"[In light of the] challenges, [we] cannot tolerate failure." This is how Egyptian Prime Minister
Ibrahim Mehleb described the circumstances faced by his government.
This is the eighth government since the January 25 Revolution, the third since the June 30 Revolution, and the first in the era of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Furthermore, theoretically, it's the last government before the parliamentary elections that will bring forth a government from the parliamentary majority.
It seems that Mehleb realizes the size of the challenges he faces. The new government was formed in light of hopes pending for three years from wide segments of the Egyptian people regarding an improvement in their living conditions, the restoration of security on the street, and addressing external crisis. In particular, the latter include crises relating to the Nile Basin [countries], relations with the US and Europe, and other tasks the new government must face.
But more importantly, the second Mehleb government comes after the Egyptian people have fulfilled all their duties toward the authorities, which supports their demands for these "delayed claims." Egyptians responded to all the calls made by the authorities after the ouster of former President Mohammed Morsi on July 3, 2013. They authorized the army to fight terrorism [via mass protests] on July 26, based on a call from the then-Minister of Defense and current President Sisi. Next, they headed to the polls to vote in support of the constitution, in order to achieve stability. They also gave Sisi the vast majority of votes — nearly a consensus — in the presidential elections, considering him a strong president able to achieve the goals of the January 25 and June 30 revolutions.
Thus, the government no longer has any pretext for postponing popular demands. The people did their duty, according to what the state wanted, and all that is left is for the state to fulfill its duty to the people.
On the other hand, the deadline granted to the Mehleb government seems very short. This is not only because the public's patience is obviously exhausted (employed holders of master's degrees and doctorates protested outside the Council of Ministers' building the same day the government was sworn in), but also because of the nature of a temporary government. The latter ends with the legislative elections, when the parliament convenes and entrusts a new government to represent the parliamentary majority.
However, the Mehleb government tried to present itself as a nonstandard government, or a "government of warriors," in the prime ministers' words. The ministers met at 7 a.m. on June 17 to take the constitutional oath, and then held their first meeting, where they took a number of urgent measures, such as clearing the roads of street vendors. This suggests that the government will work diligently to address the problems facing Egyptians. But these steps remain a symbolic formality that lack value until they are linked to real achievements, especially since the government did not propose any new policies.
This is confirmed by political science professor Hassan Nafaa, who told As-Safir: "The challenges facing the new government are the same old challenges. [The challenges] don't affect the government [alone], rather the entire regime. The question arises: is the current [government] more capable of confronting challenges that the previous government? Not only in terms of figures, but concerning policies as well. Change in the government — both at the level of individuals and policies — remains limited. Waking up early [to hold meetings], and slogans of fighting corruption and nepotism are for purposes of propaganda and they existed in the past. Perhaps had Sisi himself taken on the role of prime minister, in addition to president of the republic, this would have given a strong message."
As for the actions that the government can take quickly to gain the public's trust, Nafaa said that what is most important is "prosecuting all who were involved in the theft of public money, recovering the state's looted funds, applying a strict minimum and maximum wage without exceptions, and implementing procedures to prevent the sons of officials from receiving posts. This is in addition to improving the human rights situation, addressing the transitional justice file and organizing social resistance to terrorism, not only confrontation by the security forces."
He added, "If these actions are taken by the government, it will gain the trust of the public and popular support." He pointed out that "there is truly a climate of optimism surrounding the new strong president, but the major challenges have yet to begin."
It seems as if the new government in Egypt is in real trouble. One the one hand it is trapped between the hopes of Egyptians and its temporary nature and traditional formation … yet it has what is needed [to take action] if it wanted.
In this context, Egyptian journalist Abdullah al-Sinawi told As-Safir that "the new government can in fact succeed, provided that it does not raise the ceiling of expectations beyond what can be done."
He added: "What we really have is an extension of the previous government and not a new government. It could be considered a caretaker government until parliament convenes. Therefore, we should not expect major changes. Yet [the government] can achieve noticeable improvement that could be felt by the citizens regarding some matters. This is the case for issues relating to security and foreign policy, especially relating to Africa and the US. Moreover, they can achieve limited economic improvement."
Sinawi noted: "One cannot bet on the new government carrying out a process of national reconciliation, nor on huge changes in terms of social justice." He clarified that "the new government is a government of technocrats, and some of the ministerial portfolios are controversial. The ministers are not joined by common political vision. Also, Sisi's speech was a speech of commitments, not one of clear policies."
Nevertheless, Sinawi believes that "the greatest danger is the depletion of opportunities. Each step brings about hope, yet is followed by frustration." He added, "Something about the new formation of the government is frustrating, but it's not catastrophic. There is one last chance before the parliamentary elections, and there are things [the government] can do quickly, such as reconsidering the law on demonstrations according to the observations of the National Council for Human Rights, and issuing a presidential pardon for those imprisoned under this law. There are also urgent social measures [that could be taken], such as canceling the debts of farmers and restarting companies that have stopped operations. Farmers are in need of positive messages, even if these messages are limited. There are also calls to stop the strikes to give an opportunity to the government. But those calls must be accompanied by concrete steps from the government toward the poor."
Despite its limited chances and the challenges it faces, the government that was sworn in at 7 a.m. has an opportunity. This is not an opportunity to change the situation, or even improve it, but rather to prove that the ruling regime is moving in the direction of the hopes of ordinary citizens. But the true irony is that the new government will begin its work by applying the new budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year, and this budget lowers energy subsidies by 40 billion Egyptian pounds [$5.6 billion]. This means it is possible that electricity bills and the price of fuel will rise, leading to an increase in the price of many goods and services. This is the opposite of what many expect from the government, and in this case the protests will not be limited to those holding master's degrees and doctorates.
Source/Fuente: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2014/06/egypt-new-government-ch...
