Egyptian Notebooks - November 2021
Contents
Introduction
The Political Notebook
The economic notebook
The legislative book
The intellectual and cultural notebook
Information book
Introduction
In November 2021, the Egyptian arena witnessed many events that the report monitored, most notably through its various notebooks.
On the political level, the report dealt with two important issues, the first of which is the amendment to the security agreement with the Zionist entity, which allows the Egyptian side to increase the number of its border guard forces, and this is the amendment that neither party disclosed its details, which left the door open. Widespread speculation about its nature and purpose in light of the alliance relationship between the Sisi regime and the Zionist entity. The second is the disclosure of the fall of civilians in the bombing operations carried out by the Egyptian regime forces, benefiting from French intelligence information, with the knowledge of the French side, as part of a secret operation in the Western Desert.
Economically, the report dealt with the issue of the minimum wage, which is primarily a humanitarian and social issue, especially since the amount specified for this is less than the poverty line, in addition to the existence of a large segment of Egyptians who will not benefit from raising the minimum wage. The report also dealt with another image of wasting the capital assets of the state, by talking about the evaporation of the assets of the Iron and Steel Company after offering its land for real estate activity.
With regard to the legislative aspect, the report monitored the draft laws approved by the House of Representatives, which concern the private sector in the state’s infrastructure projects, the unified finance law, confronting epidemics and health pandemics, private and private universities, amending some tariff categories, and regulating the use of financial technology. search and exploration for petroleum
In the intellectual and cultural notebook, the report sheds light on the so-called “Abrahamic religion”, as a means of normalization with the Zionist entity, on the occasion of the Sheikh of Al-Azhar’s speech about this suspicious lawsuit. The report also dealt with the issue of the impact of cinema on the growing phenomenon of violence in Egyptian society, following a murder that shook the Egyptian street, and public opinion accusing cinematic films of spreading a culture of violence.
Finally, the media book dealt with the systematic attack by the regime's arms on the businessman close to the authority, "Naguib Sawiris", after he criticized the army's competition with the private sector. And the erratic media handling of the issue of “popular songs” and mahraganat singers, which the media attacks and works to publish at the same time.
In November 2021, the political book deals with two important events, the first of which is the amendment of the security agreement with the Zionist entity, allowing an increase in the number of Egyptian border guards in the area adjacent to the borders of the entity and the Gaza Strip. The second is the disclosure of the fall of unarmed Egyptian civilians who were targeted by the Egyptian regime forces with the help of French intelligence. The two events are linked by the fact that both of them are of the type of secret agreements that the Egyptian people do not know directly or through elected oversight institutions capable of protecting national interests.
In a step that indicates the warming of relations between Sisi and the Zionist entity, and the mutual trust between the two parties, the Israeli army announced, on November 8, that senior officers met with their Egyptian counterparts in a “public” and “rare” meeting. And that the meeting was held in the Sinai Peninsula, and resulted in the two sides agreeing to amend the “Camp David” agreement, which regulates the presence of border guards in the Rafah area in favor of strengthening the presence of the Egyptian army, and that the decision was approved by the Israeli civil leadership[1].
Hours after announcing the news through the Israeli media, the Egyptian armed forces announced that a coordination meeting with the Israeli side had succeeded in amending the security agreement signed between Egypt and the Zionist entity, which stipulates an increase in the number and capabilities of the border guards in the border area in the city of Rafah[2] ].
The meeting was held under the auspices of the so-called “mechanism of agreed activities”, which is a provision of the peace treaty agreements signed in 1979, which provides for Tel Aviv’s approval of any reinforcements that Cairo wants to deploy in Sinai through a joint committee composed of senior officers. In the Egyptian army and the Israeli occupation army.
The Egyptian statement did not reveal the exact number of additional Egyptian forces that will be deployed in the area bordering the Gaza Strip and the Zionist entity. This raises doubts about the size and nature of the amendment, and are they permanent or are they temporary and linked to the survival of the current regime? Especially since the Israelis opposing the introduction of additional Egyptian forces into Sinai have raised this point, claiming that Egypt is vulnerable to destabilization again, which carries security risks for Israel from its southern front with Sinai[3], citing the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak after the January 2011 revolution. and the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi after the military coup in 2013.
On the reasons for the amendment, a statement by the Egyptian military spokesman, Colonel “Gharib Abdel Hafez,” stated that the move comes in light of the Egyptian efforts to maintain Egyptian national security, and as a continuation of the efforts of the armed forces to control and secure the borders on the northeastern strategic direction.”[ 4]. On the other hand, the Israeli army stated that the signing of the agreement came to formalize the deployment of guard forces in the Rafah area to enhance the security control of the Egyptian army over the area.
The Zionist entity's approval of amending the agreement and its timing has raised speculation that there are reasons that prompted it to agree to such a step, represented in preserving its security, which prompted some to recall old statements by Sisi, in which he linked the amendment of the agreement to guaranteeing Israel's security, by saying that he does not allow That the Egyptian lands be a launching pad for attacks against Israel, and that Egypt will do what is appropriate, and that Israel will not refuse to amend the agreement, because it deals with a state and an army, not a foolish force.
Observers believe that the amendment to the agreement is an acknowledgment of a fait accompli regarding allowing the presence of the army in Area C, to enhance the continuation of security cooperation between the two parties, which has reached the extent of allowing the Israeli army to carry out about 100 air raids in Sinai, according to It was previously revealed by the American newspaper “The New York Times” in 2018. This comes within the development of the relationship into an alliance relationship, given that the Egyptian authorities have purchased gas from Israel and liquefied it for export, in addition to Al-Sisi’s speech on the anniversary of the October war, which included a reference to the necessity of “ Changing the previous view” of Israel, which views the Sisi regime as an “advanced line of defense against threats” and not a “threat” to the Israeli occupation, and thus allowed what it did not previously allow in terms of amending the agreement[5].
Within the framework of this alliance, some believe that the amendment step was expected, because the presence of the Egyptian forces is considered a safety valve in favor of the Israeli side on its southern borders, to confront the threat of terrorist organizations on the one hand, and pursue ways of supporting and supplying the Palestinian resistance in Gaza on the other hand, which is What has been proven by the past years, when the Israeli southern arena witnessed a state of calm, and was not subjected to any attacks or damage, despite the strength of the state organization (ISIS) and its ability to target Israel, which the Egyptians paid for through the security and military confrontations that destroyed the lives of citizens. in North Sinai.
The ambiguity about the size and nature of the amendment increases if we take into account that the agreement comes less than two weeks after the “Sinai Foundation for Human Rights” revealed that Al-Sisi issued a presidential decision, which it described as dangerous, stipulating the mandate of the Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General “Mohamed” Zaki, “by imposing ten exceptional measures whenever he wants, at the level of all regions of the Sinai Peninsula, including the issuance of curfews, and defining nearly three thousand square kilometers of land in the northeastern Sinai Peninsula, as border areas subject to strict restrictions, which practically means Swallowing more of the area’s lands as part of the army’s vague plans to empty the area of its population, as these restrictions undermine the lives of the remaining residents[6], and mean the difficulty or impossibility of the return of thousands of residents who were forcibly displaced by the army in the years under the pretext of combating terrorism, to their cities and villages that have become banned.
In a related context, Egyptian sources revealed that there are joint Egyptian committees from the Armed Forces, the General Intelligence Service, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which are working on introducing amendments to some of the provisions of the Camp David Accords, in a manner consistent with an Egyptian perception of calm in the Gaza Strip, which throws more Responsibility rests with Cairo regarding the besieged Strip since 2007. The sources said that “the Egyptian plan regarding the agreement to stabilize the cease-fire and reach a calm in the Gaza Strip is being prepared on low heat,” stressing that it will be comprehensive, and will not be limited to a prisoner exchange deal between the occupation Israel and Hamas. The sources confirmed that the proposed amendments to the agreement aim to prepare conditions in North Sinai and the border areas for the expected new role that Egypt will play towards the Gaza Strip, which includes dealing with the increase in the number of travelers through the Rafah border crossing, and preparing an infrastructure that is capable of absorbing the new steps, from Temporary residences for Palestinians traveling through the crossing, as well as a transportation network and secured and monitored roads, which necessitates subtle amendments in some of the provisions of the agreement[7].
