to have one or more "secondary committees" where a "secondary committee" is the room/lounge/section of the polling station that would have the ballot boxes and members who would be supervising over that committee. So for example in my case I was assigned to monitor one of the three "secondary committees" in the "Nady El-Sekka El-Hadeed" polling station. I don't really care if my terming is correct. I fucking hated translation at school so I can't find a reason to do it out of school.

Anyway. We decided to go for option 1. I wasn't really into that. I wanted the big scandals. But whatever. If the chicks say so.

So we drive to "Nady El-Sekka El-Hadeed" (literally translated to "The Railroad Club").

The club had three committees. Committees 5,6, and 7. "5" was downstairs.. "6" and "7" upstairs. We all went upstairs first. Met the head of one of the two committees. He was the coolest thing. He allowed us to enter the committee and told us he will not let us stay but that we could come in and out from time to time to check on things. That was actually more than what we expected. He was safe. I didn't get a chance to meet the head of the second committee but I heard he was pretty cool too. So fine! Things were going alright!

Then we decided to distribute ourselves. I was to take "Committee 5" downstairs. The triple-chick-power would take the two upstairs. And the other guy would roam around in and out to make sure the whole place was covered.

I went downstairs. A few men and women standing about waiting for the voting to start.
Good thing about "Committee 5" was that the committee's side that was facing me was glass. It was like this ugly conference room. There were, of course, curtains on the inside in case they wanted privacy but the head of the committee, although kinda stern and mean-looking, was cool enough to keep a nice part of it open so I could pretty much see everything that was going on inside.

8:30 and the voting hadn't yet started. I was just standing there and then a guy in a suit came up to me...

-"What's that say?" (looking at my 'Election Monitor' badge)
"The Coalition of Civil Society Organizations For the Monitoring of the Elections"
-"What's that?"
"We are a neutral organization to monitor the elections"
-"What you mean monitor?"
"We make sure that nothing illegal takes place"
-"Ahhaa.. I see.. so you are with the El-Ghad party?"
(Does that mean I have to be with El-Ghad if I want to be fair?!)
"No... we are neutral.. we are not with anybody... we are not taking any sides"
-"Ahaa.. I see"
"So who are you with?"
(He pauses for a moment staring at me like he was challenging me somehow.. He seemed hesitant at first to say.. then he said in a matter-of-factly way..)
-"The National Party" (With a so-what-are-you-gonna-do-about-it look after it)
(Oppss.... I thought he was a party representative or a monitor or something... nop! I stumbled on the very person I should keep my eye on...)

A few seconds later I realized that ALL the people around me were NDP! About 11 of them.... and me :-D There were 2 guys in plain clothes. 1 guy with plain clothes but with "Yes Mubarak" stickers on his sleeves. Around 2 guys with green "Mubarak 2005" T-shirts. 2 with a reddish "Mubarak: Peace and Progress" (or something of the sort). I think 2 in suits. And 2 ladies: 1 veiled and the other totally covered in a burqa. I kept wondering which of them would gang up on me. Or would it be all 11?? Sweet! I felt like a diver swimming amongst sharks.

And so begins the day!



to be continued.................

I WAS THERE

Waw... Wednesday was, without doubt, the longest day of my life. I've learnt so much. I've learnt so much about the "insides". The people. The country. The me. Who runs the place and how. I think I've actually changed. I feel somwhat Enlightened. Wiser. Happy. Loving. Fullfilled. YES! That's the word! Fullfilled! And I am so into this. This is me man. I felt so in my element. Doing the good. Doing the right. Not eating for 15 hours and a half so I won't miss a minute of monitoring. Not being able to sleep the day before. Being free and making sure the others were just as free. Meeting "them". The "other" 80% of the population. Striking up random friendships out of nowhere with people I will never meet again. Having a high-school boy taking me to the side after watching me monitor and telling me who pays whom and how much to get people to vote. Being told by a random voter: "I want to help you" after knowing that I was monitoring the elections to make sure voting is fair. Being asked by a bunch of labourers for my number "in case they harm us because we were not able to vote". That tore my heart up. Being approached at the end of the day by a member of the committee that I was monitoring requesting to join the organization. I know I must sound crazy. Oh and talking about crazy, my apologies for the "My Version of Animal Farm" post. I read it again and I doubt if anyone understood a word without understanding beforehand what the hell I was trying to talk about. I was pissed and I just let out whatever thoughts were inside. Anyway it was natural and I'll leave it. Back to today's issue.

