'A Decent Life' Initiative; That's How Sisi Shows the Egyptians a Cheap Trick
At a time when Egyptians fear the consequences of the Ethiopian GERD crisis and are terrified of its potential losses, Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi organized a major public celebration in Egypt's biggest football stadium.
In a legendary scene directed by a Hollywood reporter and amidst soundtracks, Sisi entered Cairo Stadium with a military move on the evening of July 15, 2021, until he reached the crowd gathered in the stands since the early morning, which did not stop chanting "We love you Sisi."
Addis Ababa insists on a second filling of the dam with water, believed to be in July and August, nearly a year after the first filling, even if it does not reach an agreement.
Cairo and Khartoum are committed to first reaching a tripartite agreement, to preserve their water installations and to ensure that their annual share of the Nile continues to flow.
Five Paradoxes
Observers considered Sisi's huge celebration in conjunction with the Nile water crisis a major paradox, pointing to a second problem by mobilizing some 100,000 Egyptians at Cairo Stadium, without precautionary measures in light of the outbreak of the Corona pandemic.
On the other hand, they explained that the security authorities insist on preventing gatherings, weddings, funerals and football fans, the latest of which was to prevent the attendance of the football team matches at Al Ahli Club, Pyramids and Zamalek in African championships as well as the league and the local cup.
The third irony, according to observers, is the state of great extravagance that seemed to be celebrated, as for four hours’ fireworks, food distribution, Egypt flags and pictures of Sisi were launched on participants after being transported by bus from all provinces.
In addition to live television broadcasting on most Egyptian and private satellite channels, a project is being promoted in which it is supposed to serve Egypt's rural poor.
In the context of the high cost, the ceremony, which was attended by members of the House and Senate, public figures, media professionals, artists and party youth, was assigned to the private security company African Security and Guard, to tighten security control of the conference.
The fourth irony, monitored by Egyptian observers, is Sisi’s smiling appearance, launching popular proverbs as a masterful actor who addresses the army and police, then women, workers and peasants, and plays on the chord of patriotism.
He also called on them not to talk about the crisis of the Renaissance Dam, saying: "Live your lives", "Stop my kittens", and "Rest assured and do not believe all that is being said".
Sisi said today as a declaration of the new republic, stressing: "The army and I must go first so that (Egypt) gets something for it."
He tried to tickle the feelings of the masses by announcing a red line for Egypt's security that could not be crossed, and reassured Egyptians in the water crisis with the measures carried out inside the country to slow down the canal and desalination of sewage.
Meanwhile, on the same day of the conference, Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli met with a delegation from the Norwegian renewable energy company Scatek to discuss cooperation in desalination.
At his conference, Sisi appealed to Ethiopia for a binding agreement in the Nile water crisis, turning to the Ethiopian side, saying that exercising wisdom and a tendency to peace does not mean allowing the security of the homeland to be compromised.
The fifth irony, as monitored by observers, is that Sisi's project to develop Egypt's countryside called "A Decent Life" is a new trick for Egyptians.
Sisi claimed that on the initiative of "a decent life", he launched the largest project in Egypt's history of rural development with a budget of 700 billion pounds ($4 billion), and that the efficiency of the living of 58 million citizens in 4,000 villages will be increased over three years in health, education and services.
Triple-Sided Trick
Several indications indicate that the "Decent Life" project, is just propaganda that will not achieve the Egyptian countryside what its people dreamed of, real development and turning it into a productive sector, and supporting small projects in it.
Besides supporting the agricultural sector and providing villages with basic services such as sanitation, clean water, natural gas and government services.
According to observers, the first indicator is Sisi's talk in advance about the project, hinting that what is being done is a virtual work only by painting village buildings to take on an aesthetic shape.
This is in addition to his hint that this work is costed by the people, and if they refuse, he will prevent them from taking monthly rations for 3 years in exchange for this paint.
On June 30, 2021, Sisi said that the cost of painting "Decent lives" was about 40 billion pounds ($2.27 billion), and the government alone would not be able to do so.
The second indicator is the talk of an official of the initiative "A decent life", for "al-Estiklal", confirming that each village selected for the project has one service to be implemented and support some of its followers from the areas for only a year and a half.
For example, a clean-up project in some villages was identified as employing 20 young people from the village, and another reproductive health project employing 40 girls in another village for one and a half years at a nominal wage of no more than 1,000 pounds ($63) per month.
"In a third village, poor families are supported by monthly funds, rations or school clothes, monthly treatment of some patients, or the casting of some roofs for the homes of poor peasants".
The official of the " Decent Life" initiative, who declined to be named, explains that the village that receives a service from the project will not receive other services.
The third indicator is the assertion by a resident of an Egyptian village in the eastern governorate (northeast of Cairo) that the initiative allocated to their village is a sanitation project.
The official of one of the local units of "al-Estiklal", explains that this exchange has been located in that village since 2008, under the former president of the regime Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, but the work has been suspended and not completed.
He points out that what the Gracious Life Initiative is implementing is connecting the already existing line no more, and in the end the project is counted in favor of Sisi's initiative.
Sisi launched the "Decent Life" initiative on January 2, 2019, to develop Egypt’s countryside, and then turned into a national project in early 2021 to improve the standard of living and quality of life of the most needy groups in rural communities.
The initiative relies on the efforts of state institutions, civil society, the private sector and development partners in Egypt and abroad, with the aim of improving the lives of more than half of Egypt's population in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Distressed for Several Reasons
Egyptian economist Abdel Nabi AbdelMutallab said the project was a good thing, but asked: "What is the development of the Egyptian countryside?
Egyptian journalist Qutb al-Arabi said: "The Project of a Decent Life for the Development of the Egyptian Countryside is a new one that Sisi sells to Egyptians to cover up his failure in the Ethiopian dam crisis."
"Sisi is beginning to feel a lot of disappointment at all levels, including the catastrophic dam file, the economy, and unprecedented levels of external borrowing," said Egyptian economist Dr. Ali Abdulaziz.
He explains to "al-Estiklal" that his speech is "full of anxiety contrary to his words."
Al-Azhar University economics professor, confirmed that Sisi in the first file failed to convince the Security Council to prevent the second filling of the dam basin, and to oblige Ethiopia to fill and operate controls, because of the declaration of principles agreement signed by the people, and knows that it is something that may have to be moved against it popularly.
"Sisi is also militarily weak and cannot even really threaten Ethiopia's war, fearing for his money and the military's money with him with tens of billions of offshore banks," he said.
He also fears sanctions that threaten disastrous borrowings, as well as his preoccupation with the military securing themselves by further conquering the people, he said.
The Egyptian academic adds: "The trick of the initiative (Decent life) is useless, and there is no control over what it is doing, and it has a strange confusion between the role of the state to which it is due and what NGOs such as Resalah, Orman and others are actually doing."
"It is therefore a worthless media trade as it approaches the opening of the administrative capital, which is equipped with $45 billion in people's blood for the leader of a military gang and his soldiers," he said.
"A decent life comes when a citizen feels the right to choose who governs and represents him, and when he can hold his rulers accountable," Abdulaziz said.
What Sisi is doing is not beyond their mouths and has no value on the ground, he says.
"Prices are high, external borrowing expands to $135 billion, debt service doubles to more than a trillion pounds, the possibility of a new pound cut, and an interest rate hike to attract new investors in government debt securities," he said.
"They are all reasons for a dismal life, not a dignified life under Sisi," he said.