This was not the first amendment. The year 2005 witnessed a similar amendment, when Egypt deployed 750 border guards on its borders with the Gaza Strip, within the framework of the arrangements that paved the way for the unilateral withdrawal carried out by the Israeli occupation army from the Gaza Strip. This established the basis for the entry of Border Guard forces to assist the civilian police in Area C for the first time since 1973. The official website of the multinational international forces present in the Sinai indicates other amendments to the agreement in the years 2007 and 2018.
It is worth noting that the normalization agreements with the Zionist entity, signed in 1979, provide for the division of Sinai into 3 main areas: “A” and “B”, which are limited to a certain number of forces, up to the area “C” devoid of forces and military weapons, And in which there are police forces with their light weapons, and it is the area that was included in the amendments to allow the presence of additional forces from the border guards.
The Egyptian regime announces from time to time its success in eliminating numbers of “terrorists” in security or military operations, without giving the opportunity to verify the veracity of the information contained in the statements issued by the Egyptian security and military institutions about these operations due to the regime’s ban on the media Independent legal and human rights organizations from covering these events.
However, the truth of some events is revealed through what is published by the media and foreign organizations, so that we know after that that the regime's account of those events was not truthful. The last such case was on November 21, when an investigative investigation by the “Disclose” website stated that Egyptian civilians had been killed by the Egyptian regime forces after they bombed them with the help of French intelligence, and that France was aware of the matter, but chose Silence, she continued her participation in the process.
In the investigative report published by the website specialized in exposing the scandals of the French armies, based on secret defense documents, it was stated that the French intelligence mission called “Sirli” had started working in the interest of Egypt since 2016, on an unrelated mission. Declared, under the umbrella of combating terrorism. This was after Egypt expressed its urgent need for an air intelligence operation to secure the Egyptian-Libyan border and combat “terrorists” moving across the border area.
According to the documents, the French intelligence team realized after the beginning of the operation that the Egyptians were using intelligence information to kill civilians suspected of smuggling goods, which went beyond the objectives of the operation. And that the team had alerted its superiors from the French side to these abuses more than once, but its warnings were not heeded, despite the grave mistakes on the Egyptian side, and that the French forces participated in no less than 19 attacks on Egyptian civilians.
By analyzing hundreds of confidential documents, the investigation team concluded that the French side “did not detect any data regarding the possible presence of terrorists,” and that “all the operations that were carried out were in response to the wishes of the Egyptian side,” and that the Egyptian air strikes against smugglers and civilian trucks became more visible, and took place under the hearing and sight of the French side and with its approval. The investigative website added, quoting the operation team’s report, that “fighting terrorism was ranked third in the priorities of the Egyptian side,” after fighting smugglers and immigration.
The report indicated that the French presidency was aware of these abuses through memorandums that reached it, the last of which was in 2019, a memorandum that was submitted to the Minister of Armies, Florence Parly, before an official visit to Egypt accompanied by President Emmanuel Macron. And it stated that “confirmed cases of destroying targets discovered by French aircraft,” and that “it is important to remind the partner that surveillance aircraft are not a targeting tool.” Nevertheless, the mission’s mission was not reserved, and the agreements regarding it were not reviewed, and “the French army is still deployed in the Egyptian desert.” [8].
At a time when the French leadership was aware that the Egyptian regime was committing violations against unarmed civilians, French President Macron awarded Sisi the Legion of Honor, the highest honor granted by the French Republic, in a ceremony that was shrouded in secrecy and secrecy, to the extent that the French press She learned about the news from the Egyptian presidency’s website, which prompted her to protest, asking: “When were our cameras absent from the president’s dinners?”[9]. Some also expressed their anger at the complicity of the republic “defending human rights and democracy”, including the Italian intellectual “Corrado Ogias”, who waived the same medal for refusing to share with him a person accused of murder.
The Egyptian presidency had announced in July 2020 that 10,000 vehicles loaded with terrorists and foreign fighters had been destroyed over the past six years[10], which means the death of tens of thousands of smugglers who violate the law in order to provide a living under the pretext of They are terrorists. This is evidenced by the investigation, quoting from a report by the “European Institute for Peace,” that “there was no evidence of the presence of terrorist elements in the eastern half of Libya, nor evidence of the connection of smuggling activities to terrorist groups in Libya.”
For her part, the French Minister of Defense, Florence Parly, called for an investigation to be opened regarding the information published by the Disclose report, and the minister stated that Egypt is a partner of France, like many countries, and “we maintain relations with it in the field of intelligence and combating terrorism.” In the service of regional security and the protection of France. The minister refused to provide more details about the nature of the cooperation mechanisms implemented in this field, citing safety and efficiency reasons[11].
Then, on November 25, the French Ministry of Defense confirmed that it had filed a complaint about “violating the secrecy of national defense,” after the documents related to Operation Surly were leaked. A spokesman for the ministry, Hervé Granjean, said that the Ministry of the Armed Forces had taken legal action after this major leak of classified documents, without specifying the target of the complaint. Describing the leak as very dangerous, because what could be revealed might reveal matters about the army's working methods, and could endanger the security of the people involved.
In parallel, the ministry launched an “internal investigation to verify that the rules were applied” by the Egyptian partners, because “the broad lines of this intelligence mission have very clear objectives related to combating terrorism, and do not affect internal issues”[12].
Commenting on the investigative investigation, Human Rights Watch called on Paris to immediately investigate the allegations, and called on it to stop selling arms to the Egyptian government. The organization stated that this “is not the first time that France has contributed to the appalling human rights record of the Egyptian government,” and that “France continues to sign important armament contracts with the Sisi government under the pretext of security and combating terrorism, despite the evidence that some French weapons have been used.” to suppress protests and commit other violent human rights violations.”[13]
The economic media discourse of the Egyptian government has not changed yet, as the focus is on the new administrative capital projects, the increase in growth rates, or the state's acquisition of advanced weapons from abroad, all of which do not improve the general standard of living of individuals in Egypt.
While these indicators remain in government reports, and assuming they are correct, they have not been reflected in the country's financial situation, as the government's hand is still constantly extended to borrow from home and abroad, until the debt burden has become one of the major economic problems in Egypt.
The government's talk about increasing the value of the gross domestic product as well as increasing its growth rates, and that the government is working to increase public investments, did not reveal an improvement in public services in infrastructure. And the lack of competence on the part of local administrations in dealing with rain water, as the streets were flooded, and people's interests were greatly disrupted.
Despite the recurrence of the crisis with every winter season, and the presence of warnings by the Meteorological Authority about the nature and intensity of rain, yet the budgets for improving infrastructure in the cities and villages of Egypt remain below the required level, and reveal the society’s failure to benefit from the government’s talks about improving economic conditions.
Citizens' concerns come from economic and social issues that affect their lives, as it has been observed that there are continuous increases in the prices of essential goods and services that directly affect people's lives, such as that of butane gas cylinders, by nearly 8 percent.
At a time when the government is getting rid of the labor force in the institutions affiliated with the public business sector, through the liquidation of many companies, especially those with a high labor intensity, we find that workers in the organized private sector suffer from low salaries, and that percentages of them do not receive The minimum wage is 2400 pounds.
