Egypt revolt activist urges clear roadmap for democracy

An Egyptian cyber-activist, who was at the centre of the popular uprising that toppled president Hosni Mubarak in February, called Thursday for a clear roadmap for the transition to democracy. In an open letter to military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Wael Ghonim, a Google executive who administered the Facebook page that helped spark the launch of the revolt in January, said there was mounting frustration with the pace of reform. "After weeks and months, the mode of governance in our nation has not fundamentally changed and the excuse has been 'stability'", he said in the letter published on Facebook. The military were hailed as heroes at the start of the uprising which toppled Hosni Mubarak for not shooting on protesters. But the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) which took power when Mubarak stepped down, has come under fire for reneging on reforms and for human rights abuses. "There is a historical opportunity now for SCAF to work with the people who have awakened and revolted in order to set Egypt on the right track," Ghonim said. "We want you to quickly announce specific dates for the process of transferring complete power from the SCAF to an elected civilian authority that would control everything in the nation. Ghonim said activists had become "frustrated without a clear roadmap and fundamental changes in the way our nation is being governed." He urged Tantawi to "restore trust between the army and the scores of angry revolution youth whose wrath is due to the sustained military trials of civilians." Ghonim rose to prominence after an emotional television appearance following his detention during the uprising.