I know the title is more than strange but it is not stranger than what is going on already in Egypt. First of all in a scoop Al Shorouk Newspaper published over 3 days an exclusive long interview with Mohamed ElBaradei from Vienna. The interview is conducted by veteran journalist Gamil Matar who has known ElBaradei since the six days war
In this interview ElBaradei fires back directly on the attack of the official media especially the official press , he also spoke about different issues related to our country and its future from politics to constitution to freedoms to democracy to economy to social justice to where he will have his first press conference if he is elected as a President
1)ElBaradei : We should not wait for the elections for change
2)ElBaradei : The Egyptian people deserves a better life than the one they are living now
3)ElBaradei : People live in Egypt under the level of human life
Mohamed ElBaradei elaborated more on his liberal views. Going through each part is too long but let's say despite he is speaking about religion from state he is still winning hearts and minds
The interview is indeed powerful specially the man is slamming all those attacks of the official press as I hinted above. Most of the comments at Al Shorouk newspaper websites are positive supporting him.
Now there has not been much reaction regarding his interview in the media in general , of course the regime found golden opportunities in President's Mubarak 's activity, Real Estate tax, the Muslim brotherhood feud and the virgin apparitions to distract the attention of the public.
Still today Al Masry Al Youm ,the rival of Al Shorouk has announced that tomorrow it will publish a long interview for Amr Moussa speaking about the Presidential elections, internal issues , the constitution " ElBaradei's first part of the interview dealt with its extensively"and what he thinks about the ElBaradei.Of course I can't judge what Moussa will say tomorrow but I have the feeling that it is more than newspapers rivalry.
I do not know why I have this viscous idea that Moussa is being used by the regime to hit ElBaradei and distract the public attention and admiration using the old policy "Divide Conquer". Who is better to compete ElBaradei than the original public admiration hero who is sent to exile at the League of Arab states because of it !!?? For God sake Shabaan sang for Moussa in a worldwide recognized hit !!?? It is much powerful when it is a Moussa Vs. ElBaradei than ElBaradei Vs. Gamal Mubarak ,
Do not get me wrong I love and respect Moussa and one of the biggest wishes is that this man returns back again to the ministry of foreign affairs yet as the hardcore Nasserite Hamdi Kandeel said
Again I do not know what Moussa is going to say tomorrow but I am just expecting.
Technorati Tags: Egypt, Politics, News, ElBaradei, Amr Moussa, Press, Democracy, Presidential elections 2011, elections, Mideast, Middle East, News
In this interview ElBaradei fires back directly on the attack of the official media especially the official press , he also spoke about different issues related to our country and its future from politics to constitution to freedoms to democracy to economy to social justice to where he will have his first press conference if he is elected as a President
It will be from shanty town not from a compound nor from a palaceHere is the interview on 3 parts :
1)ElBaradei : We should not wait for the elections for change
2)ElBaradei : The Egyptian people deserves a better life than the one they are living now
3)ElBaradei : People live in Egypt under the level of human life
Mohamed ElBaradei elaborated more on his liberal views. Going through each part is too long but let's say despite he is speaking about religion from state he is still winning hearts and minds
The interview is indeed powerful specially the man is slamming all those attacks of the official press as I hinted above. Most of the comments at Al Shorouk newspaper websites are positive supporting him.
Now there has not been much reaction regarding his interview in the media in general , of course the regime found golden opportunities in President's Mubarak 's activity, Real Estate tax, the Muslim brotherhood feud and the virgin apparitions to distract the attention of the public.
Still today Al Masry Al Youm ,the rival of Al Shorouk has announced that tomorrow it will publish a long interview for Amr Moussa speaking about the Presidential elections, internal issues , the constitution " ElBaradei's first part of the interview dealt with its extensively"and what he thinks about the ElBaradei.Of course I can't judge what Moussa will say tomorrow but I have the feeling that it is more than newspapers rivalry.
