Blog

11/1/2012  Cairo governor Dr. Abd El Kawi Khalifa has put forth proposals to achieve two important goals, keeping Cairo clean and motivating young people. The first goal, to keep our capital clean, would be addressed by imposing fines of up to four thousand Egyptian pounds on those who litter in the streets. And if a driver litters, regardless of the type of vehicle, his fine would be required before receiving his yearly license renewal. To achieve his second goal, directing the energy of young people into productive activities, Dr. Khalifa suggested cooperation among the Revolutionary Youth Coalition, local cleaning companies,...

25/1/2012 My recent meetings with foreign, Arab and Egyptian investors gave me the distinct impression that almost everyone plans to wait and see what will happen today, January 25, before deciding on their investment strategies. I heard from real estate expert Mrs. Samia Moussa that many investors she works with have postponed projects until after January 25. Will those who foment chaos succeed in depriving our country of its economic opportunities? translated from Al Akhbar

22/2/2012 Listening to debates about how to reform the police and security forces, I am reminded of the special courts set up after the 1952 revolution that ultimately did more damage than good. For that reason and by virtue of my training as a lawyer, I prefer that we stick to our legal system, with its procedures and due process. If we go by the book, we should be able to put the criminals away and protect our community without resorting to exceptional measures.  As for restructuring and reforming the ministry of interior, I ask the minister not to succumb...

29/2/2012 As a member of the civil society think tank Club de Monaco, I was honored to participate in this year’s meeting held in Qatar by Crown Prince Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. Here is an excerpt from the speech I delivered during the closing session. Stability and security Stability is key to security, yet some powers in the country are pushing for the firing of police, without proven cause under the pretext of “reforming the police”. This creates instability by preventing the police from doing its job. Dismissing police without fair investigations is a serious issue and leaves citizens at...

7/3/2012 In his speech before parliament on February 26, Prime Minister Ganzouri said that donor countries had failed to respect their commitments to send financial aid to Egypt. Upon hearing this, my first reaction was to write in Al Akhbar a reproach to the EU and Arab countries for failing to honor their pledges to support Egypt’s ailing economy. Consequently, a friend from Saudi Arabia, who is close to Prince Saud El Faisal, told me to read the prince’s response to Dr. Ganzouri’s remarks. I saw that Dr. Ganzouri had not told us the whole story. According to the prince,...

14/3/2012 Serious concerns were raised about the independence of our judiciary after Egypt lifted the travel ban on 43 foreigners who were under investigation for operating unlicensed NGO’s and illegally receiving foreign funds. Sixteen of those released were U.S. citizens. Personally, I believe it was a mistake to involve the judiciary in this sensitive matter. The courts were put in an impossible position: uphold the travel ban, convict the Americans, and cause an international incident; or release the Americans to travel and provoke the outrage of Egyptian citizens. To make matters worse, the case was handled badly from the moment...

14/3/2012 As a supporter of the presidential candidate Mansour Hassan, I’ve decided to use part of my weekly article in Al Akhbar (and some blog posts) to propose ideas to him from now until Election Day. So, my friend, here are my two cents for whatever they’re worth. My first suggestion is that if you win the election, appoint Minister Mounir Fakhri Abdel Nour as your vice president, but wait until after your victory to name him. Why Mounir Fakhri Abdel Nour? 1. His roots in the Wafd party Abdel Nour comes from a long line of prominent Wafdists, the...

21/3/2012 We will never forget Pope Shenouda III. We will never forget his quiet words, his unerring advice to the Copts of Egypt in difficult times of sectarian strife, times when violent clashes threatened our national unity. During Pope Shenouda’s illness, sectarian clashes broke out in October 2010 and there were heightened tensions between Muslims and Christians. Father Anba Ermia, general bishop and Pope Shenouda III’s secretary, suggested that I prepare a joint statement to be signed by the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb; and Pope Shenouda III. As we were racing against time to complete this task,...

28/3/2012 When guests come to visit Egypt from abroad, among their first things they do in Cairo is pay a visit to Tahrir (Liberation) Square, famous for its association with the January 25 Revolution. When will we be willing to face the contradiction between the contradictory images of Tahrir Square? The first is of a place where thousands of dedicated young men and women descended, carrying brooms, dust pans and garbage bags, to clean up after the regime’s downfall; and the second, a year after it claimed center stage of the Arab Spring, is an image of total chaos. Today,...

28/3/2012 People tend to worship celebrities and turn them into idols, especially if they hold high level honors like the Nobel Prize. Nevertheless, Ahmed Zewail’s ranking as a world-class scientist does not stop me from asking him two direct questions: First, after seizing the Nile University (NU) buildings for your “Zewail Science and Technology City”, why are you intent upon dismantling their past achievements? And why do you plan to disband the Board of Trustees, especially considering that it is headed by Akil Bashir, a man known for his experience and honesty? Is the goal to have everything in the...

4/4/2012 In spite of Egypt’s complicated political, economic and security situations, Dr. Mohamed Fathi El Baradei, the minister of housing, has put forth a strategic plan for urban development. This is his gift to future generations who are certain to experience rapid population growth. Dr. El Baradei’s urban development plan challenges the short term thinking that asserts that “the caretaker government”, meaning Dr. Ganzouri and his ministers, should not be involved in making strategic plans for any project. I disagree; we should encourage anyone who is willing to work for our future, even if their stay in power is limited....

Criticism directed to our security authorities18/4/2012 During the last few days, I watched with dismay as large numbers of unruly supporters of Salafist presidential candidate Hazem Salah Abu-Ismail gathered outside the state court in Cairo’s Dokki district. According to Egyptian election regulations, anyone who has a dual citizenship, or has a parent or spouse with one, is barred from the presidential race. Although his mother used her American passport to enter Egypt, Abu-Ismail filed a lawsuit to require the Interior Ministry to prove that she was a dual citizen. Without official Egyptian documentation, Abu-Ismail asserted, he could not be disqualified...