The bombshell
A novelist's rejection of a state award, the opening of a national dialogue and a campaign against the US ambassador were some of this week's top stories. Amira Howeidy reviews the Egyptian press
It's Ramadan in Egypt. For the press this usually means a huge interest in what's on prime time TV and revisiting the price hike issue with emphasis on costly Ramadan foodstuffs. But this time around, a political bombshell fell on the festive mood.
Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim, who rejected a prestigious state award because it was presented by a government that "does not have credibility" made headlines despite attempts by the national press to ignore the story. A speech by Ibrahim after he was selected the winner of the Arab Novel Prize was dubbed historic by editorials and columnists in terms of its boldness. While on the podium, the novelist surprised everyone when his talk, which had up until then been in harmony with the cultural event, suddenly took a sharp political turn as he spoke out against the Israeli ambassador's presence in Cairo and Arab states who receive Israeli officials "with open arms" while Israel continues to kill Palestinian women and children and dispossess thousands of Palestinians of their homes "as part of an Israeli ethnic cleansing policy". Ibrahim also cited domestic corruption among his reasons for turning down the award, triggering loud, frenzied applause from his audience, plus a debate within Egyptian political and intellectual circles.
The Nasserist Party's mouthpiece, Al- Arabi on 26 October ran a huge headline, "The Bomb" in red letters. In an interview with the paper, Ibrahim was asked where the country was heading. "Egypt is heading towards the worst catastrophe in its history. We have no education, no healthcare. Which do you feel safer in, a government hospital or a private one? There is no justice. Do you trust any court? We have no scientific research, we have thousands of excellent Egyptian scientists scattered all over the world; we deport them... We are heading towards the end and people on the street know that all too well."
Responding to Ibrahim, Culture Minister Farouk Hosni told the paper that "freedom and democracy won. I'm happy that the Arab world watched this event and that news agencies covered it because it testified to the freedom and democracy we now have."
The weekly independent Sawt Al- Umma's Wael Abdel-Fatah monitored an interesting paradox in the incident: "Sonallah [Ibrahim] won the award to rapturous applause, and was accorded the same ovation when he turned it down." Writing in the paper's 27 October issue, Abdel-Fatah argued that "the cultural event turned into a marathon; a left-wing intellectual seized the opportunity and said what he wanted to say while the government wanted to prove that it is democratic."
Al-Arabi's Editor Abdallah El- Sennawi found the overwhelming applause which Ibrahim received upon finishing his speech a "true and final expression of the rejection of this era and a genuine reflection of the Egyptian yearning for change". Ibrahim's words, added El-Sennawi, "with its clarity and the environment it was made in, have made history and will be remembered and referred to for a long time."
El-Sennawi did not specify what kind of environment he meant, but political circles have for long been embroiled on the issue of political reform. The issue took a new track following last month's announcement by President Hosni Mubarak that a national dialogue between the National Democratic Party (NDP) and opposition parties is to start. But as the first round began last week with the left-wing Tagammu Party, the talks concluded in the form of a vague "joint statement". The Wafd Party's mouthpiece, Al-Wafd expressed disappointment at the outcome so far.
In his column, "Why don't you go home?" Al-Wafd's Magdi Sarhan said the "national dialogue festival ended before it started...They blocked all roads and highways and cornered the dialogue into a narrow alleyway. There is no opportunity to talk about political reform, discussion on constitutional reform is prohibited and there is no criticism towards the NDP's exclusivity of power and its despotism. Everything is perfect... They argue that the NDP is not the government's party but a party that enjoys massive popularity...While the remaining parties are no more than minorities that have no rights in the ruling cake." Sarhan concluded that all the NDP wants from the opposition parties is to stamp their seal of approval on "a vague and unidentified thing called 'Code of Honour' for partisan performance which stipulates that no party shall impose its views on the others with the exception of the NDP. Didn't I say that the dialogue is over?"
The national weekly Rose El-Youssef magazine struck an optimistic note in this regard, arguing that national dialogue talks should meet with success because the political parties are serious in their efforts to win the people over. "Opposition parties did not increase their demands from the government nor did they thwart the dialogue with their endless 'No's' as they did in the past," wrote the magazine's Managing Editor Karam Gabr. The writer added that the NDP "has come to realise that the gap created by the parties in the political street was not filled by anyone except extremist forces, most notably the Muslim Brotherhood, which is spreading like the cobwebs of a spider."
In the same vein, the recently launched self-labelled "liberal" weekly newspaper, Nahdet Misr ran a front page article supporting a much slower reform process than that demanded by the opposition. Its first issue on 22 October read, "Security source warns: pressuring the government to speed up political reform threatens the principle of gradual reform." The paper quoted an unnamed source as saying that the leadership for the time being is trying to strike a balance between economic reform, controlling prices and increasing exports on the one hand and regional tension "that could lead to a re-evaluation of priorities" on the other. The desire of "some political movements to heat up the political reform issue under the rubric of 'now or never' might bring about negative results for the NDP's reformists."
The article said that "serious thinking" was taking place about preparing ideas and principles for political and constitutional reform "that is expected to be discussed at the beginning of next year". A source close to the NDP told the paper that the pressure exercised by some professional syndicates to speed up reform, such as revoking the emergency law, was "unwise".
Nahdet Misr's launch was already viewed with apprehension following an article published by Al-Ahram's prominent columnist Fahmy Howeidy on 21 October titled, "On Infiltration" where he revisited the much debated issue of US infiltration of the Arabic media as part of US Secretary of State Colin Powell's "Middle East initiative". Howeidy quoted a report cited in the London-based Asharq Al- Awsat newspaper which said that both the US Embassy in Cairo and USAID were putting the final touches to a plan to launch Arabic newspapers and satellite channels with the financial help of local Arab partners to improve the damaged US image in the Arab world. According to the report, $23 million were allocated to "reshape" the Arab press. "What angered me was not just the idea of infiltration," wrote Howeidy, "but the boldness of practicing and announcing it. Infiltration is happening anyway, albeit in indirect ways... but now it has arrived to the heart of the Arab world in its most glaring forms, revealing itself in the most humiliating manner for us." Reminding his readers that he was referring to a two-month-old debate, Howeidy said the issue was resurfacing "because the plan has passed the stage of pregnancy and is about to deliver. What were only ideas floating in the air this summer have become actions as we approach winter... there is information that newspapers will soon be launched in some Arab capitals with the above mentioned specifications and under the shiny slogans of "liberalism". Twenty-four hours later, Nahdet Misr was launched.
In his 28 October article in Al-Ahram, Howeidy resumed his argument with indirect -- albeit sarcastic -- references to the new paper. "The notions and slogans of liberalism have become an expression of Americanisation, Westernisation and relinquishing national constants," he wrote.
Meanwhile, a campaign against the US ambassador to Egypt, David Welch, reached its climax this week following his criticism of the daily Al- Gomhuriya's Editor Samir Ragab for glorifying suicide operations in the occupied Palestinian territories. The ambassador was quoted as saying that the raids were in fact "terrorist attacks". The Press Syndicate reacted by issuing a statement banning Egyptian reporters from "dealing" with Welch. Al-Arabi's front page story gave prominence to this development with the headline, "Press Syndicate: Welch is against a free press and dealing with him is banned." Al-Gomhuriya reacted to the ambassador's remarks by displaying one bold red headline on 24 October saying, "This is what real terrorism is -- Sharon: no concessions for peace!" and on 25 October: "The Palestinian resistance continues despite Sharon's raids: Freedom fighters attack a military base in Gaza."
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 30 October - 5 November 2003 (Issue No. 662)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/662/pr1.htm