There are concerns about the future of economic and social conditions in Egypt, due to the negative repercussions of the “Covid 19” (Omicron) mutant, which will have repercussions related to the tourism sector, or the high costs of health care, which the Egyptian government suffers from in light of the crisis that has afflicted in 2020, and led to its borrowing of more than $15 billion, from international financial institutions, and others.
This month's economic book deals with some of those issues referred to in the introduction, from the minimum wage, as well as the evaporation of the financial assets of the Iron and Steel Company.
With the advent of January 2022, the Egyptian private sector will find itself required to pay the minimum wage for its workers, in implementation of the decision of the Supreme Wages Council, published in the Official Gazette in September 2021. It is worth noting that the government sector has begun to implement the minimum wage at 2400 pounds per month since June 2021, but private sector workers in Egypt face problems with this[14].
This is because the organized private sector absorbs 34.6 percent of the total workers in Egypt, while the unorganized private sector absorbs 43.8 percent of the total workers, government institutions absorb 18.6 percent, and the public business sector absorbs 2.6 percent, according to Central Agency data. General Mobilization and Statistics[15].
The issue of the minimum wage represents a humanitarian and social aspect in the first place, because the amount specified as a minimum wage as a monthly salary of about 2400 pounds is less than the poverty limit for a family consisting of a husband, wife and two children, which is estimated by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics at 3218 pounds.
However, some sectors of the organized private sector are calling for their exemption from the obligation to pay the minimum wage for their workers in early January 2022, on the pretext that this will raise production costs, and among these sectors, as demanded by the General Federation of Chambers of Commerce, are the health care sectors , contracting, building materials, pharmacy, education, and security and guard services.
The union explained that the cost of wages out of the total production costs in Egypt reaches 25 percent, while the cost outside Egypt ranges between 15 percent and 19 percent. The wages component of the total production costs to reach 30 percent, and this may lead to the exit of some companies from the market.
However, “Mohamed Saafan,” Minister of Manpower, told the media that there are 90 percent of private sector establishments that pay more than the minimum wage, and that the problem is with the remaining 10 percent, who can file a petition in the event of damages as a result of their application. for the minimum wage[16].
While Shaaban Khalifa, the head of the Private Sector Workers Union, believes that 48 percent of private sector establishments do not apply the minimum wage, he mentioned among these establishments companies working in the field of textile and ready-made clothes, and companies operating in the foodstuffs activity. As well as security, guarding, and cleaning companies, companies operating in the manufacture of electronic devices, and media and print and electronic press institutions[17].
In light of this contradiction between the statements of the minister and the head of the union of workers in the private sector, the issue remains, that there is a group of workers in the organized private sector, who do not receive the minimum wage of 2400 pounds, in addition to receiving salaries that protect them from poverty, to be higher. From 3218 pounds. It is expected that the Ministry of Manpower will agree to exclude some institutions from applying the minimum wage of 2,400 pounds in January 2022, on the grounds that this increases the burdens of production, so what do these workers do in order to face the burdens of life, which are increasing day after day?
And if the segment of workers in the organized private sector has recently gained the attention of the government, let alone the largest segment among workers in Egypt, and they are workers outside the scope of the organized sector, whether governmental or private, which amounts to 43.8 percent of the total workers.
Some of those working in the informal sector cannot obtain a monthly income that reaches the minimum wage, such as street vendors and some artisans. Therefore, these people deserve social protection programs to cover their needs, or at least their minimum needs. The basic expenses, which, according to government estimates, are estimated at 2,400 pounds per month.
The issue of the minimum wage for workers in Egypt reflects one of the issues of economic and social significance, as the imbalance between prices and wages is the main cause of many social and political problems. There is an important requirement to achieve justice and balance between wages and prices, so that people feel live a life of dignity, and meet their basic needs.
In light of the current gap between wages and prices for a large segment of workers in Egypt, the problem of poverty will remain, and the multidimensional poverty will widen. The problem is in light of the weak government spending on these two important sectors, and the rest of the elements of multidimensional poverty, including infrastructure and security, which the income of the poor will not allow them to enjoy anything from, in light of the government’s tendency to privatize many facilities and remove subsidies on many goods and services.
After the government closed the Iron and Steel Company in May 2021, with the aim of liquidating it, the government submitted to the House of Representatives a draft law that would allow Hisham Tawfiq, Minister of the Public Business Sector, to borrow about 1.25 billion pounds, with the guarantee of the Holding Company for Metallurgical Industries, and that the company would provide A guarantee for the Ministry of Finance, through the vacant lands, owned by the company, whose purpose will be changed from industrial activity to real estate activity, and the area of these lands is 6 million square meters[18].
According to what the minister stated, the proceeds from the sale of land and scrap owned by the company should be around EGP 11 billion, which is sufficient to pay creditors and workers’ dues, and that the company has already paid the dues of about 500 workers, and that the settlement of the workers’ dues has been completed. On the basis of disbursing an amount of 14 thousand pounds for each year, so that the worker’s dues do not exceed 450 thousand pounds, in addition to his financial dues for leave balances.
The government's behavior in this way is considered a waste of the state's capital assets, as no work has been done to find other industries, alternative or similar to the iron and steel company that was liquidated, and development in any country takes place only through capital and technological accumulation, while the Egyptian government neglects The capitalist assets of the state, in light of a fragile and weak private sector that is unable to compensate for what is being privatized or liquidated from the companies of the public business sector.
It is remarkable that the government's liquidation of the company, and going to sell its assets of land and equipment, will not add anything to society, except for paying the dues of the workers, and the government has forgotten that the society has dues that have not been fulfilled, so this company has continued throughout its life, which exceeded 6 years. Contracts that add to the gross domestic product and employ many members of society. There is a right for society that has not yet been paid, which is to find new industrial facilities that work to serve society, and this can only be done through the proceeds from the liquidation of the iron and steel company, which has not been achieved.
The reason for the company's liquidation, which the government planted for liquidation, is the accumulated losses, which amounted to about 6 billion pounds, by the end of the fiscal year 2019/2020. According to the statements of the Minister of Public Enterprise Sector, the debts of the creditors amounted to 9 billion pounds, and the government did not answer how to pay this indebtedness resulting from the losses, but the minister’s statement indicates that these debts will be paid immediately.
And not only that, but the process of accountability for these losses, and finding out who caused them, is a right of the Egyptian society, so when does the government provide sufficient information about dealing with this issue, in a way that preserves the right of society, as well as the rest of the issues related to the liquidation of this company, and others public sector companies?
One of the things that illustrates the randomness of the economic conditions in Egypt is that the shares of the Iron and Steel Company are still trading on the stock exchange, and as the minister explained to the media, dealing in the stock is pure speculation, because the buyers are waiting for it to take place. The process of selling land at a high price, thus benefiting from higher prices and making large profits[19].
However, the minister indicated that the company's land prices need to be spent to qualify them for sale to a real estate developer, with the necessity of entering facilities, and it is not expected that the land price in the iron and steel company's areas will reach the same prices in the buildings in the area.
The government's policy regarding privatization or liquidation of public business sector companies remains ambiguous. While it liquidates and privatizes companies, it allows the army to establish and create new companies, and it also gives the “Long Live Egypt” fund the right to establish companies, and so on. With regard to the sovereign fund in Egypt, and these funds are originally public funds, and therefore it applies to the companies they establish, that they be public companies as well.
Or does the government perceive the “Tahya Misr” fund and the Sovereign Fund of Egypt as a private sector? The fact that these funds were established by special laws does not mean that they are outside the scope of public money, so what is the strategy?
Since Egypt implemented the privatization program in 1991/1992, which began with local projects, then public business sector companies with all their activities, Egypt did not achieve a better performance, but rather increased its dependence on abroad more, as evidenced by the performance of the balance. Commercial, which explains that the best case of Egyptian performance in its commercial relations with the outside world is that merchandise exports reached 50 percent of merchandise imports at best. The Egyptian economy did not find any positive change in its commercial dealings with the outside world, whether from the Egyptian private sector. or alien.
