CAIRO: “People have to understand that their livelihoods are related to politics, former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed ElBaradei said on Dream TV’s daily magazine show “Al-Ashera Masa’an Sunday.
This was ElBaradei’s first live interview since his arrival to Cairo on Friday amid a huge popular welcome at Terminal 3.
“Ninety-nine percent of Egyptians want change, the poor and the rich, the young and the old, they all believe that change is necessary and urgent and mandatory, he told show host Mona El-Shazly.
In her introduction to the interview, El-Shazly said that while there were many reasons why she would want to interview ElBaradei, this particular interview is concerned with the possibility of the former IAEA chief running in the next presidential elections of 2011.
She was especially encouraged by the contrasting media reactions to ElBaradie’s possible nomination, with the state-owned press dubbing him “The Swedish President of Egypt while the opposition and independent press hailed him as “Egypt’s Savior.
Hundreds of Egyptians headed to Cairo airport last Friday to welcome ElBaradei and show their support for him as Egypt’s next president.
Commenting on the reception, ElBaradei said, “I found a miniature Egypt, people from all walks of life were there, young people, women wearing the niqab, or hijab or not veiled at all, intellectuals, peasants, people of diverse ages and classes.
He added that he was heartened by the fact that the majority were young people in their twenties “who are looking for hope and they found in me a symbol for a better future.
A representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had also welcomed ElBaradei at the airport and told him that President Hosni Mubarak organized a special reception for him at the VIP lounge.
“Does this tell you that President Mubarak is giving you his blessings and telling you we don’t object to your nomination?
“Anything is possible, ElBaradei replied.
Later, he said, “I don’t have an army or anything.I have an idea, which is to help people exercise their freedom and for there to be social justice.
Despite having to leave the airport through the VIP lounge because of the thronging crowds, ElBaradei still drove up to greet the people.
However, some pundits, said El-Shazly, interpreted this as a metaphor of the general attitude of aloofness in dealing with ordinary people, choosing to address them from a distance instead of asserting his presence among them.
“I had to escape the security to be able to go back and greet the people in my car; it was like a stampede and I was afraid someone would get hurt, he explained, adding that “in Egypt I walk without security or bodyguards.
Playing the devil’s advocate throughout, El-Shazly stressed that against the hundreds welcoming ElBaradei, there were millions who didn’t. She then aired a report juxtaposing sound bites of those who were at the airport with those who weren’t.
“We are waiting for him to change Egypt, said a man in his 20s from Suez, while others asked, “Who is he? We don’t know him.
ElBaradei’s comment was that the political authorities have succeeded in distancing the people from any interest in public life, adding that politics is the last thing on people’s minds.
“They have no say when it comes to the country’s politics.for 50 years no one had a say in who would rule us, ElBaradei said.
Although many among the educated elite see ElBaradei as the knight who will save the country from the ruling regime, ElBaradei himself finds this to be an incorrect perception.
“Because there is no democracy, people don’t understand what it is. They are looking at one person to bring democracy into the country, he said.
“[Democracy is to move] from a Pharaonic regime which has been in the country for the past 7,000 years to ruling through institutions and good governance, he said.
Novelist Alaa El-Aswany who phoned in, said that while ElBaradei represents hope, “he is no magician, adding that the country is in dire need of real change but we can’t look at only one person for this.
“It is only natural for someone like ElBaradei to step up and take some action when he sees the conditions his country is in, deteriorating from bad to worse, Hassan Nafa’a, political science professor and prolific columnist, said.
