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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 9 -15 November 2000 Issue No.507 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 9 -15 November 2000 Issue No.507
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Books Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters What the doctor ordered
By Shaden ShehabTo the thousands of Al-Ma'had Al-Fani (Technical Institute) residents in Shubra, yesterday was not a usual day. Many broke their daily routine to do something many of them have never bothered to do -- vote. Residents feel that because the results are not fixed, they are willing to do their part and vote for the people who will represent them. Remarked one worker from the area, Said Abbas, "These are not the usual parliamentary elections, when people don't believe their vote will make a difference."
The elections may not be rigged, but residents are still getting a limited choice. Although there are seven candidates competing for the professionals' seat and another eight for the workers' seat, only two candidates stand out for each. The residents of Al-Ma'had Al-Fani barely recognise there are others competing for the seats. Posters and banners of the two smiling faces of Ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) candidate Youssef Boutros Ghali and his main rival, the independent Medhat Abdel-Hadi, saturate the district.
Little room is left for their struggling competitors in the race for the professionals' seat. Al-Wafd Party candidate Tarek Rifa'i, the Nasserist Party candidate Shawki El-Kordi, and independents Hussein Fouad Mohamed, Mustafa El-Nahhas, and Abdel-Hakim Imam are only pale shadows in the race. So it goes with Ghali and Abdel-Hadi's workers' allies, NDP candidate Fathi Neamatallah and independent Mohamed Sosta. The Wafd's Abdallah Awdan and independents Karam Mohamadein, Mahrous Hassan, Amr Shebl, Ali Touni and Amin Refa'i have little hope.
It is the first time Ghali, who is the current minister of economy, is running for a parliamentary seat -- but it may also be just the right time. Ghali is known for his significant influence in the present cabinet and he is sometimes referred to as the right-hand man of Prime Minister Atef Ebeid. As the man presumed to be behind many of the economic decisions, Ghali stands a strong chance of winning a seat. But what no one can figure out is why Ghali nominated himself running in the Al-Ma'had Al-Fani constituency.
"It is obvious that he is betting on the Coptic vote," suggested Radwan Hassan, a worker. "This will only trigger violence and heighten sensitivities between Muslims and Christians of our area, who have never paid much attention to sectarian issues." The theory has some credibility. Shubra is home to the largest number of Copts in Cairo, estimated at 40 per cent of the district's 3 million residents. About 18 per cent of the Al-Ma'had Al-Fani constituency are Copts.
But residents seem glad to know that the minister has turned his attention to their failing district. The majority of the residents in Al-Ma'had Al-Fani are considered to be low-income and the constituency suffers from unemployment. School teacher Magdi Mohamed praised Ghali's parliamentary bid. "We should thank Ghali for nominating himself in our constituency," he said. "It is a known fact that we need a lot of basic services, and a man of his power will be able to offer them." Sobhi Abdel-Fattah, a worker from the district, agreed, saying that Ghali is "already offering rice and sugar for the residents. He also provided about 30 jobs and is promising more. If he cannot lead our constituency to prosperity, no one can."
Mounir Saad, a shop owner, said that he will certainly back the minister. "He is helping the poor. He is providing money to build mosques on top of the money he is giving to the churches," Saad said.
Ghali's pictures overpower his election headquarters at the NDP's secretariat. A bulletin posted on the ground floor has a list of services offered, like jobs, job training, computer and Internet courses. Ghali was nowhere to be found, but an address was posted where constituents could send their requests.
"Where is the minister?" asked one angry worker, Sayed Diab. "We've only seen him these days because of the election, and when we try to approach him, we are pushed away by his bodyguards. Does he think he can buy our votes with sugar and rice. What happens if I need him for some service, will I write him a letter?" he fumed.
Ghali's main rival, the incumbent Abdel-Hadi, is a gynecologist by trade and a professor of medicine at Ain Shams University. Many residents of Al-Ma'had Al-Fani feel that although Abdel-Hadi was reluctant to speak out in parliament during his tenure, he is well known as a man who is at their service. Remarked one resident, Ateyat Mohamed, "We put the doctor in parliament and he put his services in our hands."
Nadia Moharram, another resident, agreed. "We should not vote for the minister, he has to solve many of the economic problems of the country, like the increase of the dollar rate. Where will we fit in his agenda? We need somebody like the doctor, who sits among us in public cafes and solves our everyday problems."
Abdel-Hadi has filed several lawsuits contesting the eligibility of Ghali to run for the elections, but he has lost them all. "I just wanted to save him the trouble of losing and forestall any possibility of violence," said Abdel-Hadi. "I don't want to brag about what I did for the people of Al-Ma'had Al-Fani, which is where I was brought up, but I did offer about 7,000 people medical treatment." Abdel-Hadi has other things to his credit, like providing lighting in the streets and repairing the sewage system -- but he doesn't like to brag.
Related stories:
See Elections 2000
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