Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif is not worried about the protests in which Egyptians from all walks of life are expressing their demands on the sidewalk across from his office. To him, these protesters represent only a small minority compared to the overwhelming majority of Egyptians who the government never fails to solve their problems. Yet at the same time, Nazif repeatedly mentions the general malaise which is at work in society. The latest example of this took place during a meeting with the editors of the national newspapers on 4 May.
Nazif is attempting to find a solution to this paradox. For if the protesters are not speaking for society at large, then why is there such a feeling of disquiet among the citizenry? He answers this question by blaming the private media for the country’s mood.
However, this is nothing but an easy answer that actually solves nothing. Could it be that Nazif did not heed what Hossam Badrawi, a leader in Nazif’s party, said during a meeting of the National Democratic Party’s Higher Policies Council only three days before Nazif’s meeting with the newspaper editors?
Badrawi, one of the most prominent reformers in the NDP said no amount of talk about the party’s achievements can erase the fact that when people take to the streets, it points to the existence of a problem that should be diagnosed and solved.
Indeed, there are several problems in this country. One of these problems is that Ahmed Nazif has not been involved in politics his entire life, which leads him to overlook the true significance of the increase in protests in every corner of the country. One cannot understand what is happening on the street unless one knows the street. Therefore, Nazif is incapable of making sense of the political road signs that would require political sense and experience with the street.
Despite the fact that Nazif is possibly the most qualified of the technocrats that have filled the ranks of the Egyptian government over the last decades, he has not had the benefit of working in politics. Whoever is involved in politics knows public sentiment is affected by how certain the future is. Thus, mounting worries about an unknown future, in addition to the absence of trust in governmental politics is darkening the public mood.
There is no way that Egypt’s malaise can be lifted without reviewing the government’s policies and creating hope for the future. Such hope will not be found unless reform is undertaken to liberate society and release its pent-up energies. It will be difficult for that to occur without the public sensing that it is actually participating in the creation and direction of public policy, and without a more capable and transparent administration in office, one not just equipped with a technocratic toolkit but also with principles and a vision for the future.
This relationship between perceptions for the future and their role in creating the general mood is lost on someone who does not have political experience and no real contact with the street.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