The question that the Egyptian government will not answer is why it does not follow the path of reform and improving the conditions of public business sector companies and government institutions, so that it works to strengthen the public business sector, to achieve balance with the performance of the private sector, as well as improve the gross domestic product, by continuing the contribution of this sector. Companies pay for goods and services, and increase the added value of the Egyptian economy, instead of paying themselves for the fluctuations of dependence on rentier sources, from tourism sector revenues, or remittances from workers abroad, and the revenues of the Suez Canal.
The reform process, although it requires a lot of effort and fatigue, but its returns are much better than privatization or liquidation. It is easy for the government to adopt real economic standards for the work of public business sector companies, in order to reap its positive fruits.
And if the government highlights financial problems as one of the reasons for the failure of public business sector companies, then there are many reasons that led to the loss of these companies related to the nature of the performance of the political administration, and its keenness to continue what is known as the policy of “loyalty in return for giving” and to give people of trust priority over people of trust. Expertise, a policy known to the Egyptian government since the sixties, as it aimed to control labor movements and employ them in light of the wishes of the political system.
The worst thing is that the government intends to privatize some service facilities and institutions, such as the electricity sector, which is expected to be largely entered by the private sector during the next stage, in addition to the rest of the other facilities, which are considered a component of national economic security.
The legislative book for the month of November 2021 deals with the draft laws approved by Parliament during the month, as follows:
A law to organize the private sector in state infrastructure projects, a unified finance bill, a draft law to combat epidemics and health pandemic, amend some provisions of the Private and Private Universities Law, and a law approving a republican decision to amend some categories of customs tariffs.
The Council also approved a draft law “regulating the use of financial technology in non-banking financial activities,” and a draft law submitted by the government regarding permission for the Minister of Finance to guarantee the Holding Company for Metallurgical Industries.
Finally, the Council approved 3 projects with a license to the Minister of Petroleum in search and exploration.
- In its session held on November 18, the House of Representatives finally approved a draft law on the private sector in state infrastructure projects[20].
The government called for a reconsideration of the article so that it reads: “The Council of Ministers may exclude contracts for infrastructure projects, services and public utilities that are carried out under the L system, and which the administrative authorities subject to its provisions conclude with the Sovereign Fund for Investment and Development, or one of the sub-funds, or any of the The networks affiliated with any of them, after consulting the Ministry of Finance, and in accordance with Article (17) of the draft law.
The Council also approved the deferred article of the draft law, which is Article 17, which states that “It is not permissible to start the procedures of any of the contracting methods stipulated in Article 20 of this law on a project included in the plan of projects that are implemented under the system of contracts.” The private sector, except after reviewing the central unit of the project, in conjunction with the consultants appointed for the project, for the preliminary studies prepared by the administrative authority that owns the project, to ensure that they have met the data, documents, licenses, permits and approvals necessary for the project, as well as to ensure that the necessary land for the project is allocated in projects that require this, before Presentation to the Supreme Committee for the Affairs of the.
Through the amendments to this law, the state aims to pre-control the selection of projects that can be implemented under the L system with the private sector, by giving investors an investment map of projects that can be contracted under the L system in advance.
The government also aims, through this law, to tighten governance standards through the implementation of projects, so that the private sector can intervene to the extent that the government deems appropriate by dividing projects into projects that can be implemented without the private sector, and others that are not, and this is determined by Formation of a joint committee of specialists from the Ministries of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and the central unit of the Ministry of Finance, in addition to the previous control over the selection of projects that can be implemented by the Ministry of Finance system with the private sector.
- The House of Representatives approved the draft unified finance law submitted by the government[21], during its session held on November 15.
It aims The project is to integrate the state's general budget law and the government accounting law into a unified law that reflects the philosophy of financial performance in the Egyptian economic system, taking into account modern mechanization systems.
According to the law, it aims to “formulate clear and specific definitions for simplification, facilitation, and application of budgeting programs and performance as one of the means that control and guide public spending, and root concepts of accounting and accountability to control financial performance through the use of scientific methods and technical techniques to raise the efficiency of financial performance, whether in the Ministry of Finance or various administrative bodies.
Article 22 of the draft law states: “The Ministry shall prepare the public treasury schedules accompanying the Law of Linking the State’s General Budget, presenting the cash surplus/deficit, the total surplus/deficit, and the primary surplus/deficit, and clarifying the funding sources.”
Article 30 of the project requires taking the opinion of the Ministry of Finance on draft laws and decisions that impose additional financial burdens on the state’s general budget before issuing them from the competent authority.
Article 31 of the draft law requires that administrative authorities not contract loans, obtain financing, or engage in programs that are not included in the state's general budget or budgets of economic agencies, except after the approval of the House of Representatives.
However, there is a contradiction between this law and the actual reality. The House of Representatives aims, as stipulated in the law, to “merge the state’s general budget with the Government Accountability Law to achieve the highest level of oversight, transparency and clarity, as this guides public spending and establishes the principle of accountability.” However, the approach that What the state has been pursuing over the past seven years is far from being transparent and accountable.
The regime worked to bring in a number of loans that had never been done before, without consulting the House of Representatives, and this was approved by the House during its various sessions, without talking about aspects of subsequent spending or accountability, despite the fact that the state offered bonds at home and abroad in sums Huge doubled the value of these debts.
With the launch of the Egyptian international bond train, Cairo's external public debt became hot, and according to the state's general budget data in recent years, the debt increased by more than 160 percent in just seven years. At the end of June 2014, the external debt recorded about 47 percent. billion dollars, to rise in the following year to about 48 billion dollars, then jump in June 2016 to about 55 billion dollars, and at a faster rate recorded in June 2017 about 79 billion dollars.
For the first time, Egypt's external public debt exceeded $100 billion, when it recorded $108 billion in June 2019, and then continued to rise to settle at $123 billion in June last year.
The regime has also, during these years, done things that are completely inconsistent with transparency and activating parliamentary oversight on the financial side, through the establishment of “sovereign funds”, such as the (Long Live Egypt) fund, the Martyrs’ Families Support Fund, and other things that fall out of dependence The Ministry of Finance is not subject to control by the provisions of the laws establishing these funds, all of which have been passed by Parliament.
- The House of Representatives finally approved the Law on Confronting Epidemics and Health Pandemics[22].
The law authorizes the Prime Minister to take about 25 measures to confront epidemics. And health pandemics, as it stipulated in its first article that, after the approval of the Council of Ministers, in the event of an outbreak of epidemics and health pandemics, it shall issue a decision to take any of the necessary measures to confront these dangers in a manner that preserves public health and safety.
And he specified in Article 25 a measure that the Prime Minister can take any of them, and they include placing restrictions on the freedom of people to move, pass, or be present at certain times, whether in specific areas or throughout the country, and suspending work, partially or completely, in ministries. government departments and agencies, local administration units, public bodies, public sector companies, public business sector companies, and other companies owned by the state and the private sector, as well as disrupting studies, partially or completely, in schools, universities, institutes and other educational institutions, and any gatherings of students with the aim of receiving knowledge, And take the necessary measures regarding exams for the school year, and suspend work in nurseries.
It also includes setting the opening and closing times for public shops, as well as ordering the closure of all or some of these shops, organizing or banning public meetings, processions, demonstrations, celebrations and other forms of gatherings, as well as private meetings, for a specified period, and organizing or banning the holding of exhibitions, cultural festivals and other such activities. cultural activities.
