(AFP PHOTO)
By Khaled Mahmoud
The Egyptian government’s performance under President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s leadership is positive, but could be better, according to prominent sociologist Saad Eddin Ibrahim.
Ibrahim, who is also founder and secretary general of the Ibn Khaldoun Centre for Development Studies, said current political flaws include pre-trial detention periods that often last between 6 and 12 months.
Ibrahim said this is a violation of freedom and human rights, as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which Egypt was one of the first states to sign in 1948.
The regime and the journalists that support it are focused on the mistakes of civil society, even though they are much less significant than the mistakes of the Egyptian government, he said. He blamed the recent campaigns against civil society organisations on the government which looks for a scapegoat each time there is a crisis or when the people are disappointed with its policies.
When this happens, the government begins looking for a way to absorb this rage, which is sometimes unleashed on civil society, or on minorities including the country’s Shi’a or Bahá’í communities.
Ibrahim said the 25 January Revolution liberated Egyptians’ rage and granted the youth a great opportunity to reform political activities and agenda. It also restored leadership of the Arab world to Egypt and revived Arab economic and political support for Egypt economically and politically, even more so than during the 6 October War. However, Egypt has failed to carry on along the road to democracy, social justice, freedom, and dignity.
