by Lisa Solonynko

I have been glued to the satellite news channels, Al Jazeera and BBC World News the past eleven days watching the story unfold in Egypt.

I watched as Egyptians took to the streets in a bid for the freedoms we in the west take for granted, I watched Mubarak refuse to step down immediately and warn of the chaos that would happen if he did, I watched as if on cue, de ‘chaos’ begin hours after his speech, I watched as the people formed their own groups to police and protect themselves.

I then watched the ‘million’ protester gathering in ‘Freedom Square’ last weekend and saw the joy of an oppressed people happy with their moment of freedom, for while, in Freedom Square, they were safe.

I watched Mubarak make his second speech again warning of the chaos those wanting freedom would create by him stepping down and again as if on cue, hours later the violence erupted.

In horror I watched the armed pro Mubarak supporters charge the unarmed anti Mubarak protesters as the battle for Freedom Square began. I could not see how the unarmed anti Mubarak protesters could survive this onslaught but after a night of fierce battles, many deaths and around a thousand injured the defenders of Freedom Square were victorious, not just in their defence of the Square but in their stand for freedom, their resolve to no longer live in fear.

Yesterday I watched the respect those that had fought and died for be shown by the world in their leaders statements, the reaction of the army to now protect the anti Mubarak protesters and the millions across Egypt that took to the streets for the action called The Day of Departure.

Freedom is a strange thing, it is the ‘thing’ one has before one makes the choices that then limit one’s freedom. Though a good part of this ‘thing’ called freedom is to have the right to make choices free from oppression one has to make choices that could oppress others. We in the west with our democratic governments believe we have rights and freedoms but do we really?

The UK people were taken into war against their will, the Irish people are suffering massive economic hardship against their will, the people of the US are now suffering because of the financial terrorism their economic system supports to keep the fraudulent investment banks in business.

The democracy of free and fair elections is the safety valve that keeps oppression at bay but on its own it gives no one freedom. Democracy needs to be free, fair and transparent.

Wikileaks, has shown many of our western democratic governments to be a little hypocritical when it comes to how they inform their own populations. We the people need to be informed so that we can vote from an informed perspective for the Government we chose and this can only be done if we can all take the last step to freedom and that is having transparent governance.

There have been countless revolutions across out time and world, many if not most have turned into just a different form of oppression, as I continue to helplessly watch the twelfth day Egypt story unfold I wish their bravery is rewarded with their freedom to chose their politics but I would advise that freedom and democracy is only token if those voted into power do not have to be transparent in their dealings with their people and the rest of the world.

Maybe Wikileaks should become a UN institution!