The law stipulated in Article 2 the formation of a supreme committee called “the Supreme Committee for the Management of Epidemics and Health Pandemics, headed by the Prime Minister, and the membership of ministers concerned with health and population affairs, justice, defense, interior, local development, tourism, finance, supply and internal trade, education, technical education, higher education and scientific research, social solidarity, the head of the Egyptian Medicines Authority, the head of the Egyptian Authority for Unified Procurement, Medical Supply and Administration, and the Medical Technology Administration. The Prime Minister determines the committee's work system.
Article 3 specified the terms of reference of the committee in issuing decisions and taking the necessary measures to implement any of the measures contained in the decision of the Prime Minister referred to in Article 1 of this law, in light of the results of follow-up on the health situation and its evaluation of the outbreak of epidemics or pandemics.
- The House of Representatives approved a draft law submitted by the government to amend some provisions of the Private and Private Universities Law promulgated by Law No. 12 of 2009.[23].
[24].
The report submitted to the Council stressed the importance of the amendment in light of the presence of seven private universities currently in existence, and the increasing demand from ministries and other public legal persons to establish this type of universities, which resulted in a steady increase in their numbers.
He explained that Article (18) of the Law on Private and Private Universities provides for the establishment of a council called the “Council of Private and Private Universities”, which includes the heads of private and private universities, and is concerned with following up, developing and ensuring the quality of the educational and research process in all of these universities, which resulted in a great burden It is the responsibility of this Council[25].
The report indicated that Article (16) of the Private and Private Universities Law restricted the role of those who established the private university to selecting the members of its board of trustees only, which resulted in the board of trustees being alone in setting and amending the university’s bylaws without those who established the university having any say in this. As a result of this, the reluctance to establish these universities, therefore, requires the addition of a new article that requires the approval of the university’s founders to develop and amend its internal regulations.
- In its session on November 28, the House of Representatives approved Republican Decree No. (558) of 2021, amending some categories of customs tariffs and the annex attached to it[26].
- In its session held on November 29, the Council approved a draft law “regulating the use of financial technology in non-banking financial activities” in all its articles[27].
- The House of Representatives finally approved a draft law submitted by the government regarding authorizing the Minister of Finance to guarantee the Holding Company for Metallurgical Industries[28].
- During the plenary session held on November 30, the House of Representatives approved 3 reports of the joint committee from the Energy and Environment Committee, and the Office of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee, on 3 projects licensing the Minister of Petroleum in exploration and exploration as follows:
- Fragmenting what remains of a unifying Arab identity, organically integrating Israel into the Arab region, and opening the way for it to control and control the countries, peoples and capabilities of this region.
- Criminalizing resistance to the Israeli occupation of Arab and Palestinian lands, and considering it a kind of Terrorism and brutal, unjustified aggression.
- Accept the reality of the occupation, and give up the Islamic sanctities under the pretext that they fall within the Abrahamic umbrella.
- Prepare for the future concession of wider regions of the Middle East and internationalize them under the pretext that they are Abrahamic regions and not Monopolized by a certain party.
- Creating a state of cultural naivety and superficiality among the peoples of the region, coupled with the state of weakness in which they live, which facilitates the issue of giving up many of their values for nothing in return, and hastening to reconcile with Israel and open the country to it
- Falsifying history and distorting the awareness of new generations, for example, is the “UNRWA” organization deleting the phrase “Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine” from its curricula to replace it with the phrase “Jerusalem, the Abrahamic City”, as an attempt to change and obscure the identity of children during the formation stage, To be the nucleus for the implementation of this scheme.
- Liquidating the Palestinian cause without any just solutions to it, according to the scheme of cultural, ideological and political transformation[33].
- Utilizing the name of the Prophet Abraham, peace be upon him, given that his mention bears acceptance, sanctity, and rapprochement, and represents what is common between religions.
- Bringing together clerics and politicians (those with acceptance and influence over peoples) to work together for the agreed-upon situation
- Developing a charter, as an alternative to the heavenly sanctities, that includes the common between religions, and it alone has sacredness, to the exclusion of other religions and sanctities.
- Formation of organizational groups They are called “peace families”, and they are spread in conflict countries, to be resolved by applying the joint Abrahamic Charter. ), so that people can get used to it and acquire a kind of holiness, so that those who reject or object to it will be criminalized. , especially in poor countries, to ensure their loyalty to the idea[34].
Fakhry al-Fiqi, head of the Parliament's Plan and Budget Committee, presented a review of the details of the committee's report, pointing out that the customs tariff is one of the pillars on which the economies of countries are built and contributes directly to the economic decision-making of the country. The government is to take all measures and decisions that would protect the national industry from any harmful practices that may affect its competitiveness in facing imported products, whether in the local or foreign markets, using all international mechanisms and legislation to protect the national industry, without prejudice to the terms of the agreements and treaties it has signed. The Arab Republic of Egypt with various countries of the world.
The report of the Parliament's Plan and Budget Committee stated that the philosophy of the republican decision is based on the fact that the customs tariff deals with economic variables at the international and local levels, and works to achieve the goals of productive projects, by striking a balance between factors that stimulate the production and commercial process, whether At the local and global level, through the development of appropriate tax categories for goods imported from abroad, and in response to requests submitted by a number of companies to consider amending the customs tariff categories on some customs items to improve the investment environment in Egypt to treat some customs distortions in order to increase its competitiveness, and accordingly the Secretariat ended The technical committee of the Higher Council for Customs Tariff decided to study the proposals of these companies with representatives of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, where it was agreed on the following:
The draft law aims to use the Financial Supervisory Authority as the supervisory authority for entities that engage in non-banking financial activities of modern and innovative technology in order to facilitate its oversight role on the entities subject to it with regard to adherence to standards of transparency and governance, and the protection of dealers in financial markets. Non-banking and adopting modern and innovative technological tools to facilitate dealing with the non-banking financial sector in the field of using financial technology.
The article stated The first of the draft law states that the Minister of Finance, on behalf of the government of the Arab Republic of Egypt, is authorized to guarantee the Holding Company for Metallurgical Industries with local banks what the holding company obtains in terms of financing to make it available to the Egyptian Iron and Steel Company “under liquidation” to pay the dues of its employees as a result of its liquidation, up to a maximum amount One and a quarter billion pounds.
The second article of the draft law clarified that the amount of financing provided to pay the dues of the employees of the Egyptian Iron and Steel Company “under liquidation” in accordance with the provisions of this law shall be a lien on all the funds of this company, and it shall be met with priority over any other privileged or secured debts.
The intellectual and cultural notebook, in November 2021, sheds light on the issue of the Abrahamic religion, which is one of the Zionist entity's means of normalization with the Arab peoples, by deceiving them with the terms of tolerance and human brotherhood, after the Zionists failed to Breaking through the wall of Arab and Islamic rejection of them. This is in addition to talking about cinema and its role in the phenomenon of violence sweeping Egyptian society, until films became the main accused of spreading this phenomenon.
For more than a year, there has been controversy over the so-called “Abrahamic religion”, after the process of normalization between the UAE, Bahrain and the Zionist entity began, within an agreement known as “Abraham”, or the “Abrahamic Accord”, which was followed by talk of unity The new Abrahamic religions or religion, relative to the Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh), is the idea that the Zionist entity stands behind with planning and guidance, and the Emirati regime adopts it with financing and implementation.
After the failure of the Zionist entity to transform diplomatic, political, and economic normalization with the Arab regimes into popular normalization, and due to its inability to penetrate the wall of Arab and Islamic rejection, it began to try another type of normalization, which is religious normalization, by deceiving the Arab peoples by talking about the religious commonality, and the necessity of tolerance. coexistence and acceptance of the other.
The Abrahamic religion in Egypt was highlighted after the Sheikh of Al-Azhar, “Ahmed Al-Tayyib”, addressed it on November 8, in the speech he delivered at the celebration of the anniversary of the founding of the “Egyptian Family House”, a house that was established to be a symbol For coexistence and tolerance among Egyptians of different religions.
