The title of this post is from the first statement Mohamed Anwar Al Sadat had said on the 23rd July 1952 addressing people in Egypt and Sudan to announce the 23rd July movement/coup,this is from the same paragraph of the famous historical statement.
I remembered that statement and that part in specific while I was thinking about our army now. Do not get me wrong , I am not speaking about heavens forbid a coup "which unlikely it would happen now because the Mubarak regime for sure is keeping its eyes on the army " but I am speaking how our army is doing in this corruption.
The army is just like any organization in the country , like any institution that reflects the society with all its problems and fiascos then it is logic to ask about how much the army is affected by this current corruption.
What makes us sure that the army is the only institution corruption free in this country now with all what we suffer from !!?? The fact that many A and high middle class boys skip their military service using their families' connections makes me fear on the army , yes the army does not need bunch of lazy asses who believes that their life will be wasted if they serve their army but the principle is dangerous , this is a small example.
It is not about loyalty to the president and above him the country and its people but it is about the ability to resist the temptations of corruption , Heba Salim's fiancé was working as the secretary of the commander of the special forces and he spied for Israel because he could not stand living in this country despite all the privileges he enjoyed in what was considered the golden time of the army in Egypt then , this was in early 1970s , what about now with all what Egypt suffers from ; the military is the end a civilian in the suit.
The army now is in the center with all the talk about Mubarak's health abroad , it is well know since the July 23rd the president of Egypt comes from the army and the future of the ruler of this country depends on the army then the people as we are third world country.
I will say it honestly ; I fear the day will come and the army will give its blessing to Gamal Mubarak and this is why I fear on the army , on its officers 'not the high rank' and its soldiers from corruption and the conspiracies surrounding them as they are the force that protects this land and its people.
A large part of the 1.6 billion the US gives Egypt annually goes to payroll the army to keep them well fed and happy without which the amount of corruption would go sky high not to mention a coup or two.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in Egypt, my family, friends and relatives used to get a lot of 'favours' done by bribing army officers.
These favors included exemption from military service, avoiding custom duty, avoiding customs checks, accelerating issuance of permits, etc. I have not visited Egypt recently, but I don't think things have changed much other than those officers are now millionaire businessmen and getting fatter by the hour.
So don't fear for the army, as they can take care of themselves and will support whoever benefits them, after all the three presidents since 1952 came from the army.
Interesting to read someone refer to the initial speech of the 1952 Revolution in Egypt being addressed to 'the people of Sudan' !
ReplyDeleteSudan was ruled according to the Condominium Agreement by 'Britain' - with a ceremonial role given to the Egyptian monarchy.
In the words of as-seyyid al-Imam AbdalRahman Al-Mahdi Egypt was the horse that pulled the British carriage onto Sudanese soil.
It would be an historical inaccuracy to say that the 1952 Revolution was not welcomed in Sudan, or that it did not inspire a whole generation - many of whom are no longer with us.
The Egyptian Embassy in Khartoum is celebrating the 1952 Revolution but no one in Sudan is really interested.
We also never interpret it as having anything to do with 'Sudan' or the peoples of 'Sudan' but an 'Egyptian' project with the nationalisation of the Suez at its heart.
Just a note. Your headlines font type is very hard on the eye to read.
ReplyDeleteI like the the headline font. It fits the overall style template and masthead. I wouldn't want to read a whole article written that way, but that's not what headline fonts are for.
ReplyDelete@1st Anon
ReplyDeleteThere are for sure the fat cats of the army, just like any other country including the US btw. This doesnt mean all the army is corrupt and despite never being published there have been rumors of several attempts against the family particularly the one insisting on inserting himself into our lives.
"When I lived in Egypt, my family, friends and relatives used to get a lot of 'favours' done by bribing army officers.
These favors included exemption from military service (i never heard of any one having to bribe for that, it depends on connections and i have friends in other countries having the same situation as far as obligatory army services are concerned) avoiding custom duty, avoiding customs checks(Im not sure how could the army help with that when this is actually done by customs officers who are not army officers?!!!), accelerating issuance of permits, etc."
