A military source said on Sunday that the donation of Younis al-Masry, the commander of the Air Force, to the “Long Live Egypt” fund was in his personal capacity as a citizen and not as a military personnel.
The source added that Defense Minister Sidqy Sobhy gave all commanders, officers and soldiers the choice to freely donate to the fund as citizens and not in their military capacity.
The source pointed out that the armed forces has donated LE1 billion to the fund when it was opened.
The Long Live Egypt fund has been criticized for being a political ploy, used to stir up national sentiment and improve the image of those who donate to it. It is unclear, however, how effective establishing a fund and asking for donations can be to help rebuild Egypt's tattered economy.
Controversy arose in July when Cairo University's student union denounced the donation of LE20 million to the Long Live Egypt fund, approved by Gaber Nassar, the university's president, and the university budget council. The union argued that the money is public and was taken from the students, faculty members and employees, and ethically should not be diverted away from to serve another purpose.
Similar funds were started after 25 January revolution and 30 June revolution, calling on the public to give donate to fill Egypt's coiffers. It still remains unclear how much money has been collected into these accounts and how it is spent as the projects lack transparency.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