The Sheikh of Al-Azhar justified his raising the issue by his desire to deny any suspicion about the “family house,” and said that this suspicion is “an attempt to confuse the brotherhood of Islam and Christianity in defending the right of the Egyptian citizen to live in security, peace, and stability, confusing this brotherhood with The mixing of these two religions, and the dissolving of the differences and divisions specific to each of them.
It seems that the sheikh feared the connection between the “Egyptian Family House” and the “Abrahamic Family House” project that the UAE intends to establish to achieve the Abrahamic idea, and he wanted to distance himself from the outcome of this project and its suspicious goals, especially since the UAE uses his name to promote the project. As a fruit of the document on human fraternity for world peace and coexistence, which Al-Tayeb signed with the Pope of the Vatican in Abu Dhabi in 2019 [29]. That is why he linked the aforementioned suspicion to what is being raised about the Abrahamic religion, in his indication that this confusion comes at a time when there is talk about Abrahamism or the new Abrahamic religion, which is the approach that aspires to “mix Judaism, Christianity and Islam in one message or one religion that meets on it.” people, and rid them of the scourge of disputes and conflicts that lead to loss of life, bloodshed, and armed wars between people, but rather between people of one religion and believers in one faith.”
The Sheikh of Al-Azhar did not refer to the political starting point of the call to Abrahamicism, but he described the idea as “a call to confiscate the most valuable possession of human beings: freedom of belief, freedom of faith, and freedom of choice, all of which are guaranteed by religions, and emphasized in explicit and clear texts. Then it is a call in which there are many times more distressing dreams than what is in it from the correct understanding of the facts and nature of things.” [30]
Abrahamism is a crucible for melting the three monotheistic religions, Islam, Christianity and Judaism, to produce a new religion from which it claims that peace, human brotherhood and religious commonality will prevail through it, by collecting the points of participation between the three religions and setting aside the points of disagreement. It is natural for Judaism to be the meeting point of the three religions.
The talk about the Abrahamic religion dates back to the nineties of the last century, when the US administration established the “War and Peace Research Program”, and chose the Abrahamic concept to make the Prophet Abraham (PBUH) a component to gather the countries of the Middle East, including the Zionist entity, in order to develop a new religion that helps To resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict, by gathering around the new Abrahamic religion, after the researchers concluded that religious culture, whether Islamic, Christian or Jewish, holds a great place for the Prophet of God, Abraham (PBUH).
This common status was used as a starting point for the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, so that it is based on eliminating the core causes of the conflict, i.e. the historical causes related to land, history, refugees and their rights...etc., and talking only about the structural causes of the conflict, which revolve around identity: (Who are we, Why do we differ when we are one family? Why do we differ when we are cousins?), So we have to renounce conflict and conflict because in one family respect is the basis of interaction [31].
The political science professor, Dr. Essam Abdel Shafi, linking the “Abraham” Accords with the so-called Abrahamic religion, as “a kind of political misinformation, seeking to achieve a degree of legitimacy and legitimacy for this agreement, whose essence is based on normalization and acceptance of the Zionist occupation of Arab lands and the violation of religious sanctities, whether Islamic or Christian.” Or even Judaism in these lands”[32].
In order to achieve the main goal of the Abrahamic call, which is normalization with the Zionists and passing the Zionist occupation of Palestine, the proponents of this idea seek to achieve the following:
To achieve the aforementioned goals, there are mechanisms used by The Zionist entity, in cooperation with the normalizing regimes, led by the Emirates, including the following:
The UAE stands behind the promotion of the Abrahamic religion, to reshape the region, by concealing Arabism and Islam in favor of the Zionist biblical vision, and those interested in this matter believe that The Abrahamic Family House, which Abu Dhabi is establishing, is one of the institutions entrusted with working to enable the project of the new Abrahamic religion.
The UAE has announced the construction of an edifice that combines the three monotheistic religions, and includes a church, a mosque and a synagogue, and is expected to be completed in 2022. The Emirati Higher Committee for Human Fraternity stated that the “Abrahamic Family House” will be a unique symbol of mutual understanding, harmonious coexistence and peace between different People of religions and people of good intentions.
It is noteworthy that the idea of the “Abrahamic House” is not new, as it was previously proposed by the late Egyptian President “Anwar Sadat”, in circumstances similar to the current conditions in which Arab governments are rushing towards normalization, as Sadat launched a project to establish a “Council of Religions”, which includes A mosque, a church, and a temple, which confirms that the idea is an integral part of the project of normalization with the Zionist entity and an attempt to empower it by using religion to deceive the Arab peoples.
The phenomenon of violence is growing in Egypt day after day, and with every crime that occurs on the Egyptian street, people search for the causes of this phenomenon and the factors that lead to its growth in society. Despite the many and varied causes, cinematic films remain on the list of those accused of consolidating this phenomenon and spreading aggressive behavior among Egyptians, especially since scenes of violence have become an integral part of most films whose makers seek material gain at the expense of moral values.
The last of these horrific crimes was on the first of November, when an Egyptian citizen beheaded another citizen in the street, and walked with it in the street, in an unprecedented scene that took several minutes, amid the panic and panic of passers-by who were unable to prevent the crime.
Despite the many factors that lead to such crimes, Egyptians have linked this crime and similar ones to cinematic films that contain violent, bloody scenes, and promote the recovery of rights through bullying and illegal methods. This is consistent with a report issued in January 2019 by the Public Security Sector of the Egyptian Ministry of Interior, which revealed an increase in crime rates, as the crime level increased by 5 percent in 2015, by 7 percent in 2016, and 10 percent in early 2017. In 2018 rates increased by 5 percent. The report attributed the reasons for the high crime rates to the proliferation of firearms, the release of a large number of criminal elements, the prevalence of the phenomenon of social violence, and “the effects resulting from artistic works from cinematic films and soap operas”[35].
Artists have disagreed about accusing works of art of causing an increase in the rate of violence in society. Some of them rejected this accusation, such as the film critic Tariq Al-Shennawy, who justified his rejection of this accusation by saying that “there may be a role for cinema and drama, but the role In directing behavior to committing a crime, there is a secondary role that is not strong,” considering that economic, cultural, social and political conditions are the basis for influencing behavior and not the various dramatic contents shown, indicating that films and dramas express, in one way or another, a social reality or an existing trend.
Some of them supported the accusation, such as the director “Islam Al-Assi”, who confirmed that drama plays a role in creating violence among some people in society, and after many famous young artists assumed the role of a thug, some seek to imitate these models on the ground. And that this type of work, which has become the focus of great interest from Egyptian and Arab producers, has become these days as if it were “fashion” and the new approach of the Arab film industry.
In fact, the artist “Hisham Abdullah” went further, when he asserted that such acts were intended for themselves, adding that the drama of bullying by some famous young artists such as “Mohamed Ramadan” incites violence and the destruction of values. Society, portraying society as a scene of violence, in addition to the absence of religious and moral motives in the media[36].
Regarding what some people raise that cinema conveys social reality, including violence, and not the other way around, the artist, “Mohamed Sobhi,” says that it is the films of violence that convey this to reality and not the other way around as they promote, and that creativity is through presenting an aesthetic vision. , even in ugliness [37]. This is in response to those who say that realism requires conveying what is going on in society as it is, even if it is violent, bloody scenes.
Concerning the scientific opinion on this issue, there are theories on which media experts rely to say that watching violence increases the likelihood of it being committed, including the theory of “aggressive stimulus arousal”, which states that watching aggressive stimuli raises the proportion of physical and emotional arousal, which increases the likelihood of committing violence. and the “learning by sight” theory, which says that people watch violent media content and sometimes imitate it. and the “anchoring” theory, which holds that scenes of violence increase the likelihood that people who perceive violence as normal will commit aggressive actions. and the “cultural implantation” theory, which posits that the symbolic world of media, especially cinema and television, contributes to shaping and maintaining the public’s perception of the real world. In other words, it creates an evil and dangerous fantasy world, and stereotypes people in society[38].
