The new Egyptian parliament does not have a traditional agenda prepared in advance such as the one that existed under Hosni Mubarak's regime, and its course is not similar to that of any other parliament around the world. Indeed, in addition to its legislative and monitoring tasks and its selection of the committee members who will draw up the constitution, it has another more urgent task - i.e. convince the people that this is their parliament, that the revolution has succeeded, and that one of its outcomes was the staging of elections which expressed the people's views. It must convince them that the deputies are the people's agents to ensure the implementation of their demands, that what has not been achieved among the goals of the revolution will be achieved, and that the people's deputies will handle the completion of the revolution on behalf of the people - whether the former are the Islamists who are occupying the majority of the seats or the representatives of the other movements, all of whom would have never reached parliament had it not been for the revolution. The new parliament can appease the tensions on the street or cause the detonation of the situation and render the deputies' trip to parliament, their presence in its halls and their departure from it to head home a major predicament, if the people ever become disgruntled and feel that the deputies have started to eat the revolution's cake while they are still seeking its maturation. Parliament's mission is to appease the anger of the youth and set the foundations for new relations between the army and factions of the people who have grown sick and tired, not only of the way the military council has managed the transitional phase or the mistakes it committed, but also due to the belief that the revolution was hijacked and that the beneficiaries were limited to specific factions and not the entirety of the population. They also believe that what was accomplished only affected the surface and that Egypt in the post-revolution phase endured problems which Mubarak's regime itself did not dare provoke. The performance of the deputies in the new parliament during today's session will determine whether Tahrir Square and the other Egyptians squares will celebrate the martyrs and the revolutionary parliament or will remain determined to retaliate for the death of these martyrs and proceed with the revolution. Based on what happens beneath parliament's dome, the people's behavior and the ceiling of their demands on the anniversary of the revolution will either convey a new shock to be added to the ones witnessed in the transitional phase, or support in favor of the deputies' plans and the course of parliament. True, the majority of the political forces and revolutionary coalitions confirmed the sustainment of the peacefulness of the revolution and warned against saboteurs who might try to harm the rebels by provoking acts of violence. However, this does not deny the fact that public appeals were issued and spread by sides affiliated with the revolution, calling for clashes with the security forces (the army and police) and the occupation of governmental and official posts to topple the military council and the state institutions. If the deputies place their parties' narrow interests ahead of those of Egypt and its people, the violence calls might find supporters, while the calls for appeasement will dissipate behind the popular disgruntlement over parliament and deputies which they chose to secure their rights but ended up fighting over the fruits of the revolution. In the meantime, the people are still standing in queues to get a gas bottle, a liter of gasoline or a loaf of bread and the sufferings of the families of the martyrs are mounting over the passing of their children, the lack of sanctions and the loss of the revolution. What was seen during the last few days in terms of concord between the powers, parties and blocs over the allocation of the parliamentary seats based on the relative weights of the blocs heralds positive things ahead. But what is more important is the achievement of concord with the streets and squares. Some might consider that the millions who assumed the hardships and headed to the polling centers are not the same ones staging protests every day, organizing sit-ins from time to time or getting ready for escalation on the anniversary of the revolution. But this logic is disregarding the fact that a few thousand people can influence the street and prevent the deputies' arrival to the parliament headquarters or their exit from it - just as they did with Prime Minister Dr. Kamal al-Ganzouri who has yet to enter these headquarters - and that the latter constitute the revolutionary vanguards leading the street and the protests with experienced elements in terms of mobilization. Today's Egyptian parliament session marks a turning point, and the people's reaction toward it will either head toward escalation and revolution against the military, the government and parliament, or toward serving the interests of all these sides. So, what will the new deputies do?