I do not know why I have this viscous idea that Moussa is being used by the regime to hit ElBaradei and distract the public attention and admiration using the old policy "Divide Conquer". Who is better to compete ElBaradei than the original public admiration hero who is sent to exile at the League of Arab states because of it !!?? For God sake Shabaan sang for Moussa in a worldwide recognized hit !!?? It is much powerful when it is a Moussa Vs. ElBaradei than ElBaradei Vs. Gamal Mubarak ,
Do not get me wrong I love and respect Moussa and one of the biggest wishes is that this man returns back again to the ministry of foreign affairs yet as the hardcore Nasserite Hamdi Kandeel said
I Will choose liberal ElBaradei over him because Moussa was and is still part of the Mubarak regime.I do not think that anyone in Egypt analyzed the difference between ElBaradei and Moussa like Kandeel who is by the way an old friend to Moussa.
Again I do not know what Moussa is going to say tomorrow but I am just expecting.
Update#1:
I read Amr Moussa's interview and I must apologize for what I thought about him , he will not be used to hit anyone Technorati Tags: Egypt, Politics, News, ElBaradei, Amr Moussa, Press, Democracy, Presidential elections 2011, elections, Mideast, Middle East, News
I'm not Egyptian and have harped on about the many differences between Sudan and Egypt, the Sudanese and Egyptians...
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not elegible to vote in the upcoming Egyptian elections as I don't see the inherent differences between the current President and Mousa and Baradei.
I read an interview with Baradei a couple of years back in L'Express (French) where it described his lifestyle in Vienna, his love of his pet poodle and good wine.
How is it that a man who is so far removed from the reality of the average Egyptian is expected to represent them at the highest executive level for their benefit?
Is his strongest selling point his international connections?
Or his famous international profile?
I know that Egypt is a highly socially stratified society - but what substantive improvements can members of the 'same club' offer?
Why is so much emphasis being put on the Presidential candidate - what about institutional reform?
Isn't that what Egypt needs?
ممكن أسأل ازاي موسى ما زال جزء من النظام؟
ReplyDeleteThey are both great people; Egypt can be proud of them both; I don't think Mousa will let himself be used like that, but if he does let himself be used by the regime, well, we know who the Egyptians will vote for.
ReplyDelete@Sudanese Observer: I take it you failed to notice that the last 3 presidents we had lived all their lives in Egypt and came from modest backgrounds and we can clearly see the result (the same is true for several presidents in other Arab countries). The point is not what type of a life style he lived or which social class he belongs to, the real point is how much does he know about the reality of things in Egypt? is he approachable? what kind of vision does he have for the country? what is his stance regarding major issue? was he part of the current regime?
ReplyDeleteFor most who like El Baradi, me included we see him as the suitable person for a transition period where we can have a new constitution and set guidelines for reforming the institutions. I fail to see how can any reform plans work given the existing circumstances. Do you know that the any type of elections is either rigged or influenced by the regime including student elections? How can we talk about reform when those who are in power and should be setting reform plans are busy telling us how great their failed plans are and for that last point I recommend (if I may) that you watch videos on youtube about the last conference for the NDP and you will get my point.
@Sudanese Observer , you should see and read his recent interviews which most of them are published here and then judge if he is not that good to rule Egypt. This man as far as I could see knows
ReplyDeleteAlready from strategic point of view in Sudan you must be more concerned on who is going to rule Egypt just like we are so concerned with the future of Sudan and its unity.
I think you do not know much about constitution in Egypt because if you do , you would not speak about institutional changes
This institutional change you are speaking about in Egypt will not be achieved except with a huge radical change in the political system starting with the constitution itself and this is what ElBaradei is calling for
@Tafatefo , he was this regime foreign minister and he is the secretary general of LAS in the current time
Again I adore Moussa and before ElBaradei comes in to the picture I used to put my hopes on him and Omar Soliman
By the way I read his interview today and I owe him an apology
@anonymous#1, it is true he will not be used like that , I apologize to him
@anonymous#2, unfortunately Sudanese Observer does not have a full picture about the Egyptian scene , he does not have to watch NDP conference , only he could tune in Mona El-Shazely's 10 PM to see what we are speaking about
Thanks for the clarifications.
ReplyDeleteOf course I don't know the full picture of Egyptian politics - I'm not Egyptian and only visit fleetingly.