From a psychological point of view, specialists believe that watching violent films has a strong effect on children, and reformulates their concept of the hero. In childhood, a person is subject to reformulation and his behavior can be changed, because his mentality is flexible and easy to influence. Thus, any addition related to the transfer of a person from the role of the victim to the role of the holder of his rights, as happens in the movies, affects the concept of the hero in the child. The more scenes of violence, the more violent behavior the children have.
With regard to adolescents, they have not fully formed a system of ideals and principles, so scenes of violence in cinema open the door to false horizons in dealing with life and getting out of financial, emotional and family problems.
As for adults, the impact of scenes of violence on them is psychological, not behavioral, due to the complete formation of a person's principles, values, and attitudes towards violence and justice, for example. A mature person may suffer from phobias, or see a group of nightmares, and sometimes resorting to violence in a mature person is already available in his psychological structure, and then scenes of violence come as one of the stimuli or motives that provoke that qualification in the first place to violence [39].
The media book for November 2021 deals with the systematic media attack launched by Egyptian media outlets affiliated with the regime against Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris, after he made some statements on the sidelines of the El Gouna Film Festival, which were related to criticizing the country's economic situation through The army's monopoly on some businesses, which is considered competition for the private sector, which led to an attack on it through the media.
The book also deals with the confused media handling of the issue of “popular songs” and festival singers, at times by standing against it with the aim of preserving the state, and at other times by promoting it through powerful media under the pretext of “freedom of creativity”, which ultimately leads to wrong treatment in both cases.
After statements that sparked a lot of controversy, in which he criticized the interference of the Egyptian government and army companies in the private sector in a way that creates unfair competition between the two sectors[40], media professionals close to the Egyptian regime launched a sharp attack on the Egyptian businessman. Naguib Sawiris.
Naguib Sawiris - who has always supported the current authority, with sporadic criticism from time to time, especially on the economic issue - warned in his statements that the Egyptian government's interference in the private sector creates unfair competition between the two sectors.
Sawiris said during an interview with (RT) channel, that “the state should be a regulatory body and not an owner of” economic activity,” adding that “companies owned by the government or the army do not pay taxes.”[41] .
Soon, the media close to the regime dealt with these statements with a large wave of attacks on businessman Naguib Sawiris, to the extent that the matter went beyond attacking his statements about the economy, to taking one of his projects as a platform for attacking him for seemingly flimsy reasons, such as holding parties and driving cars. Reverse the direction of travel.
Sawiris was attacked even though his statements - when we put them in their natural context - were just a reference to the state to draw attention to something, and he did not address accusations of corruption or anything else. As for the person of the speaker, the man does not need a definition because he is a partner of the regime in what he is doing, and one of its great allies who contribute with him in large sectors through declared economic and media activities, and other activities. attack.
However, the attack that took place through the media arms of the ruling regime is mainly aimed at preserving the image that the media has drawn for the Egyptian regime over the past seven years, and it is not acceptable to approach it, despite the state of economic monopoly that occurred by the army in all sectors.
The journalist, who is close to the Egyptian authorities, “Ahmed Moussa”, launched a sharp attack on Naguib Sawiris[42], stressing that he collected all his money from investing in Egypt, and even added to that by presenting his program “On My Responsibility,” on “Sada El-Balad” channel, confirming that Sawiris is the most money-earning person in Egypt from 2014 to 2021, expressing his sorrow for tarnishing Egypt’s image.
The journalist, who is close to the regime, continued, “All Egyptian institutions must be respected by every person in Egypt,” pointing out that Naguib Sawiris must respect all Egyptian institutions. And here it appears clearly what the Egyptian media practices in mixing terms and overlapping definitions.
Naguib Sawiris did not address the Egyptian army with any kind of abuse, nor did he address the state as an entity that should be respected, but the Egyptian media deliberately describes all the practices of the regime as a “patriotic” act that is not subject to discussion or criticism.
It is remarkable that the Egyptian media not only dealt with Sawiris' statements, and attacked him as "offending the homeland", but rather went beyond exploiting the event to settle scores in the "gangs" way, as Ahmed Musa followed in his program that he presents on Sada Al-Balad channel. He received many complaints from the residents of the city of “Sheikh Zayed”, which is affiliated with the Giza Governorate, south of the Egyptian capital, about changing one of Sawiris’ projects, which is “Z Sheikh Zayed Towers”, due to the nature of the quiet area, and the city authorities’ failure to respond to their repeated complaints about the negative impact of the Sawiris project on City.
MP Mustafa Bakri, who is considered one of the most important media arms of the regime, did not fail to take his chances in attacking Sawiris, as he referred to him in his statements about the Egyptian army, saying: “Naguib Sawiris does not stop blaming the state, because it is as He says there is no equality between the public and private sectors. This is talk that lacks objectivity and credibility. The private sector has a major role in the development process, and the biggest evidence of this is Sawiris’ companies with the state and with the armed forces, which stand decisively in the face of attempts by some exploiters to control the sources of production and control the price market. .
As for the other journalist close to the authorities, “Neshat Al-Daihi,” he chose another way to attack Naguib Sawiris, as he said during the presentation of his “Paper and Pen” program on “Ten” channel, that he is filing a complaint on the air against Sawiris for accusing him of presenting loud parties in The “Z” city garden, which he established in Sheikh Zayed, due to disturbing the citizens, he said.
The frequent media reference to the amount of work that Naguib Sawiris does, and the size of his wealth, has indications that the state is the one that maintains this rise for him, and therefore he must be careful in attacking it, which is a security message that the regime directs from time to time to all his associates.
Recently, a crisis appeared on the Egyptian scene that was covered by the media with much interest and interaction, as the issue of the suspension of popular singers or festivals singers was repeated by the Syndicate of Musical Professions headed by the singer “Hani Shaker”, in the context of dealing with the people and the content that Its presentation and its consistency with the customs and traditions of Egyptian society.
The thing related to the content is very important, as it should be dealt with in a comprehensive manner, as the suspension decisions against popular singers did not succeed in preventing the spread of their songs and their reaching the highest levels of viewership on YouTube and various means of communication.
However, what is remarkable during the previous period is the crisis of the popular singer “Omar Kamal”, who was not among those arrested on the union’s schedules, but a crisis followed him recently because of some of his words that he said as a way of “joking with the audience”, during a party held in Jeddah , when he replaced the words “wine and hashish” with the words “dates and milk,” and then commented that they are commensurate with the purity of the Holy Lands, and he means the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
These words could have passed unnoticed in an undirected situation, as is the case in the Egyptian media, which paused at those words a pause similar to the pauses of the security man who is holding an accused accountable, and not the media person who is discussing a case, and that is because the media considered the words “purity.” The Holy Land in Saudi Arabia” means the impurity of the Egyptian lands, which it considered to be punishable.
The journalist, “Ahmed Musa,” in his comment on this incident, called for an investigation with the singer Omar Kamal, because of these words[43], and to bring him to trial for insulting the “homeland,” as the homeland has become the monopoly of the definition They are his, and they have the right to play the role of security men instead of the role of media professionals.
The same role extended to professional syndicates. What the Syndicate of Musical Professions did with popular singers during this period is an extension of the comprehensive role that characterizes the state in all its institutions. The issue of “preserving public taste” is subject to a difference in opinion and is discussed through mechanisms Many, otherwise the issue of prevention in light of the digital world in which we have come to live is ineffective, and it will not work in preventing content that has become popular in an unprecedented way.
