Egypt needs a president who has the charisma of Gamal Abdel Nasser, but without his mistakes. Charisma here is in the sense where a man who lost a war, ceding Jerusalem, the West Bank, Sinai, Gaza, and the Golan, dies and yet five million people come out at his funeral, while a man who won a war and crossed the Suez Canal was assassinated as his "reward," and foreign leaders came out in his funeral. Gamal Abdel Nasser went to Syria when unity was declared with Egypt, and there, the Syrians carried Nasser's car with him in it. He did not need any intelligence services of any kind because all Arabs followed him, and yet, he ruled through intelligence services that trampled over the law and civil liberties. Worse still, Gamal Abdel Nassar had two models to choose from: Western-style capitalism and prosperous economy, and the starving socialist or communist bloc, so he chose the latter and ruined Egypt's economy. Nationalizing industry and commerce in the 1960s made Egypt poorer, and put workers on the boards of directors, which meant that at each meeting, the workers would ask for a raise. As a result, Egyptian goods became uncompetitive and factories were closed. Equally bad is the fact that Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the press, that is to say, stifled the freedom of opinion, when he was the last one to need such decisions. Indeed, the Egyptian and Arab peoples all supported him. As a result, many Arab countries followed in Egypt's footsteps in nationalizing the media and stifling free speech. I note Gamal Abdel Nasser's mistakes as I saw them with my own eyes, and saw their results, as I became a journalist and writer. These mistakes, however, do not mean that I deny the overwhelming charisma of the late Egyptian president, and Egypt's need for a leader like him who can rally the Egyptians around him and restore Egypt's leading Arab role. Will we see in Abdel-Fattah al-SiSi a second Gamal Abdel Nasser? I don't know, but I hope so. I believe General Sisi will most probably win the presidential election in the first round, if he indeed runs, but I hope not by winning 99 percent of the vote. All Egyptians know what the next president of Egypt has to do, perhaps with the exception of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has exacerbated every Egyptian problem or crisis many times over in their one-year stint in power, which will never be repeated in all likelihood. The next president of Egypt must remain a modest countryman, and then he needs to act immediately to heal the Egyptian economy. In truth, this is an easy task despite overpopulation and limited resources in Egypt, because the capable countries of the Gulf will help Egypt, and have indeed done so immediately after the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood, a group that has conspired against every Arab country where it find collaborators. Today in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood is engaged in terrorism, sabotage, and deception, contradicting the words of God and the ways of his Prophet. Meanwhile, there can be no economic success without order and security. Addressing the chaos that ensued after the fall of the Mubarak regime and the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood must be a priority for the new administration, one that is as important as the economy. Will we see in Egypt a democracy that can accommodate all citizens and an the independent rule of law, or the third estate, which would serve as the referee between the executive and legislative branches? Moreover, democracy cannot be complete without a fourth estate, that is, the print and audio-visual media, which should be free within the confines of the law, monitoring the three other estates. One final point: Egypt suffers from corruption, which used to be limited to senior figures under Hosni Mubarak, but became widespread from top to bottom under the Muslim Brotherhood. The new president will gain instant popularity if he declares a war on corruption, as soon as he takes the helm. This popularity, in turn, will facilitate his efforts to deliver what is needed, on the economy, security, and freedoms. Will Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi become the new Gamal Abdel Nasser, without the late leader's mistakes? I have no definitive answer, but if I were Egyptian, I would vote for him. [email protected]
