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Demanding order, Sisi turns to military to rebuild Egypt
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] During two years in office, Egypt’s general-turned-president Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi has sought to impose a military-style discipline to end years of turmoil and has turned to the armed forces to help rebuild the deeply damaged economy to a degree unseen in more than 50 years.The military has taken the lead in carrying out a string of major projects, from building roads and overseeing housing construction to providing cheap food to the public. That has provided a needed bit of stimulus and helped keep Egyptians going in hard times. But the flip side has been a heavy emphasis on secrecy, leaving observers unsure how Sisi plans to tackle an economy struggling under high inflation, unemployment and a tumbling currency. Sisi has frequently sought to impose secrecy on politicians over issues that usually would be open for public discussion. In June, he said some of his planned projects cannot be announced, without explanation. When his electricity minister said on live TV in May that the Aswan Dam was taken off the electricity grid temporarily, Sisi angrily cut him off, saying, "Let us not talk about these details." When his oil minister, again on live television, showed a map of a proposed oil pipeline during a power point presentation, Sisi ordered the slide removed. Controversial decisions One of his most controversial decisions, to surrender two Red Sea islands to Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... , was taken behind closed doors - intentionally, Sisi said, to prevent media attention. The move sparked a rare burst of street protests and angry criticism. In a televised meeting with politicians and editors, Sisi defended the decision and demanded no one discuss the subject again. He brusquely shut down one politician who attempted to speak to him, saying "Excuse me, I did not give anyone permission to speak." "He wants to run the country like the military," said Michael W. Hanna, an Egypt expert with the New York-based Century foundation. "In that world, it is a question of order and execution, it is not a place for discussion, transparency or politics. They don’t want politics." Egypt has had presidents who hailed from the military for all but two of the past 64 years since army officers seized power in a 1952 coup. Under longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... , a former air force chief, the armed forces held its own economic empire, including factories, stores and companies. But private businessmen took the lead in the economy and investment projects in general, gaining a powerful say in politics and Mubarak’s ruling party - often to the military leadership’s dismay. Posted by: Fred 2016-07-11 |
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