Egyptians in HK join global protest for voting rights
About 20 Egyptians who live in Hong Kong protested yesterday for their right to vote abroad, as part of a global demonstration for the cause following the revolution in their country.
Protesters outside the Egyptian consulate in Causeway Bay waved flags, hung banners and chanted slogans. They said they felt they had been left out of the revolution, and called for an amendment of electoral law to allow Egyptians living overseas to vote. A petition was handed to the consulate.
Demonstrations were also held in Egypt, Australia, Canada, the US, Britain, Belgium, France and other European countries. Protesters estimate there are eight million Egyptians living abroad and say they pay taxes of about US$7 billion each year to the Egyptian government. It was unfair for them to be deprived of the right to vote while contributing to the country, they said.
Their action follows the January revolution in Egypt, which led to the resignation of authoritarian president Hosni Mubarak. Parliament was dissolved and an election is expected next month. It is likely to be held in stages over more than a month.
Protester Sara El-Gammal, one of the 50 or so Egyptians who live in Hong Kong, said the expatriates wanted a clearer timeline for the election, so those who wanted to go back to vote could plan their trips.
She also wanted a system to be set up to process national identity cards for Egyptians in other countries. Under current rules, they must go back to Egypt to get the cards.
Most protesters in yesterday's demonstration had never voted or attended any protests before. Shadia Abbas, a 56-year-old housewife, said the revolution changed the views of many Egyptians who were apathetic towards politics before.
'I think most of the Egyptians living abroad did not care about voting before January 25 because we knew everything would be corrupt and fixed,' said Abbas, who has lived in Hong Kong for three decades. 'But now, we want to have a right to vote.'
The Egyptian revolt was part of a wave of action across the Middle East and North Africa, known as the 'Arab spring'. It began in December in Tunisia, where president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and his government were were ousted.
