The climate of relative freedom inspired by Egypt’s upcoming presidential election has emboldened many to deliver harsh judgments of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s nine years in office, mainly related to his handling of the economy and style of governance.
A former army general first elected to office in 2014, Mr El Sisi is yet to announce whether he will run for a third term, but it is almost certain that he will.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, a win is virtually certain for the 68-year-old leader. But the nation’s worst economic crisis in living memory, mounting criticism of his policies and a string of embarrassing revelations abroad are chipping away at the invincibility he once enjoyed.
Ramping up pressure on Mr El Sisi, the new chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ben Cardin threatened over the weekend to block military aid to Egypt – which runs at $1.3 billion annually – if it does not take concrete steps to improve human rights in the country.
The threat follows last month’s indictment of his predecessor, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, over embarrassing allegations that he wielded his influence to aid Egypt’s government in exchange for bribes.
Mr El Sisi and his government have publicly remained silent on Mr Menendez's case, which has been unconvincingly dismissed by pro-government commentators as part of the rivalry between the Democrats and Republicans in the US.
Neither have they commented on the findings of North American researchers that authorities have spied on the phone of the most outspoken critic of Mr El Sisi, former MP Ahmed Tantawy, after he declared his intention to run against the president in the December election.
However, the Egyptian leader’s reaction to criticism of his policies at home has been described as dramatic.
“This is what we have done, but you have a chance to effect change in the next election. I am serious!” Mr El Sisi said on Saturday after his Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, spoke at length of the government’s achievements in the nine years since the president took office.
Calling his detractors “liars, saboteurs and wicked”, the Egyptian leader sought to rebuff criticism of the multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects he has undertaken since taking office, which are described by critics as unnecessary, extravagant and major contributors to Egypt’s economic crisis.
“Don’t you Egyptians dare say you would rather eat than build and progress,” Mr El Sisi said. “If the price of the nation’s progress and prosperity is to go hungry and thirsty, then let us not eat or drink.
“Don’t undermine the cause of our nation and make us the world’s laughing stock. Stand fast and transform the cruel circumstances we are going through into a gift. The harder you stand fast, the sooner it (economic crisis) will pass,” he said on Saturday, the first day of a three-day forum during which, according to Mr El Sisi, the story of Egypt since 2011 will be told from the state’s perspective.
With most of Egypt’s 105 million people struggling to cope with soaring food prices – inflation was at nearly 40 per cent in August – Mr El Sisi’s message to Egyptians to make do with even less may be seen by some as unrealistic, or even odd.
However, it is somewhat predictable, given Mr El Sisi's persistent narrative that blames his country’s economic crisis entirely on the coronavirus pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Critics, however, contend that the president’s argument is designed to shift the blame away from his government’s overspending and excessive borrowing – foreign debt stands at a staggering $160 billion – to finance dozens of mega projects, including a new capital in the desert east of Cairo, a resort city on the Mediterranean and expensive and cutting-edge commuter trains and a monorail.
“What kind of country do you want to live in? Do you want to build Egypt and make it a nation of note, or not? Do you consider building an adventure? Do you consider reform an adventure?” Mr El Sisi said on Saturday.
The president's message that Egyptians should make do with less for the sake of the nation is being repeated, in different phrasing, by dozens of content creators across social media pages that have popped up in recent weeks to support Mr El Sisi in the December vote.
One of those pages – “Admirers of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi” – berated Egyptians who are complaining of how inflation eroded their purchasing power, even of basic food items.
“There are people who judge things in terms of cooking oil, sugar and yoghurt, but I see Egypt as a nation, a secure nation, a worthy entity, even if I go to bed hungry.”
Another similar page – “The Road to the New Republic” – also shared messages of support for the president.
“Why are you linking your love for Egypt to your standard of living? Will you hate your parents if they have a limited income?”
Others would try to strike fear in the heart of Egyptians, warning, as Mr El Sisi himself has done countless times, that political instability would plunge Egypt into a fate similar to that suffered by other countries in the region, like Syria, Iraq, Libya and Sudan.
“Eating a plain piece of bread while living in dignity in my own country is better than bread filled with everything that I eat while living at a refugee camp.”
Other pages simply label critics of Mr El Sisi as treasonous, supporters of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, or power-hungry.
These Facebook groups, as well as the narrative adopted by Mr El Sisi himself, pander to the aversion to change and fear of instability many Egyptians feel, particularly after the years of turmoil that followed the uprising that forced long-serving autocrat Hosni Mubarak to step down in 2011.
But opposition politicians who do not wish to see Mr El Sisi stay in office for another six years are insisting that it is change that Egypt needs the most now.
“Egypt cannot endure the continuation of the present policies and we don’t want to return to the days of chaos,” said Imad Gad, a spokesman for the opposition Liberal Trend, a coalition of opposition parties.
“Egypt needs a new president. El Sisi has done everything he can to protect Egypt and must be offered our thanks. Ten years are enough.”
Another senior politician, former MP Mohamed Anwar Al Sadat, warned that Egypt could be divided or even plunged into chaos because of the economic crisis and the lack of genuine democratic rule.
“We need free and fair elections that are not engineered in advance. A vote that guarantees a just political environment. An election with results that are not known in advance and which are held in a competitive framework,” Mr Al Sadat said.
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
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more from Janine di Giovanni
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Fringe@Four Line-up
October 1 - Phil Nichol (stand-up comedy)
October 29 - Mandy Knight (stand-up comedy)
November 5 - Sinatra Raw (Fringe theatre)
November 8 - Imah Dumagay & Sundeep Fernandes (stand-up comedy)
November 13 - Gordon Southern (stand-up comedy)
November 22 - In Loyal Company (Fringe theatre)
November 29 - Peter Searles (comedy / theatre)
December 5 - Sinatra’s Christmas Under The Stars (music / dinner show)
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
The biog:
Languages: Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, basic Russian
Favourite food: Pizza
Best food on the road: rice
Favourite colour: silver
Favourite bike: Gold Wing, Honda
Favourite biking destination: Canada
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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The Saga Continues
Wu-Tang Clan
(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)
In The Heights
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Stars: Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manual Miranda
Rating: ****
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