There is a common thread between all monopolistic ruling parties in the developing world - they politicise institutions which should be strictly national - they co-opt the business community and they lose vision utilising State funds to stay in power...
So does Baradei have a party?
Or is the hope that the 'nukhba' will gravitate around him - making him a de facto Presidential contender with his high profile making him known by the masses?
How can one man who lives in Vienna hope to achieve so much without a team on the ground in Egypt?
Also, does Mousa have a party?
@ Zeibonbia
the comparison between why Sudanese people should follow Egyptian politics and why Egyptians should follow Sudanese politics is not very accurate.
Egypt's 'existence' depends on the Nile's flows which flow from South to North.
Sudan has stopped relying on the Egyptian political class for anything since President Sadat's assassination.
The 'special relationship' between the 'Nile Valley States' is more trumpeted in Cairo than in Khartoum - that old generation is almost no longer with us.
Besides, if the media insults against Sudan and the Sudanese instigated by Amr Adib are anything to go by - Sudanese people are very sceptical of Egypt and the negative stereotypes its media continues to depict the Sudanese in since the days of the Egyptian monarchy...
Sudanese papers have been writing that the football furore was a plan by the NCP to introduce the heir apparent Jamal - to Egypt in the massive celebrations that were planned for the victorious Egyptian football team after the match in Khartoum.
Of course, one can never anticipate a victory in 'sports'.
Sudanese papers have also written that the 'real' reason why the Francophone meeting was moved to Paris was because the Algerian President refused to come to Egypt - and Algeria is France's biggest foreign investment and main supplier of gas so the French insisted on Algeria's presence and the meeting was moved to Paris.
Insistence on President Bashir's attendance in spite of the ICC indictment was coincidental window-dressing in Egypt's favour.
I only follow Egyptian politics from time to time because I follow a lot of countries' politics. I don't think the Sudanese care too deeply about who leads Egypt. Some things never change - and Egypt's interest in Sudan (water, water, water) will not change regardless of who leads your Executive.
The two Egyptian leaders who knew Sudan and the Sudanese are no longer with us - President Najeeb who was sidelined and President Sadat who was assassinated.
I don't think Baradei has visited Sudan unofficially - he's definitely not known by the Sudanese political class - nor is Suleiman for that matter.
Jamal Mubarak's first visit to Kharotum was not made to discuss Economics but to watch the World Cup qualifier...
Farouk Hosny has never been to Sudan...
I'm not optimistic about a positive, dynamic change taking place in Sudan-Egypt relations.
In any case I wish you luck.
Omar Soliman? WTF?
ReplyDeleteAs for Sudan, you are family. Always have been. Sorry we have neglected you for so long, leaving you to the wolves. And the High Damn has separated us even more: What a catastrophy, the damn has destroyed Egypt. But that is off topic.
Yes the Dam was very bad for us and would you believe we still don't get one watt of electricity from it?!
ReplyDeleteYou haven't neglected us in so much as you've neglected your own future interests which would have been safeguarded through 'meaningful' engagement, but you people seem to be permanently fixated North forgetting that you're part of the economic south. We're doing fine with our business partners in China, Malaysia and the UAE.
As for being family I don't know how that works when the Sudanese Eastern Front says that it wants Sudanese sovereignty for it's kinsfolk in Halayeb... I don't speak for myself when I say the Sudanese don't want to listen to slogans anymore - we're not family we're neighbours with complex relations and common and diverging interests.
And the dam helped Egypt modernize it did not destroy it but the Sudanese were victims of it due to AbdelNasser's collusion with our first military administration.
@ Sudanese Observer: Your point of view regarding which side should care more about what's happening on the other side is very limited. Setting the brotherhood sentiments that the Egyptian ppl have (regardless of the political situation with Sudan), we have more to care for in Sudan than Water. It is not something to be ashamed of to care for water supplies coming from the south in general (not just Sudan) name one country that gets its water supplies from outside its borders that does not deal with such issues as matters of top priority.