However, what is striking about the matter is not the evaluation of mahraganat songs, but rather what Hani Shaker, the head of the Musicians Syndicate, said about banning a number of singers, and his last decision was to refer Omar Kamal to the investigation, as the claim that he did so with patriotic motives, which was promoted by the media In turn, as he cannot criticize anything “patriotic”, and everyone has forgotten the issue of freedom and creativity, which is the basis for the work of artists, and if there are foundations that must be respected and not transgressed, is it logical for them to submit to the mind of the syndicate according to their concept of patriotism?
At the same time that media demands appear to prosecute Omar Kamal because of the words “dates and milk”, one of the most important media figures in Egypt, Sherif Amer, is hosting a festival singer, called “Zustah”, who made a very poor song. And the ugliness is called “Shaima”, which also caused him widespread criticism on the social media space.
Singer Ahmed Shimi criticized the appearance of Zustah with Amer, saying on the social networking site “Twitter”: “Mr. Sherif Amer.. This is a meeting that will never come out of you.. I wish you would apologize.”[44].
Thus, prevention and exclusion take place on the one hand, and “low” content is promoted on the media screens on the other hand, which reflects the confusion experienced by the Egyptian media due to the overlapping of roles and the failure to deal with the matter in a normal way.
[1] The Times of Israel, Israeli generals visit Sinai for a rare public meeting with the Egyptian army, November 9, 2021, https://bit.ly/30VgnqN
[2] Egyptian Armed Forces, Increasing the number and capabilities of border guards in Rafah, November 8, 2021, https://bit.ly/3xkIifL
[3] Arabi 21, An Israeli discrepancy over allowing Egypt to increase its forces in Rafah, November 9, 2021, https://bit.ly/3cOw0TN
[4] Al-Youm Al-Sabea, The Military Spokesman: Increasing the number and capabilities of the Border Guard forces in Rafah, November 8, 2021, https://bit.ly/3ravGqF
[5] Al-Jazeera, What does it mean for the Egyptian army to take control of the entire Sinai by amending the Camp David Agreement?, November 9, 2021, https://bit.ly/3DWskLy
[6] Arabi 21, What is the significance of the agreement between Egypt and the occupation on the security reinforcement in “Rafah”?, November 9, 2021, https://bit.ly/3laGZve
[7] The New Arab, Egyptian military committees are studying new amendments to “Camp David”, November 20, 2021, https://bit.ly/3lbWUJI
[8] Disclose, OPÉRATION SIRLI, 11-21-2021, https://bit.ly/3r6OGGD
[9]TRT Arabic, “Records of Horror.” How was France involved in cybercrime in Egypt?, November 22, 2021, https://bit.ly/3nSkzk7
[10] Youm7, Presidential Spokesman: 10,000 cars loaded with terrorists were destroyed on the western border in 6 years, July 17, 2020, https://bit.ly/3FLsfLa
[11] France 24, Egypt uses misplaced French intelligence assistance, November 22, 2021, https://bit.ly/3reBvUd
[12] France 24, Did Egypt use French intelligence, November 25, 2021, https://bit.ly/3nUbXcH
[13] Human Rights Watch, Documents Alleging France Aided Deadly Egyptian Airstrikes, November 22, 2021, https://bit.ly/3CMygFn
[14] Al-Arabiya Net, Egypt.. 8 sectors are facing a crisis by applying the minimum wage at 2,400 pounds, November 21, 2021, https://bit.ly/3GBqalB
[15] Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, Combined Annual Bulletin, Labor Force Research, June 2021.
[16] Al-Shorouk, Minister of Manpower: 90% of private sector companies apply more than the minimum wage, November 6, 2021.
[17] Masrawy, President of the Private Sector Syndicate: 48% of establishments do not apply the minimum wage, November 9, 2021, https://bit.ly/31ApHAI
[18] Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Egyptian Minister: Putting “iron and steel” lands up for sale in public auctions, November 30, 2021, https://bit.ly/3y1e6GV
[19] Al-Masry Al-Youm, Minister of Business Sector sends a letter to the owners of shares of the lands of the Iron and Steel Company, November 30, 2021, https://bit.ly/3ItU6Sn
[20] Al-Masry Al-Youm, “Representatives” finally approve the draft law on the private sector in infrastructure projects (details), November 15, 2021, https://bit.ly/3GfCIi2
[21] Al-Youm Al-Sabaa, Representatives approve the draft unified finance law, November 15, 2021, https://bit.ly/3Dp6orn
[22] The seventh day, the House of Representatives finally approved the law to combat epidemics and health pandemics, November 16, 2021, https://bit.ly/3lBLq2f
[23] The Egyptian Parliament, Parliament’s harvest, November 25-30, https://bit.ly/3GeLwVz
[24] Masrawy, “Standing Up.” The House of Representatives finally approved the draft private and private universities law, November 30, 2021, https://bit.ly/3ptUlE1
[25] The Seventh Day, the House of Representatives finally approved the draft law on private and private universities, November 30, 2021, https://bit.ly/3olXUgq
[26] Al-Youm Al-Sabaa, Parliament approves the amendment of the customs tariff, November 28, 2021, https://bit.ly/3rAamuV
[27] The Egyptian Parliament, Parliament’s harvest, November 25-30, https://bit.ly/3GeLwVz
[28] Youm7, Representatives approve a government law to guarantee the rights of iron and steel workers, November 30, 2021, https://bit.ly/3DoAbjV
[29] The Higher Committee for Human Fraternity, The Abrahamic Family House, https://bit.ly/3rfaLTq
[30] Sada al-Balad YouTube channel, Sheikh Al-Azhar attacks the Abrahamic religion: its sources of freedom of belief are similar to globalization, November 8, 2021, https://bit.ly/3CLF3PA
[31] Palestine Today, the secrets of the Abrahamic normalization agreement and the new religion, November 7, 2020, https://bit.ly/3l4legv
[32] Al-Jazeera, In defense of religion or in rejection of normalization.. Why did the Sheikh of Al-Azhar attack the “Ibrahimiya”?, November 9, 2021, https://bit.ly/3E7X7VJ
[33] The Center for Arab Unity Studies, Al-Ibrahimiya between Coexistence and Control, https://bit.ly/32h2lAm
[34] The previous source.
[35] Al-Jazeera, The Ismailia crime is an incident that shook Egypt.. What are the reasons?, November 2, 2021, https://bit.ly/31bM3bZ
[36] Al-Jazeera, The Ismailia crime is an incident that shook Egypt.. What are the reasons?, November 2, 2021, https://bit.ly/3pgcFRc
[37] Al-Wafd newspaper, Muhammad Sobhi on the Ismailia incident: The cinema released scenes of bullying and is responsible for the violence, November 5, 2021, https://bit.ly/3I5eBo0
[38] The Islamic Center for Strategic Studies, The Effects of Media on Society from a Social Perspective, April 14, 2021, https://bit.ly/3En9LjV
[39] Al-Ghad, Violence in Cinema Most of It Is Not Employed Technically and Its Effects on Society Are Destructive, July 25, 2011, https://bit.ly/3pgNXQx
[40] BBC, Naguib Sawiris: The Egyptian businessman says the competition between the private sector and the government is uneven, November 21, 2021, https://bbc.in/31zhEUC
[41] Previous source, https://bbc.in/31zhEUC
[42] Sada al-Balad, speaking false information about the homeland.. Ahmed Moussa opens fire on Naguib Sawiris, November 22, 2021, https://bit.ly/3oo2J8W
[43] YouTube, Ahmed Moussa launches an attack on Omar Kamal because of the lyrics of the song Dates and Hashish, December 1, 2021, https://bit.ly/31zfAfs
[44] Al-Masry Al-Youm, Zustah, “Zustah” on the air.. An attack on Sharif Amer because of the owner of Shaima’s clip, December 3, 2021, https://bit.ly/3lGCDw3