There is SOOO much to talk about I hardly know where to start. I was monitoring a secondary committee in "Nady El-Sekka El-Hadeed" (literaly translated to "The Railroad Club") in Nasr City in Cairo. The were actually 3 committees in the club. 2 on the 1st floor and 1 on the ground floor. I got the ground floor which was called "Committee 5". All voters registered to vote in "Committee 5" were from a poor area called "Ezzbet El-Arab". I got a chance to talk to them. Why are they here? I got into some hot political debates with one of them. I got some "inside" information from another. Hell I got to see Mostapha el Salab (one of the richest and influential men in the area, a member of parliament, and a member of the NDP) vote. Saw some funny things and heard funnier things. But above all.... I WAS THERE. And it felt so darn good.

This brings me to another issue. Why was I monitoring? Believe me the answer is not quite simple. I know it. It lies somewhere deep within the complexities of me. But I just can't put a finger on it.

Alaa has added a magnificent post saluting the monitors and protestors who have changed inside since this all began on referendum day. I believe that he and others share with me this same hidden magical inner urge. This inner thirst. This addiction. And I have to thank him too. It was, after all, through his help, nomatter how small, that I can proudly say: I WAS THERE.

.I.WAS.THERE.

Today's Roundup Folks

I am getting really beat with all this effort I am putting but I so love it baby :-)

I slept for 3 hours only last night trying to google where the hell "Mounira" is in Egypt.. and where the hell "El Sheikh Ali Youssef Street" was in "Mounira". Then I got on to Google Earth to find out how to get there (I feel like a whale on the Himalayas when I'm in central Cairo). Not to mention I had to give a girl, who wanted to join, the slip, because she was still at the dentist and we were already running late.

THEN THEY STARTED AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER!! Bummer..

Anyway, overall the meeting was pretty productive.. and I'm too sleepy and tired to discuss anything.. but the main thing is... I am an official election monitor today! Tommorrow I will try to call the El Ghad party and try to get them to license me as a party representative in case the guys running the polling stations do not allow me inside as an election monitor.

Oh and let me get my thoughts organized with this TO DO LIST I had... :

1) Get my new Personal ID in place of the one that was lost. MISSION COMPLETED.

2) Get my voting card. MISSION PENDING.

3) Call my friend to get him to come with me to get HIS voting card. His year of birth is earlier so turns out he needs to come in November after all. Hehehehe.. MISSION FAILED.

4) Call our friend to get her to come with us to get HER voting card. Too Tired?
:-( MISSION ABORTED.

5) Post about yesterday's judges' convention. Or Not. I decided Not :-D There is only so much I can do without sleep. MISSION ABORTED.

6) Call my relative to check whether there is any update regarding my helping out in the election monitoring. Hell I did it myself. MISSION COMPLETED.

7) If no update, try to call the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights myself to see if there is any way I can enroll in the election monitoring process. MISSION ABORTED.

8) Make sure to get today's verdicts regarding the appeal against the referendum results and the appeal against the PEC chairman's decision to ban election monitoring in the polling stations.Let me quickly mention this:

Case Results:
Case 1: N/A
Case 2: Although I mentioned that this was postponed to the 17th. I read that they ruled one of the candidates out of the election. Maybe I mixed up with Case 1 on which was the one to be postponed.
Case 3: Verdict in favour of allowing election monitors and "whoever wishes" to monitor the elections inside and outside the polling stations.
Case 4: Verdict postposed to 29th November. :-/

Small note: The Presidential Elections Committee decided that they will NOT abide by the ruling :-/ I'm just too tired to throw insults. Anyway, MISSION COMPLETED.

9) If no hope in being part of an official election monitoring campaign, talk to my friend's friend who is a young officer to check if it is possible to be allowed permission to individually run an opinion poll inside my police station.MISSION ABORTED.