ReplyDeleteGlad you mentioned your businesses partners and I hope you would know even better than us that given the population of Sudan, you do not want chinese settling there eventually. Great to do business with them but a terrible mistake to rely on them and go around happy and merry forgetting two main issues a) China is expected to have supremacy over the USA in the near future, how will its involvement in world political issues and national issues of other countries will change remains to be seen. and b) just like the problem facing UAE, you are running a risk of changing the population in the future when you keep on exporting ppl from abroad that is why many in the EU prefer to have immigrants and workers from within the EU and not from MENA for example.
Last, just like there are Egyptians who look down on Sudan, there are Sudanese who blame all on Egypt and play the victim role all the time. History is history let go of it and move on. Halayieb is a contested area like many other contested territories in the World, there are 2 claims over it. We can make it a huge problem in our relations or not the choice is up to us. We in Egypt forgot the attempt to kill Mubarak (regardless of whether we like him or not he remains the symbol of the country) and the role of your own leadership in it. When it happened we did not blame the Sudanese ppl but the regime. None of the Arab nations have any saying in how their countries are run so, let's put the blame where it belongs the regimes. As for the sad incidents in Sudan, some egyptians over reacted at the heat of the moment but the Sudanese officials lied by giving contradicting info about the incidents depending on which media they are addressing.
s for the dam, believe it or not, it helped destroy the agriculture in Egypt since the soil could not be renewed annually. It is your gov's fault not to demand their electricity supply and if this land was assigned by a Sudanese gov why are you blaming us now for it? Egypt and Sudan could turn this area around and make the living conditions of those living there much better if we stopped being so selfish and thought of it as a common area of interest and also thought about those living there and having families on both sides.
@ Anonymous - please spare us and don't insult the collective Sudanese intelligence.
ReplyDeleteEgyptian brotherhood sentiments towards the Sudanese mixed with concurrent Egyptian racist stereotypes against the Sudanese are diametric opposites.
What do you personally know about Sudan and the Sudanese? And what are your views on the way in which Sudan, the Sudanese, black Africans and black Africa are portrayed in Egyptian media?
Brotherhood, as understood by the rest of the world is also a 'reciprocal' concept.
Google Sudanese blogs and see what the Sudanese are saying regarding 'Egyptian brotherdood' - get real.
One of the issues that precipitated the slander by Egypt's media against Sudan and the Sudanese was that many Egyptians were shocked that a lot of Sudanese youth, about 50%, supported Algeria during that match in Khartoum.
As a free people we have the right to support whichever country's team we like.
This idea of 'brotherhood' simply does not exist on the ground.
Some Egyptians were arrogantly indignant at the free choice of the Sudanese to support the Algerian team!
If you can't see the problem in that then there's no point in discussing anything else.
All talk of sentiments of brotherhood towards the Sudanese by Egyptians is State indoctrination for the sole purpose of serving Egypt's interests in the Nile waters - 60% of which passes through Sudan.
Weren't those defenceless refugees who were brutalised and beaten - some to death - at Mustafa Mahmoud square some 3 years ago this month, weren't they Sudanese 'brothers'?
In the tv interviews I saw with Muhandiseen residents people called them mutwa7isheen...
And linked to recongition of Egypt's right to look out for its interests is similar recognition for Sudan to look out for its own interests, which only the Sudanese know best, so thanks but please spare us any 'advise' regarding our business partners.
We exported our petroleum with these business partners and achieved high levels of macro-economic growth with these partners with Egypt firmly at the sidelines.
I don't think it's my place to tell Egypt what to do regarding its dependence on US Economic aid or its insistence on subsidising its agricultural sector because I am not Egyptian. Please afford us the same level of respect.
For your information, since you 'suggested' that we not settle the Chinese in Sudan, many Sudanese people in the Northern State are strongly opposed to the settlement of Egyptians there...
And China's foreign policy is firmly based on the non-interference in the domestic affairs of other sovereign States - so I don't get the point you were making regarding China's foreign policy as opposed to the United States' foreign policy when China becomes the world's largest economy.
And no, we are not like the UAE, our population is some 40 million and the amount of foreign workers is only a couple of double-digit K and that number is dwindling.
