Image source: MEE
The quest for democracy in Egypt in 2011 often alluded to as a "hijacked or failed revolution" was in reality the outcome of a non-visionary ideology of its own people who proved unable to distinguish between a change of system and a change of face. On the path of stupidity they went as far as heartily accepting Hillary Clinton's congratulatory message following the fall of Mubarak, welcoming her at Tahrir Square. Unbelievable but true.
Their second unsuccessful try for peoples' rule was in 2013 after Mohamed Morsi proved to be an utter disappointment for over 50% of Egypt's 90 million. When Sisi told him to step down, the people thought Sisi was on their side who intended to help them start afresh, remove Morsi and organize re-elections with better challengers on the field from among the peoples' favorites. No way. Sisi was actually helping himself, paving his own path to permanent power as president-for-life. History ended up repeating itself. When the Egyptians caught Sisi's unworthy intent, it was too little, too late.
Six years passed. In the meantime Morsi died in prison, his death (a slow murder) resulting from unprecedented injustice inflicted by Sisi's regime - solitary confinement under unhygienic prison conditions, virtual starvation, no medicines for his multiple health conditions, no attorneys permitted to represent his case, no visitors allowed, not even immediate family amounting to huge emotional abuse, he was barred from speaking in the courtroom with the use of a soundproof glass cage - worse than medieval cruelty! While all this went on, Sisi rigged and stole two elections - 2014 and 2018. To cut a long story short, both these events together were the mother of gerrymandered polls in the universal history of elections. Sisi systematically disqualified every popular contestant with only himself as the sole candidate to win, dictate and stifle his people. He dragged democracy as far away from Egypt as Pluto is from Earth! The turnout in both polls was incredibly low. That's the only bit the people could display to show their resentment, and Sisi was too unabashed to express embarrassment. This time the Egyptians were much too afraid for another confrontation; the election robber had too many guns behind the scenes and the Western establishment was on his side, a leeching ass ache!
Abdel Fatteh Sisi has been focused on two prime assignments during the past five years of his very autocratic rule - promoting his international image (as a puppet of US and KSA) and his money-making rampage across the country robbing Egypt blind. A far cry from his buzzword "we are a very, very poor country" and the offensive claim insulting the intelligence of the Egyptians that he had nothing in his fridge except water for 15 years prior to becoming president 😄
Suddenly a week ago, the Egyptians seemingly jumped out of their forced 6-year political apathy, desperately fumbling to grasp the elusive straws of democracy they've been silently yearning for. There has been sporadic, though quite huge, protests demanding Sisi to get out. The question is, unlike the Iranians, the Egyptians are a vulnerable lot. Could they again be going the wrong way? Let's take a quick look at what this is all about.
The recent protests in Cairo and other cities across Egypt have been inspired by a charismatic 43-year-old building contractor and former movie actor/producer, Mohamed Ali. But his movies never made him much of a celebrity. He garnered fame recently after posting a string of videos on Youtube exposing Sisi's massive corruption. Ali is now the Youtube star of Egypt and many Egyptians view him as the "man of the people."
Mohamed Ali reportedly doesn't have the best academic education, but he is worldly wise and a man with plenty of smart business acumen. Soon after Sisi came to power, Ali was one of the civil contractors who got tons of building projects - residential as well as commercial - by the military government. He worked as a military contractor for 15 years. Purportedly he did his job well, much to the satisfaction of the fat-cats and received excellent remunerations for his quality works. They say he made millions in Egyptian currency which helped his film career to prosper too. Quite unexpectedly, at some point and for some unknown reason, while working on one of the mega projects the 'happily ever after scenario' took a u-turn for Ali. Details of the fallout (whether business or political) aren't known, but Ali got into some sort of trouble with his bigwig clients. They refused to pay him for some of the costly contracts he completed. But Egypt isn't the place where you can fight a case in a court of law against any impropriety on the part of the government. Ali fled to Spain with his family and with the money he already made, which was a lot according to some Egyptian observers. He knew he had to flee to avoid rotting indefinitely in an Egyptian prison, the kind of hair-raising incarceration that has sucked the life out of many of his countrymen. From exile, Ali began posting online videos since early September 2019 exposing the corruption and double standards within Sisi's government - the mansions, villas and luxury hotels they have been ordering to build for themselves - squandering billions from public coffer of a country Sisi publicly mentions as "very, very poor."
Mohamed Elmasry, Chairperson of Journalism Program of the Institute of Graduate Studies in Doha, Qatar, is of the opinion that Ali has given the Egyptian people "the spark they were looking for" and is a potential threat to Sisi. The fact that Sisi felt the need to step out in public and defend himself to refute Ali's accusations was enough evidence that the President was rattled, at least to some extent.
Certain other journalists view this episode in a somewhat different light. While not denying that the Egyptians have been swept off their feet by Mohamed Ali, Egyptian writer Ashraf Ezzat referring to Ali as a "corrupt tycoon" and "untrustworthy contractor" considers him just as dubious as the government. But other than the requirement of Ali's job of acquiring building contracts from the government, Ezzat hasn't mentioned any specific evidences as proof of Ali's corruption. True that Ali was taking personal contracts from senior officials and was aware that he was paid from public money. However, the responsibility of misuse of public money lay squarely on the government. A contractor simply has to make a living as long as his clients pay him. The source of that money isn't his concern .. .. unless Ali was awarded money outside his contracts as a favor from powerful friends. But there's no evidence of that either, not at this point.
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Appalling! Addressing the accusation, Sisi admits spending on lavish constructions but claims those spendings aren't in his name but for the country. Is the excuse supposed to be enough to justify the frenzy of extravagance? If those villas, mansions and luxury hotels were built in the name of Egypt, who are the beneficiaries? The 98% common populace or the 2% elites? Should a "very, very poor" country such as Egypt be spending that much even in its own name?
By the way, just that many protests and already 14,000 arrested. That's what happens when one feels truly insecure. According to Egyptian politician scientist, Hasan Nafaa, "... he has sworn that he will not stay [as president] for a second term if he felt the people do not want him .." But how difficult would it be for Sisi to gerrymander a third election with new tricks and gimmicks displaying phony affection of the people for himself? Doesn't he already have enough expertise on ballot-box invitations with $9 for a vote? Story at MEE.
Just three months after the murder of his father, Mohamed Morsi's son, Abdullah Morsi, in his mid 20s died of a "heart attack" in a hospital in Egypt. Makes no sense. A man as young as that dying of a heart attack? Unless he was suffering of a congenital heart disease (which he quite certainly wasn't for he looked perfectly healthy), it's highly unlikely for anyone to die like that so young. Indeed Abdullah Morsi's death - who was the spokesperson of his family after the passing of his father in June 2019 - is very, very suspicious. Story at MEE.