Calling all monitors

There is a meeting on Monday (5-September) - today- at 8 p.m. organized by the Human Rights NGO Coalition at the following address:

35 El Sheikh Ali Youssef St.,
3rd Floor,
Apt. 33
Mounira
Behind Rosa-el-Youssef

The meeting is a briefing for people who want to help in monitoring of the elections. Suposedly there is going to be some sort of training for the monitoring volunteers and will be handing out IDs and stuff to try to make it official.

Please Note: There is a court ruling that the civil societyorganizations (Human Rights Organizations and otherNGOs) should be allowed to monitor the elections but the Elections Committee has announced that it will notabide by the ruling.

Be Therefore Forwarned: DUE TO THE ABOVE FACT, THERE IS A PROBABILITY THAT THERE COULD BE SOME FRICTION AND POSSIBLY VIOLENCE IN THE POLLING STATIONS TO TRY TO KEEP THE MONITORS OUT.

But I guess you already knew that, right?

A man's gotta do, what a man's gotta do.

If monitoring will result in violence, so be it baby.

My Version of Animal Farm

Once upoun a time there was a farm called Bla la land. It was so called because 90% of the animals living on the farm were only just semi-intelligent.. each living in his own La La Land. One day, one of the farm guards decided, "These animals aren't being treated right.. I know how it's done". He then proceeded to call a few of his friends and said "Hey I have the craziest idea.. I bet you we can stir this place up and turn it into like this big huge zoo! Wouldn't that be cool?! We could like have the best animals around man! All the other farms would be so jealeous because they're only farms you now and we are like this humongous zoo and we have the best animals around you know." The other guards thought what a brilliant idea that would be! "Why didn't I think of that?!", cried one of them. It was because he was the result of a horny cow mating with a drunken man. Simply put, his brain wasn't made to think

Weeks later, the guards decided it was high time they put their master plan to action. "Huraaayyy! We have control of Bla la land! Huraaayyy". The animals were surprised at this. They didn't know what to think at first but almost all of them agreed that, "The king was pretty mean you know". "Plus the guards promised us pretty things like rainbows in the mornings and full moons every night!", noted others. "I hear they are going to turn the farm to a zoo! Oh I can't wait! I want to be a zebra!", said the mouse.

Months later.. the state of the animals was slowly deteriorating. Noone did much complain, though. This was due to two things: a hallucinogen called "propaganda" on one side and the rounding-up of "freaks" on the other side. The first was a clever trick by the guards. They would daily mix the animals' food with a hallucinogen called "propaganda". Propaganda would do wonders. It would blind them from what they see in reality and create a whole virtual world in their minds. Since they were only semi-intelligent animals anyway.. and living in their own La La Lands.. it wasn't that difficult.. almost no one was suspicious. Also they were pretty much occupied with Tiny Land nearby. There was news that Tiny Land didn't really like being tiny at all and wanted Bla La Land's eastern barn to accomplish its diabolical scheme to control the neighbourhood.

On the other hand, something unexpected happened. Due to a mix-up of some genes in the mating process of the animals, a few intelligent animals were born... Almost as if not animals... one could even dare say they challenged the guards in their humanity. However these "humans" would not last long and were called "freaks" by the guards. The guards realized that if this animal-turning-into-humans-business became common, then the next step would be them "freak" humans questioning the actions of the holy guards of Bla La Land. "And what would these freaks know anyway?! DESTROOOYYYYYYY!!!"... And so materialized the second method of controlling Bla La Land. Rounding up the "freaks".