Please do some research before giving advice.
You said that there are some Sudanese who blame Egypt for all Sudan's troubles - that may be true stirctly amongst historians - but we've been independent since 1956.
ReplyDeleteMuhammad Ali's invasion is viewed as an unjust aggression that had negative consequences for Sudan, as viewed by the Sudanese - accept it.
In modern history there have been a couple of flashpoints that have marred relations between both countries.
You must understand that Egypt is blamed for the 1959 Agreement because AbdelNasser supported a military takeover of power when in November 1958 when negotiations between Sudan's democratically elected civilian government over the compensation package of the 1959 Agreement broke down.
He supported the takeover of power by General Ibrahim Abboud, who was a member of the Egyptian army prior to independence...
If President AbdelNasser was a sincere man who loved Sudan he would not have given us such a rotten deal.
Apart from that we are two sovereign states, each with its own peculiar issues and challenges so there isn't even a context for us to blame Egypt for our failures, taking into account the fact that we live in separate realities...
Egypt was sidelidened from the peace negotiations between the North and South that took place in Kenya - at the request of most of the Sudanese parties - Egyptian officials found out about the signing of the agreement on the news.
As for Halayeb it was invaded under President Mubarak's orders in retaliation for the assassination attempt on his life, which was wrong.
That attempt was condemned by the entire Sudanese political spectrum, apart from the government at that time and both governments seem to have moved on from that incident.
And both governments made life hard for the citizens of both countries so let's not fabricate history.
Plane-loads of Sudanese people were returned from Cairo Airport and Egyptian owned establishments were taken over by the government in Khartoum.
Halayeb is Sudanese territory and has been under Sudanese administration from time immemorial, apart from the period in the mid-90's to today when it was militarily annexed and the peoples of Halayeb - the Beja, Abaabda, Bishaariyeen and Abdalaab are 100% Sudanese and are being denied their constitutional right to vote in Sudan's general elections. The Electoral Commission determined Halayeb as an electoral constituency within the Red Sea State, just as in the 1956 and 84 elections - and Egyptian soldiers refused the entry of Sudanese officials into Halayeb to oversee voter registration. Do you still want to talk of 'brotherhood'?
One of the main obstacles to meaningful Sudanese-Egyptian engagement is the apologism and defensiveness and politicised entrenchment whereby certain Egyptians refuse point blank to recognise the problems raised by the Sudanese side - which is the first step towards discussing and then addressing them.
Finally please give evidence to support the false allegations that you attributed to Sudanese officials - the internet is at our fingertips - which Sudanese officials made contradictory statements regarding the World Cup qualifying match?
What do you make of what the Egyptian Ambassador in Sudan said here:
http://media.causes.com/665535
Sudanese officials made contradictory statements i.e. were economic with the truth i.e. lied vs. truth and virtue from Egyptian singers and television celebrities:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew7py7XTVE4
Before harping on about brotherhood, one should understand and exercise 'respect'.
No, we don't blame Egypt for anything, we were at peace with all, we were requested to host the final match with 72 hours notice, we did so successfully and then we were insulted and slandered and *never apologised to* by the liked of Amr Adeeb because there's always an excuse for anything that an Egyptian person does...
It's a bit too late to talk about areas of common interest when the historical precedent in Sudanese-Egyptian interaction has been benefit for Egypt at the expense of the Sudanese.
ReplyDeleteCross-border development has had much more tangible and equitable results with the Ethiopians where there are a lot of common ties.
Thanks but no thanks, we'll stick to our business partners.
And here's some food for thought for the next time you think of bringing up 'brotherhood'
http://www.rayaam.info/News_view.aspx?pid=447&id=32865
http://www.rayaam.info/Raay_view.aspx?pid=447&id=32874
http://www.rayaam.info/Raay_view.aspx?pid=447&id=32936
http://www.rayaam.info/Raay_view.aspx?pid=447&id=32876
http://www.rayaam.info/News_view.aspx?pid=448&id=33012
http://rayaam.info/Raay_view.aspx?pid=452&id=33252
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=338243435116&ref=nf