‘Stronger than you and me’

In truth I have known the presidential palace since my first trip to Egypt in April 2008.  Apart from its beautiful exterior, it stands apart from the others because every few metres of its imposing fence is manned by a soldier standing still as a statue, in one of its numerous guard-posts. There are no […]

In truth I have known the presidential palace since my first trip to Egypt in April 2008.  Apart from its beautiful exterior, it stands apart from the others because every few metres of its imposing fence is manned by a soldier standing still as a statue, in one of its numerous guard-posts. There are no such statue-soldiers now, the guard-posts are empty. Today is exactly one year since Hosni Mubarak announced his resignation and left the palace, after 30 years of living in it. Like that first time, my trip to Egypt last November was prompted by a medical emergency. In April 2008, I had a slip disk for which I needed a surgery. Dr. Abdulkhaliq, was the neurosurgeon who did the delicate operation to save my back and left foot. Three-and-a-half years later I had what felt like a relapse. Pains and discomfort returned to my lower back and I had to consult him again.

The reason I was asking each driver about Mubarak’s whereabouts is actually to know how they feel about him. I got more than I bargained for when I started with Abdulmunim, who was the first driver to take my daughter Fatima and I to the clinic, the day after we arrived in Cairo. He said to me ‘Mubarak is fine, he is resting.’ ‘But he is also very sick’ I said. ‘No he’s not sick’ the driver countered. ‘But I’ve seen him on TV coming to the courtroom on a stretcher.’ I insisted. ‘Yes’ Abdulmunim agreed ‘but that is all drama. He is only acting because he doesn’t want to be punished, the man is stronger than you and me. He has the strength of ten men ‘ He added. I couldn’t help laughing in spite of my aching back. The strength of ten men, that pale emaciated old man on a stretcher? That’s incredible.

Of course I knew it was just an exaggeration. At over 80 Mubarak is old, and rumours of his ill-health have been around since he was in power. Yet Abdulmunim’s position stems out of a total lack of sympathy with his former leader’s fate. Not one of the driver’s who drove me past Mubarak’s former residence had a good word for him. All, in fact, spoke with such bitterness and regret that he was allowed to be there that long. They ranged in age and ability to speak English but they were all able to communicate to us their loathing for the former tyrant. That was probably why there is such a strong distrust of Field Marshal Tantawi’s ruling military council. The SCAF, as the council is called is seen not only as Mubarak’s former colleagues but as his present loyalists. One of these drivers described Tantawi simply as Mubarak’s boy.

Egypt without the Nile

The very Friday we arrived in Cairo, news filtered into town that Tahrir was getting crowded again. In between my pains and the exhaustion of the journey I couldn’t care less what was happening in Tahrir. It was when family and friends began to call and ask what we were doing now that Egypt was on fire again that I began to pay attention to the second Tahrir. In particular I avoided Al-Jazeerah and other international channels and concentrated on the local news and talk shows. Apparently the second Tahrir was triggered by SCAF’s plan to produce a list of politicians who will be declared ineligible to contest the forthcoming parliamentary elections, then less than two weeks away. In other words they wanted to produce an EFCC-advisory a la Obasanjo- like list. The people revolted against it and warned that such a list will include anyone the military junta would not like to see in government, here read, the Brotherhood members and other opponents of the Mubarak regime. But not wishing to upset the apple-cart, because every forecast showed their members were headed for success, the Brotherhood called for a special Friday prayer at Tahrir square on 18th November. They dispersed as soon as the prayers were over. In fact later media coverage predicted a decline in their popularity because they had abandoned their supporters after that day. But the Brotherhood’s defence was that with elections only days away they must not do anything that could lead to postponement, which could give Tantawi’s council a reason to stay longer.

Indeed one of the reasons political activists in Egypt insisted on the second Tahrir was because the SCAF had refused to give a date for its departure. So the Brotherhood reasoned that any political upheaval can give the generals an excuse to stay indefinitely. The rest, of course, is history. Activists, minus the Brotherhood kept on the Tahrir vigil, leading to attacks by the police and retaliation by protesters. This left scores of people dead, almost two thousand people injured and many government buildings torched and destroyed. But in the end, elections were still held the as as scheduled. The Brotherhood predictably led by winning the most seats in parliament. Today they have produced the parliamentary speaker. The Salafists followed with over twenty percent of the votes, while smaller and secular parties followed behind.

So today, exactly a year after Mubarak’s departure, the Egyptians have a functioning, representative parliament. And the rest remains to be seen. But in all these the most striking thing about the second Tahrir is seeing Egypt without the Nile. Of course this is impossible given that the Nile is the life and soul of the country. Indeed, of the five or so countries which lay claims to ownership of the Nile, Egypt is the one most identified with it. Yet this last time I was in Cairo, I could not behold the Nile’s timeless beauty, no thanks to the Tahrir phenomenon. The previous three times I was in Cairo I always had my eyes fixed on the sparkling waves of the historical river whenever I passed it by on the bridge. The beauty of the golden waves reflecting the early morning sunshine as I left our hotel always held me spellbound in the mornings. Nestled in-between high-rise hotels and restaurants in downtown Cairo, the Nile is also a spectacular view when you make your way home in the evening as its waves reflect the setting sun.

A  Nile cruise on traditional boats is a traveller’s delight any day. While young and not so young Egyptian couples give the whole Nile experience a romantic feel as they stroll on its bridges, holding hands and occasionally standing by its railings to chat. Despite the delight of it all, this time around, I saw nothing of the Nile. Heliopolis is a mini city on its own. We had all we needed without courting trouble by going somewhere near Tahrir. Still it is sad to see Egypt without the Nile, in fact I left Cairo nine days later feeling decidedly unfulfilled because of that.

And now they have a new Tahrir affair. The third so far.  It seems like Egypt will never really know peace until the last of Mubarak’s loyalist are no longer visible in their national life. They may get this, with a successful free and fair presidential elections in June, but until then we haven’t heard the last of Tahrir-related violence.