Egyptian Chronicles: The return of cronies : Ahmed Ezz writes Op-ed and Hussein Salem speaks to TV "‘Updated"
The return of cronies : Ahmed Ezz writes Op-ed and Hussein Salem speaks to TV "‘Updated"
Yes , you read it right in the headline.
Infamous former NDP leading figure and steel tycoon Ahmed Ezz is back to write op-eds about the economic situation in Egypt.
Last week , we found Ezz among the guest writers in Daily Al-Masry Al-Youm in Op-eds section speaking about his optimism during the current economic crisis in Egypt in a letter to the editor-in-chief.
"A Call for optimism !!" the former leading NDP member wrote about the Egyptian economy.
According to his experience as an industrialist and a businessman as well the head of planning and budget committee in the People's assembly for a whole decade , Ezz is telling the Egyptian people not to worry because everything will be right according to numbers.
The Pro-regime media and supporters spread his call as a testimony of an experienced businessman.
This is not the first Ezz writes about op-eds in newspapers.
Many people including me remember how he wrote a long op-ed that was published in Youm 7 website and Al-Ahram newspaper "2 pages spread" about how the National Democratic Party led by ousted Mubarak won the controversial 2010 parliamentary elections fairly !!!
I notice that he always uses "A Call for ...." in his op-eds.
It is worth to mention that Ezz op-ed about the NDP was published on 24 December 2010 ,a month before the 25 January protests would kick off paving the way for the Tahrir revolution that raised the slogan "Bread, Freedom and Social Justice"
Some considersEzz' op-ed in 2016 as an attempt to return back to the scene after his attempt to run for parliament was rejected in September 2015.
His op-ed was top read in Al-Masry Al-Youm for days till it was toppled by journalist Mohamed Abu El-Ghait's powerful op-ed about the true economic and social crisis in Egypt using official numbers just Ezz. Abu El-Ghait destroys the myths presented by Ezz whether in 2010 or in 2016.
It is worth to mention that his wife , businesswoman Shahinaz El-Naggar ran for the parliament and lost as well.
Anyhow, Ezz is not the only Mubarak regime icon that made a comeback last week.
Hussein Salem and family are back to the media.
After few hours , Hussein Salem and his son as well his daughter will have their first long TV interview after the reconciliation with the Egyptian government in August.
The Salems are going to appear with Amr Adeeb in his first appearance on ONTV after 2 decades of working in Orbit network.
Adeeb is a friend of the Salems and he interviewed him a couple of times before including one in Spain.
He interviewed the whole family this time including his son and his daughter in Madrid.
The big Salem says he won't return to Egypt.
Needless to say , this interview will be another one where they defend themselves in front of the Egyptians.
Salem had an interview with Wael Al-Abrashi also in Spain from a year ago on Dream TV.
Interestingly , the Salems are appearing on ONTV after it was acquired by steel as well media "lately" mogul Ahmed Abu-Hashima.
Abu-Hashima is very close to the Egyptian presidency , in case you forget.
I should have written something about Abu-Hashim and his growing media empire because it is so interesting on many levels but I am lazy.
Hussein Salem and family spoke on TV and honestly I have conflict feelings from anger and pity.
Salem seems to be recovering from sort of stroke that affected his ability to speak or move.
He can bearly talk while sitting in a wheelchair.
He believes that 25 January was a "Muslim Brotherhood/Qatari" trick and he believes things are going to be great under Sisi's rule.
His son Khaled and daughter Magda did all the talking.
They are claiming that they are broke and have nothing except about USD 147 million , which is more than one billion Egyptian pound.
That interview recorded in Madrid in the summer was before the decision to lift their names from the travel ban list.
I felt sorry when his son Khaled cried about his teenage son who died earlier because of cancer.
That was probably, the only honest thing Khaled Salem did for real in that interview.
Other than that , I have a huge problem with the amount of crap said about how poor they are when they are going to return to Egypt and manage their hotels above them the famous Jolie Ville hotel in Sharm El-Sheikh.
For several hours "#Hussein_Salem" hashtag in Arabic was top trending in Egypt in a negative way.
Egyptian people are not stupid.
What did Queen Marie Antoinette say in France before she was executed by insistence of the people? "They are hungry? They are upset? Let them eat cake"
This phrase originally appeared in Book VI of the first part (finished in 1767, published in 1782) of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's putative autobiographical work, Les Confessions: "Enfin je me rappelai le pis-aller d'une grande princesse à qui l'on disait que les paysans n'avaient pas de pain, et qui répondit: Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" ("Finally I recalled the stopgap solution of a great princess who was told that the peasants had no bread, and who responded: 'Let them eat brioche' OR it may have been a cliche only!
Thanks,interesting article and waiting for the one on "Abu Hashima's growing empire" ...am from the old school not used to the IT terminology .