CEDA reviews role of reforms in diversification of economy and surge in non-oil revenues    79 hospitality facilities in Makkah and Madinah face penalties for closure order violations    Saudi Arabia hosts large-scale iftar banquets in Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, and Malaysia    Saudi Arabia records 23,865 violations in nationwide residency and labor law inspections    S&P upgrades Saudi Arabia's credit rating to A+    Trump orders 'decisive' military action against Houthis in Yemen    US Senate passes Republican spending bill to avert government shutdown    Zelenskyy says territorial control key to peace talks, rejects recognition of occupied regions    Pakistan says train hijacking death toll rises to 30, accuses India and Afghanistan of supporting militants    Al Nassr climbs to third with dominant win over Al Khaleej, Al Qadsiah slips after loss to Damac    Power bank likely caused South Korea plane fire, investigators say    Makkah Lanterns Festival returns for the eighth year as part of Ramadan activities    Crown Prince receives Yazeed Al-Rajhi after historic Dakar Rally 2025 victory    SR17 million fines slapped on 16 individuals and companies convicted of violating Capital Market Law    Saleh Al-Shehri's late penalty rescues Al Ittihad against Al Riyadh    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Man lives for 100 days with titanium heart in successful new trial    Argentinian court begins trial of seven healthcare professionals over Maradona's death    Singer Wheesung who wooed Korea with his ballads, found dead at 43    Prince Frederik of Luxembourg dies from rare disease    Real-life shipwreck story wins major book award    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    









Egypt struggle seen costing Morsi, even if he wins
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 08 - 12 - 2012

CAIRO – The crisis unleashed by President Mohamed Morsi's bid to wrap up Egypt's transition on his own terms has eroded his nation's faith in their nascent democracy and will complicate the already unenviable task of government.
His effort to drive through a constitution against the wishes of major sections of society, including a Christian minority, has damaged prospects for building consensus needed to tackle challenges ahead, such as fixing a broken economy.
Having promised to be a president for all, Morsi stands accused of putting the interests of his group, the Muslim Brotherhood, ahead of others who say their aspirations are not reflected in the draft to be put to a Dec. 15 referendum.
On the other side, suspicions harbored by Islamists toward their secular-minded opponents have only deepened as a result of the turmoil ignited by Morsi's effort to fast-track the final stage of the transition from Hosni Mubarak's rule.
With the more extreme among them opposed to the very notion of democracy, the Islamists say their rivals are not respecting the rules of the game that put them in the driving seat by winning free and fair elections.
People anxious to see Egypt recover from two years of turbulence fear bad blood could persist and squash hopes for cooperation needed to help Mursi rule smoothly and deliver much-needed reforms.
“If they succeed in the referendum, they will see that as a step forward, but not without cost,” said a Western diplomat.
Though Morsi won international praise for mediating a truce in Gaza, the violence on his own streets worries the West and particularly the United States, which has given Cairo billions of dollars in military and other aid since Egypt made peace with Israel in 1979. US President Barack Obama told Morsi Thursday of his “deep concern” about casualties during protests.
A victim of the polarization could be the Brotherhood's plans to forge electoral alliances with liberals in forthcoming parliamentary polls.
The head of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party told Reuters this week he saw such alliances as preferable to an ideological tie-up with other Islamists.
The divisions are now playing out in the streets. Seven people were killed and hundreds wounded this week in clashes between Islamists and their rivals.
“We said that this state of polarisation, if it was not dealt with properly, would reach this point, and it has,” said Ayman Al-Sayyad, who quit his post as a Morsi adviser Wednesday following an eruption of violence.
“This was the scene that we were trying to avoid,” he added in an interview with Al-Hayat television.
The inclusive image Morsi had tried to build around his administration was one of the first victims of the crisis that mushroomed following a Nov. 22 decree that expanded his powers and protected his decisions from judicial review.
A Christian and a woman were among the first to resign from his staff, as surprised by the decree as most Egyptians. Despite an early bout of violence, Morsi showed no sign of wavering and appeared to brush off his critics.
“I see things more than they do,” he told Time.
With speculation swirling around how he took the decision, Egyptians long suspicious of the Brotherhood have concluded Mursi is running the country at the group's command.
In response, the Islamists complain that many of Morsi's attempts at outreach were rebuffed early on. Their view of the opposition has grown dimmer through the crisis. Brotherhood members have started to dismiss opponents as “feloul”, meaning “remnants” – a pejorative implying loyalty to Mubarak.
“The really unfortunate side effect of the last two weeks is the political atmosphere has become really toxic. I fear that could endure long past the current crisis,” said Elijah Zarwan, a fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations.
“The next government is going to have to move very quickly to address many problems and it will need cooperation. In the current atmosphere, it is hard to imagine others cooperating.”
Such cooperation will be at a premium for introducing policies aimed at reining in a crushing budget deficit and staving off a balance of payments crisis. Egypt's economy has lost $70 billion to $80 billion of economic output since Mubarak was ousted, in one economist's estimate.
Top of the economic to-do list are measures to cut back on fuel subsidies - one of the biggest drains on state finances. Tweaks to such support are bound to be unpopular in a nation where both rich and poor have grown used to cheap petrol.
“He has inherited an economy that is weak and needs serious surgery, so he is going to have to make controversial decisions over the next year or so,” said Simon Kitchen, strategist at EFG-Hermes, an Egyptian investment bank.
“Ideally you want to do that in an environment where you have some sort of political consensus,” he said.
Some subsidy reform and other steps to cut waste are part of a programme agreed in principle with the International Monetary Fund for $4.8 billion loan designed to support the budget.
The IMF board meets on Dec. 19 to discuss approval of the loan, which would be seen by investors as a seal of approval for the government's reform programme.
Besides the economy, Morsi needs wider backing to tackle other problems including a judiciary which his opponents agree needs overhaul.
But even when he sacked the unpopular, Mubarak-era prosecutor general, Morsi was criticized for showing an autocratic streak in the way he went about it. – Reuters


Clic here to read the story from its source.