Egypt: Tantawi Did Not Learn From Mubarak

The similarities were striking. Never before did I feel the real strength between the regime of former president Hosni Mubarak and the current rulers of the country, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), like today.

An announcement was made. Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the de facto leader of the country, will be making a speech. Hurray! After four days of incredible brutality against the protesters in Tahrir Square and other Egyptian cities by the security forces, there's finally a response.

Everyone waited anxiously for the statement, just like we used to do earlier this year for Mubarak's speeches. The disappointment was familiar. It was not much different than the former dictator's statements. The same language, tone, justifications and even the bad production (Mubarak had a slightly better cameraman). Most dangerously, the same disconnect with the realities on the ground.

Over the past few days, hatred towards Tantawi and the SCAF has been building up as the attacks on the protesters intensified, resulting in the deaths of over 30 and the injury of over 1000.

Scores have lost their eyes as a result of security forces aiming at the face. One video circulating on the Internet shows a member of the security forces congratulating another on hitting a protestor in the eye. "Good job... you got him in the eye," we hear him say. One protester, a dentist, has lost sight in one eye during the uprising in January and the other one during the recent clashes. "I lost the other one," he remembers shouting. Ahmed Harara has become an example of the sacrifices protesters are making.

Another video, shows a member of the security forces dragging a body into a pile of rubbish.

Excessive amounts of teargas are being used against the protesters every day.

The stories, pictures and videos are plenty.

And that's just over the past five days. Since February, the SCAF has tried over 12 thousand civilians in military courts, including blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah, who is considered a symbol of the January 25th revolution.

Military prosecutors gave a number of female protesters virginity tests in March. No proper investigation has been completed.

Examples of the crackdown on the media are also numerous. The SCAF is quite intolerant of criticism.

Now Tantawi shows up on the television screen, defending and praising the armed forces and gives very little. He accepts the resignation of the government, (there are reports that it's been rejected several times). One of Mubarak's solutions was also changing the government. It didn't work then, it won't work now. It's simply too little, too late.

Tantawi confirmed parliamentary elections will start as scheduled on November 28th. Many are now questioning how elections could be held under the current circumstances. How will the police that has been fighting the people, protect them to cast their votes safely.

The only concession Tantawi gave was setting a deadline for the presidential elections, end of June 2012.

At the end of his speech, he quickly mentions that if the people disapprove of the SCAF, they could leave but it would have to be decided through a popular referendum.

Conclusion: Tantawi does not get it.

A number of public personalities and party leaders who had participated in an emergency meeting with the SCAF, said many of the issues they had agreed on were not mentioned by Tantawi, particularly the immediate end of violence and retreat by the security forces.

Mubarak's speeches used to result in a divide between Egyptians, with some accepting the little he was giving and others asking for more.

This time, it seems the protesters are determined to accept nothing less than a handover of power to a civilian government until presidential elections are held.

Time is Tantawi's worst enemy right now. If he follows Mubarak's style of delayed response, and the violence continues, the demands will increase and the situation will become more complex.

 

Follow Hoda Osman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hoda_osman

Comments

[wallnutriver]

12:46 PM on 11/25/2011

Tantawi should resign immediately after the democratic elections so the new Egyptian Parliament can form a new government that will overthrow the US military dictatorship of Egypt.

[wom122]

06:39 PM on 11/24/2011

Like Mubarak, Tantawi faces an explosive situation created by decades of mismanagement at virtually all levels. This isn't unique to Egypt as every signle member of the Arab League has been ruled in more or less the same manner except for a crucial difference: the oil rich countries, however tyrannical, can still bribe their restless peoples into quiescent acceptance of their excesses whereas the "have nots" do not enjoy that luxury and must therefore confront their furious subjects in a deadly struggle out of which a new elite would eventually emerge to replace the old.

[Bar Kokhba]

04:25 PM on 11/23/2011

"Most dangerously, the same disconnect with the realities on the ground". The realities on the ground transcend aspirations of self-determination or a democratic paradigm. Foreign currency reserves are at catastrophically low levels;13 Billion and falling daily as the central bank buys its own unwanted currency from the market in order to postpone the inevitable collapse in the change rate. Last month the generals fired all the private-sector board members of the central bank. Everything that can be sold abroad for cash is being sold. Al-Ahram reported Nov. 19 that there is no enforcement of the ban on rice exports, because controls have simply broken down. Egypt subsidizes rice at a fraction of the world market price, so traders have an incentive to sell it overseas. Not only the country’s capacity to buy food in the future, but its existing stocks of food are disappearing as greater than half of all caloric requirements (food stuffs) to sustain the more than 80 million people are imported. No wonder the country is blowing up. An out-of-control kleptocracy is frantically trying to close on townhouses in Chelsea and apartments in the 16th arondissement before the central bank’s foreign exchange reserves run out. What will ensue, will be horrifying and whomever is in charge may be powerless to alter the inevitable.

[empress trudy]

02:25 PM on 11/23/2011

That depends on your point of view. Since Egypts foreign currency reserves are rapidly evaporating - today their down 2/3rds from March to less than USD$13 billion, and the Egyptian central bank has at most a few weeks until its broke and Egypt imports more than half of its minimally required food while the laws banning rice exports are being ignored and anyone with the wherewithal to get their money out of the country is doing that ASAP, it might not matter either way. Egypt seems headed to turn into a state resembling Sudan or Somalia more than anything else. And with 80 million people, it's bound to get ugly. Democracy, rioting, tyranny, Islamism.. none of that's going to matter very much soon as everyone has to scramble for food and other necessities. Maybe Hamas can send them some flotillas going the other way? Maybe Obama can give another speech. Maybe liberals can blame it all on Israel and go home.

[wallnutriver]

01:03 PM on 11/23/2011

Time to overthrow the US supported military dictatorsh­­­­­ip of Egypt immediatel­­­­­y. The eIection of Egypt president cannot be delayed another two years to 2013. This is not the change required by the Arab Spring. JerusaIen belongs to PaIestine. Egypt must fight to overthrow the military president immediatel­­­­­y and choose a new one by the parliament right after the elections.