Unrest in Egypt: Protesters stay put as new cabinet meets

Cabinet members to increase state salaries and pensions by 15 per cent in April.

CAIRO: In Cairo’s streets and on its bridges, young men stand selling Egyptian flags to people as they drive by, the same scenes the city witnesses when it is preparing for an important football game. Protesters in Tahrir Square on Monday were playing music, painting the colours of the Egyptian flag on their faces, and putting up tents as life in the rest of the city is slowly crawling back to normal. The heavy presence of security personnel, however, showed that all is not well.

Day 14 of the protests saw the military try to keep more people from entering the square following Sunday’s political dialogue between Vice President Omar Suleiman and opposition groups. But the protesters were not deterred and those in the square continued to stand their ground. Again, they reiterated that they would not leave until Mubarak stepped down. A day before, Christian protesters held Sunday Mass in the square, while Muslims stood around them, mirroring a similar act of solidarity last week.

US President Barack Obama said he saw some progress in recent talks in Egypt between the government and opposition groups. “Obviously, Egypt has to negotiate a path and they’re making progress,” Obama told reporters, even as the Muslim Brotherhood warned to walk out of the talks if Mubarak’s departure was non-negotiatiable.

The new cabinet met for the first time Monday, following last week’s shakeup. Although not exactly characterised by its novelty, cabinet members have decided to increase state salaries and pensions by 15 per cent, which will be implemented in April. The move will cost around $960 million, according to Finance Minister Samir Radwan. The country’s already stretched budget is also to account for the plunge in the Egyptian pound -- which is at its lowest since 2005.

While patriotism ran high in Egypt, the current events have split people in terms of political opinion. Some maintain that President Mubarak must go to ensure an honest and incorrupt transition, but others think he should stay to ensure stability for another six months until presidential elections are held.

“I don’t think Mubarak has to leave for us to have transparent elections,” said Rania Mohamed, a Cairo resident, “I can wait, but I feel like a lot of people I know aren’t willing to wait.”

Despite the fact that the agreement reached between Vice President Suleiman and the opposition is an achievement, opposition parties have indicated that they will not be satisfied until the president departs. The most vocal of these is the Muslim Brotherhood. However, the Nasserist Party, a party based on former President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s ideologies, has stated that it will no longer participate in the discussions since President Mubarak is not stepping down. They voiced this in light of the demands of the protesters.

But the youth who have led the protests have reiterated on several occasions that they are not aligned with any opposition group and have had their own representatives participate in the discussion with VP Suleiman.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2011.