A year passed and the state of the animals was deteriorating more rapidly. The head guard, Abdo, passed away and in doing so Bla La Land was handed over to his trusty guard friend, Nounou. The other guards would surely help out too.. It was like a bunch of friends working on a personal business project. It was ohh so touching to watch such co-operation and understanding. Only problem was that the original project to turn Bla La Land to a zoo was scraped, "Everyone is doing zoos these days.. zoos are out man.. ranches are in!". Private ranch, that is. A guards-only ranch! The guards would jump up and down with glee at the thought of having their own personal ranch. "Oh! Oh! Oh! I know! We could have like a shade over here! And a swing over there! Oh! Oh! And we could have a slide over at that area! Oh honey how I love to slide! Oh baby you are the best!!", exclaimed the wife of one of the guards. "Yes dear, you could have all that honey.. you know satisfying you is my sole purpose in life", replied Hos-hos with a knowing wink. Suzy blushes. "Yes I know dear. The moment I laid my eyes on you I knew you were the man for me. You know what else I want baby?". "Name it Suzy.. just name it.. Do you want me to change the sphinx to look like you? A 4th pyramid in your name maybe? A second husband perhaps? 'Cause you know I'm down with that. As long as you are happy". "Oh no no dear. Well, we could see about that last one but actually I was thinking about something more in the lines of a beautiful baby boy to carry on the family name. I want him to be just like you!".
"Well then what are we waiting for?! Let's get to it!".

Another year passes by and Hos-hos is proclaimed head guard. He and Suzy have Jimmy and Ol-ol. In the meanwhile the animals' situation is getting terrible. Roaming aimlessly in Bla la land with no purpose in life. However, they "Thank God for everything", which seems ironic because there is nothing to begin with so what's up with this "everything" while the other guards are happily enjoying the benefits of a private ranch. Hos-hos never forgets Suzy's words.. "I want him to be just like you".. Her wishes are his commands. Hos-hos decides he sees potential in Jimmy and draws up his 'master plan'.

Hos-hos is a guard. So Jimmy must be a guard too. He starts calling himself and his friends.. "The Old Guard". Let's face it.. they are old! That would make Jimmy and his friends... "The New Guard". Brilliant!!!! Just Brilliant!!!!

"I believe that my dear animals need new blood! They need new thought! They need.... NEW GUARDS!!!"

The animals are thrown into a frenzy of excitement!
"How can one argue such divine wisdom?!!!"
"North.South.East.West! Hos-.Hos.Is.Da.Best!"
"Hashtekna we Bashtekna ya rayeesss! Danta ra2ees wel ne3ma kwayes!!"

Now the thing is.. Hos-hos is not any guard! He is *the* head guard. So Jimmy must be the head guard too. Only problem was that a few months earlier.. in a similar nearby ranch called Soor Land.. little guard Jr. had taken over Daddy's ranch after a "slight" bending of the rules to allow him to do so... Amazingly, Bla La Land's animals were scornful... Opps.. "I should have sprayed a few more propaganda hallucinagens at that time... Damnit.. It totally slipped me then... Bad Me! Bad Me!"

What to do.... What to do.....

"I know!! I will MAKE the animals choose Jimmy!!! They will do it on their own free will! Can't do something and then complain can they!?! Excellent! Yes that's it! They will choose my Jimmy! They will! How can they not choose my Jimmy?! Everyone loves Jimmy! Brilliant!!! Just Brilliant!!!"

So started the election circus.....

"I believe that my dear animals should join in the running of the ranch! So I propose there be elections!!!"

The animals are thrown into a frenzy of excitement! (Again...)
"How can one argue such divine wisdom?!!!"
"North.South.East.West! Hos-.Hos.Is.Da.Best!"
"Hashtekna we Bashtekna ya rayeesss! Danta ra2ees wel ne3ma kwayes!!"

Problem 1: But what if there are animals who challenge li'l Jimmy?
Hos-hos: "Over my dead body.. Suzy asked for Jimmy so Jimmy it is..."
Solution: Add impossible requirements for potential candidates.. So only Jimmy is left!!

Problem 2: But sir, animals are high on political apathy scale. And some "freaks" are calling for a boycott!
Hos-hos: "Damnit that would make me look like a clown!"
Solution: Forge the fucking ballots man! It's MY ranch man! I can do whatever I want! What did you think I was REALLY gonna share it with some animals??!

Problem 3: But sir, some "freaks" got to know that the results were forged!
Hos-hos: "THIS IS RUBBISH!!! Damn those freaks! Why don't they love Jimmy?! Everyone loves Jimmy!"
Solution: Put pressure to postpone this rubbish.. I will deal with the "freaks" in the meantime... It's me or them on this ranch! We'll see who gets the last laugh!

And so continues life in a farm called Bla La Land................