I think the more difficult twist is to get a majority in the army to understand why the presidents cant be from the army any more. Its not only difficult bec theyll fear loosing status but also bec the project of the junior is also around and if they allow for a civil president he could be the one to make use of this opportunity. Now, the most obvious choice from the army should be Tantawi bec of his high post, the man is regarded as weak by most Egyptians, much like many hand-picked by Mubarak particularly for that quality. So, which generals hidden in the dark might be the real contender? Omar Soliman, comes from a military back ground, Zakaria Azmi i think also comes from a military background but hes been a parliamentary too, could he be the man waiting in hiding?!!
The situation is getting more and more complicated and we the ppl are kept on the dark as far as the post-Mubarak preparations are concerned.
Annon. 8:08
ReplyDeleteFirst of all your English vocabulary sucks.
Secondly I think you are, have been or have close relatives and friends in the army because I find you defensive and protective of corrupt army officers.
Look at the low and middle class army officers who stated off in 1952 and see where they are today. They are multi-millionaires and they did not do that by saving their army salaries
My story is not original as it happened to many people and continues to happen every day. Corrupt army officers at all levels are a dime a dozen and are in the business of supplementing their salaries through selling 'wastas' and short cutting laws. You are either naive or in denial to argue any different or are afraid to speak out.
I live abroad and believe me if I were to bribe an officer for a favor I would be in deep sh#*. As a matter of fact I challenge you to try it if you travel to a democratic western country.
The Army trains people to fight wars and not to govern a country after all have you not learned anything from the results of three army officers who ruled your country over the last 57 years.
@Anon:
ReplyDeletea)this is not an english language class and your English isnt amazing either for someone who claims to have lived abroad to be honest.
b)I dnt have family or friends or whatever, and dnt get why are you attacking me personally.c) I didnt mention any thing about those behind the officers movement, reread what I wrote and youll find that Im clearly talking about the majority in our present army.
You stated youve been away for so many years and i wasnt saying there arent those who are corrupt in the army but was simply saying its wrong to claim they are all corrupt. I pointed out why what you wrote wasnt accurate and what I said about attempts against particular family figures is known rumors here, you being away might know of them and thats not my fault.
My comment about the big fats in every army is true bec big generals do get commissions and I hate to be the one to burst this bubble for you but in the West there are those who are corrupt as well.
i also know from some European friends that in particular countries the same wasta exists regarding letting you go earlier from your obligatory army service or determining where your service will be. So, in summation , what you wrote wasnt accurate, resorting to English classes or personal attacks instead of focusing on the post topic is weak and lame, and while we might have higher levels of corruption even in the army its naive to consider all army personnel as corrupt.
I recommend before you keep on commenting on topics related to Egypt, you might want to come down for a visit first and stop pretending to be an American.
Annon 3:17
ReplyDeleteYour English still sucks and I don't miss living in a third world country either because of intellectually compromised people like you.
Furthermore, If I need your opinion, I'll give it to you!
@Anon: Your English aint perfect so, save your English evaluation for yourself.
ReplyDeleteYour last comment is extremely racist and reflects a self hating person who thinks just because he moved to another country he is better than the rest of us.
Also, I hate to burst another one of your bubbles and tell you that ppl who are intellectually capable are every where not only in what would be referred to as "1st World countries" since you choose to use that racist and out-dated label to refer to the country where you originally came from as "3rd World".
As for your last phrase: a) what the hell does that mean? and you dare to actually mock my English!! read what you wrote and go get an English tutor or something and b) I wasnt giving you any opinions, I was responding to your comment that was not accurate in my opinion. To be blunt, I never cared for those who are not capable of exchanging views in a respectful way and those who resort to personal attacks when they have nothing else to say. Instead of getting all childish about my response to what you wrote, respond back with facts or at least actual knowledge of the country that you clearly have a fake interest in.
Salam ya 7'awaga
The terms First-, Second-, and Third World may be obsolete or not, I don't know, but they are not racist terms, nor did they ever have anything to do with race. First World = Western aligned; Second World = communist; Third World = nonaligned. The tendency to throw charges of racism around where it's not germane apparently is not limited to the US, where the accusation is losing its potency through a "boy-who-cried-wolf" effect.
ReplyDelete@Jason: the term is viewed as derogatory, thanks to the way some idiots have been using it and the words of the Anon I wrote this reply are an example for such misuse. Many scholars now use the term developing economies to avoid any such connotations. So, yes for me when the term is used in such a way as to imply there aint any capable of intellectual thinking in Third World countries, then the intended meaning is racist.
ReplyDelete