"Lights and Shadows" of Mohammed Morsi’s oath in Tahrir Square
Cairo (AsiaNews) - The oath of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi in front of "his" people, gathered in Tahrir Square in Cairo, contains lights and shadows, "positive and negative" elements. Now, we must "wait and see" future developments, especially in the power struggle "behind the scenes" with the army, to understand who will really hold power. Speaking to AsiaNews Fr. Greiche Rafiq, spokesman for the Egyptian Catholic Church, which outlines several "interesting" elements in yesterday's speech by the new head of state. Morsi was acclaimed by a cheering crowd of tens of thousands of supporters who rushed into the square that was the symbol of revolt against the Mubarak regime and the military's power. He managed to inflame the minds of his supporters with blatant gestures, such as when he unbuttoned his shirt, showing he was not wearing a bullet-proof vests. "Because - said the Muslim leader - I fear only God."
Mohammed
Morsi is scheduled to take his oath later this morning before the Constitutional
Supreme Court and the state institutions. From
this moment he is formally conferred with the powers vested in the office,
after the victory at the polls last week the Muslim Brotherhood candidate. Afterwards,
the Egyptian president is expected at Cairo University, where he will deliver a
speech - yet another in a few days - last stop, an army base for the transfer
of power from the military. However,
the events of today seem only a corollary to the central event - both political
and personal - that took place yesterday: Morsi was sworn in as new head of
state before the crowd of supporters, who packed into Tahrir Square. He
told them he would not give up "the powers conferred by them" -
despite the army moves in recent days to curtail the functions of the President
- and foster the ideal of a "civil and nationalist"
nation.
Commenting
on Mohammed Morsi's words, spokesman for the Egyptian Catholic Church focuses
on "lights and shadows", starting from the oath "in Tahrir
Square in front of his people, even before the formal act" today in the
presence of the institutions of the country . For Fr. Greiche
this is a "negative" factor, because he took the oath yesterday in the
square in front of his supporters" who are not "the whole population
of Egypt." Added
to this tension "with the Military Council", exacerbated in the last
hours: "To swear in the street, before your people - said the priest -
before the institutions", is in some way a promise of "fidelity to
the supporters, to
your group before the entire nation of Egypt. " Another
"downside" is the request for the release or the promise to negotiate
the release of Omar Abdul Rahman, considered the instigator of the first attack
on the Twin Towers in New York in 1993.
However,
the spokesman of the Egyptian Church also points to some "positive"
aspects contained in the speech, from the fact that he did not refer to people
speaking of "my people", using an Arabic word often abused in the
past. Instead,
he reiterated what was mentioned in recent days: the purpose of being president
"of all" Egyptians, "Muslims and Christians", emphasizing
the value of the minority, as well as the promise for the appointment of a
Christian and a woman the
vice-presidency. Fr. Greiche
also cites the passage in which he Morsi recalled the value "of artists
and arts", the importance of writers, film and culture. To
strengthen the country's economy, he adds, the reference to "tourism"
as a key driver of the nation and its growth.
However,
a last and perhaps most important element remains, to better understand future
developments in Egypt and power relations within it. The
spokesman of the Catholic Church points out that "going beyond the
sentimental speeches of the president," we must assess the nature of the relationship
with the military and what differences may emerge in the near future. "If
they continue like this - warns Fr. Greiche - we will soon have problems."
Meanwhile
on social networks Egyptians are following comments on the oath scheduled for
today and the fact that there will be no live coverage. There
are hundreds of Twitter posts, some of them ironic regarding the mood of Army
head General Tantawi. What
is certain is that lack of coverage of his oath before the institutions today,
compared to the wide echo of the speech and oath in the square yesterday, are
not good omens for Egypt's new post- military presidency and Morsi. (JL)
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