I Am Liberal

The Referendum (El Estef-ta’a)

A couple of days ago were our Egyptian referendum. The 1^st fruit of freedom, the great gift granted to us; Egyptians by the revolution of the 25^th of Jan. All Egyptian citizens can now express their opinions freely, and each person’s voice matters.

People gathered in very long lines to vote all around Egypt (Line of about 18 Million Egyptians). A lot said “Yes” to the modifications on the constitution, and also, a reasonable number said “No”. I was one of the people who said “No” to these modifications.

I was glad to spend about two and a half hours standing in line to express my voice freely. People were very friendly, and cooperative. The hours seemed to pass quickly as I chatted with the people standing with me in line. I was glad to meet some friends who came later and passed to say hi, then went to the end of the line.

People with differing opinions stood together with one common goal; a better future for our beloved country

People standing in a very long line to vote on referendum 

I was really touched when I saw an old lady looking for her husband and a young girl helped her, she said “Bless you youngsters of this country” then she looked at me and the young men with me in line and said “ Thank you, you gave us back our dignity, you made our votes matter… This is the first time I vote in anything in my entire life…Thank you”.

The people who said “No” had valid reasons to say “No”; reasons they believed will help build a better future for Egypt. The people who said “Yes” also, believed they had good reasons to say “Yes” and build a better future for Egypt.