Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, featured on Press TV News Analysis program on August 14, 2012 discussing the political situation in the North African state of Egypt. President Morsi has retired top military leaders in the country., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
To watch the Press TV World News interview with Abayomi Azikiwe, editor, Pan-African News Wire, just click on the website below:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/10/14/266588/old-regime-still-haunts-egypt-politics/
Sun Oct 14, 2012 9:44AM
Mubarak-era remnants continue to haunt segments of Egypt’s political structure, preventing the country’s development, a political analyst tells Press TV.
At least 110 people have been wounded in recent clashes in Egypt’s Liberation (Tahrir) Square over the acquittal of the former regime’s officials.
On Wednesday, the Cairo Criminal Court acquitted the organizers of the infamous camel-borne assault on revolutionaries.
All of the 24 defendants, who are loyalists of ousted Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, were found not guilty after the court “did not find any material evidence to convict” them.
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on Thursday sacked the country’s prosecutor general Abdel Meguid Mahmud.
The Egyptians launched the revolution against Mubarak’s regime in January 2011, which eventually brought an end to his 30-year-long dictatorship in February.
Press TV has conducted an interview with Abayomi Azikiwe, editor, Pan-African News Wire, from Detroit. The following is a rough transcription of the interview.
Press TV: After Morsi’s rise to power in Egypt, do you see a continuation of Mubarak’s policies, as many speak of, or more change, as many are expecting?
Azikiwe: Unfortunately I think that the repressive apparatus has not been totally rooted out within the Egyptian structures of government in regard to the relationships between the opposition parties and parties outside of the political realm of the Muslim Brotherhood. There are serious constitutional issues that have to be addressed.
I believe that as a result of these lingering issues there is going to be growing opposition against the government of President Morsi. One major issue is involving the prosecutor who is being pressured to resign because of disagreements between their office and the president’s office.
Then of course you have the problems associated with the more secular organizations, organizations even within the Islamic community that are outside the Muslim Brotherhood who are saying that they are being excluded from the discussions and from the decision-making process that will shape where Egypt needs to be in order to rebuild their society.
This, of course, is being compounded with the ongoing economic crisis within Egypt itself. You have a lack of employment. Massive unemployment exists in that country. You still have problems associated with the declining standard of living. Housing is another major issue that needs to be addressed by the current government.
All of this stems from the lingering debt crisis that has worsened over the last year and a half where the tourism industry, the natural gas industry has not been able to generate the type of revenue needed in order for Egypt to meet its international obligation.
These are some of the issues that are underlining the political issues that Morsi is, of course, having difficulty in resolving with the other political forces inside of Egypt itself.
Press TV: Do you see the objectives of the revolution being materialized?
Azikiwe: The objectives of the revolution stemmed from the lack of genuine democracy, from the economic crisis that has resulted from the unequal relationships between Egypt and the state of Israel, between Egypt and the United States.
Egypt has not benefited from the Camp David Peace Accord. They have not benefited from this close military alliance with the United States for the last three and a half decades. That has to be addressed by the current government.
What we have seen though recently, unfortunately, is a rejoining of the same type of military alliances and political alliances that existed during the previous three and a half decades under Mubarak and, of course before that, Anwar Sadat regimes.
For example, Egypt’s position vis-à-vis Syria, it appears as if they have sided objectively with Turkey as well as the NATO countries in pressuring the government in Syria. This is going to create a problem, of course, in the entire region because it’s not just what’s going on in Syria and Turkey. You also have to consider the relationship between Syria and Lebanon as well as the relationship between Gaza and Egypt.
Egypt has to take a position against the Israelis. If they do not, they’re going to be in a position where they will betray the Palestinians in Gaza and the Palestinians throughout the entire nation of Palestine.
I think there needs to be some discussion within Egypt itself in order to resolve these outstanding political issues.
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