Wednesday
Feb162005
Ministerial maneuvers
By 
Issandr El Amrani | Egypt
Issandr El Amrani | Egypt
While everyone was talking about the Hariri assassination, the big story in Cairo yesterday was that Minister of Information Mahmoud Beltagui swapped jobs with Minister of Youth Anas Al Fiqi. This is a big demotion for a man who has been in the cabinet for over a decade. Beltagui cut his teeth among other things as an informant on Egyptian exiles while being a student in Paris (according to one anecdote, he pretended to be a communist around other Egyptian students in the 1960s, until one day they found out he had an office at the embassy) and had a career in the intelligence services until he became head of the State Information Service, Egypt's main interface with the foreign press. That position should have led to the post of information minister, but he was beaten by a mukhabarat officer who while less educated, was more ruthless. Safwat Al Sherif (at information until last July's cabinet reshuffle, now head of the upper house of parliament, the Shura Council) was a fearsome enemy, notably because one of his jobs in the late 1970s was framing Egyptian and foreign dignitaries by setting them up with women and filming them. He was, in other words, something of a cross between a blackmailer and a pimp. Instead of information, Beltagui got tourism.
Beltagui finally bested Al Sherif last summer, after the latter started refusing to give his rival airtime on national TV, which wasn't the smartest move in a country that relies on tourism revenues. He was kicked upstairs and Beltagui finally got the post. Once there, Beltagui began a reform project of the notoriously corrupt, bloated and inefficient ministry of information -- which along with defense and interior is one of the most important control institutions in the country. This Al Jazeera piece seems to suggest that he was sacked because he was unable to control the flood of negative information about President Mubarak, including (in more oblique ways) in state-run bodies.
The story is more complicated than that. Over the past few weeks, as Beltagui tried to implement his reform plan, there was an insurrection among ministry employees and the various public servants (including journalists, technicians, admin people...) who work in media institutions. Beltagui had tried to impose changes that would create further control on what state TV could show -- this at a time when Arab satellite television is booming and diversifying way beyond Al Jazeera. Notably, as we had noted here before, he wanted to introduce a review of soap operas by Al Azhar and the Coptic Church. “The media cannot be transformed into instruments to distill poison under the pretext of artistic licence,” he said at the time to justify the move. He had also imposed a shortlist of 34 tele-evangelists who were allowed to appear on TV, infuriating those that had been excluded.
In the press, though, it was the first move that caused an uproar. One Egypt's greatest living scriptwriters, Osama Anwar Okasha, slammed into the "Higher Committee for Dramatic Works" (the censorship office) and its head, Al Ahram columnist (and French-language weekly Al Ahram Hebdo editor) Muhammad Salmawy. Okasha said he refused to be censored by an arbitrary board of writers and ministry officials. Salmawy replied with a long letter to Okasha basically asking him what he was afraid of, ending on a sardonic note by telling him he was looking forward to reading his next work at the commmittee. He might now have to eat his words.
Beltagui, 67, now finds himself at the head of the Youth Ministry (old ministers never retire, they simply get less powerful jobs), while Al Fiqi (apparently close to Gamal Mubarak) grabs a crucial post where he could potentially do a lot of good, if he is so inclined. Egypt's richest man, Naguib Sawiris (of Orascom Telecom, which for instance owns the Iraqna mobile network) has been telling journalists that he wants to start a private terrestrial TV station in Egypt. The liberalization of broadcast media has long been overdue, and perhaps Al Fiqi will take a step in the right direction. I've never met him and know little about him, but having met Beltagui I think it's difficult not to improve.
Beltagui finally bested Al Sherif last summer, after the latter started refusing to give his rival airtime on national TV, which wasn't the smartest move in a country that relies on tourism revenues. He was kicked upstairs and Beltagui finally got the post. Once there, Beltagui began a reform project of the notoriously corrupt, bloated and inefficient ministry of information -- which along with defense and interior is one of the most important control institutions in the country. This Al Jazeera piece seems to suggest that he was sacked because he was unable to control the flood of negative information about President Mubarak, including (in more oblique ways) in state-run bodies.
The story is more complicated than that. Over the past few weeks, as Beltagui tried to implement his reform plan, there was an insurrection among ministry employees and the various public servants (including journalists, technicians, admin people...) who work in media institutions. Beltagui had tried to impose changes that would create further control on what state TV could show -- this at a time when Arab satellite television is booming and diversifying way beyond Al Jazeera. Notably, as we had noted here before, he wanted to introduce a review of soap operas by Al Azhar and the Coptic Church. “The media cannot be transformed into instruments to distill poison under the pretext of artistic licence,” he said at the time to justify the move. He had also imposed a shortlist of 34 tele-evangelists who were allowed to appear on TV, infuriating those that had been excluded.
In the press, though, it was the first move that caused an uproar. One Egypt's greatest living scriptwriters, Osama Anwar Okasha, slammed into the "Higher Committee for Dramatic Works" (the censorship office) and its head, Al Ahram columnist (and French-language weekly Al Ahram Hebdo editor) Muhammad Salmawy. Okasha said he refused to be censored by an arbitrary board of writers and ministry officials. Salmawy replied with a long letter to Okasha basically asking him what he was afraid of, ending on a sardonic note by telling him he was looking forward to reading his next work at the commmittee. He might now have to eat his words.
Beltagui, 67, now finds himself at the head of the Youth Ministry (old ministers never retire, they simply get less powerful jobs), while Al Fiqi (apparently close to Gamal Mubarak) grabs a crucial post where he could potentially do a lot of good, if he is so inclined. Egypt's richest man, Naguib Sawiris (of Orascom Telecom, which for instance owns the Iraqna mobile network) has been telling journalists that he wants to start a private terrestrial TV station in Egypt. The liberalization of broadcast media has long been overdue, and perhaps Al Fiqi will take a step in the right direction. I've never met him and know little about him, but having met Beltagui I think it's difficult not to improve.
Reader Comments (11)
great post...
Thanks Issandr...
It's not really meant to be a judgement on his character or particularly meaningful, but here is an interesting nugget: Anas Al Fiqi started his career as an encyclopedia salesman before entering government work at the ministry of culture. Amusing.
Just another "Squealer": I hate to dampen anyone's optimisim regarding the new Information Minister, but he will be no more than another "Squealer" for Mubarak's corrupt rule!
I'll take the naive, optimistic opinion any day, thanks. As you mentioned, I feel that anything Al Fiqi pulls off will be an achievement compared to Beltagi. There is so much room for improvement, I think he might just get the ball rolling accidently if he isn't inclined to actually make things better.
I am not looking for incremental or cosmetic changes. I want the whole regime gone! I want to see Guillotines in Liberation squares, I want retribution, I want Liberty, Equality, Fraternity! Do you see where I am going!!
Issandr, re Beltagy and AlSherif's background stories, its interesting that almost everyone in Egypt knows those stories somehow, yet I've never seen them published anywhere (except on this great blog ofcourse).
Some say that this move could've been to save AlFiqi from all the media attacks on him resulting from all the mess at the football federation.
Mohamed, that's an interesting theory, I had forgotten about the football federation mess. But this is quite a big promotion for a relative unknown, I wonder if it's not just Hosni's whim.
Well, if you add up all the theories you mention about Beltagy, with that one about AlFiqi, and considering that he's pretty close to Gamal. Sounds like a perfect ministers shuffle.
Pardon my ignorance ... what's the football federation mess?
MM - I see where you're going, and I don't want to see that :) Judging by the volatility of the Egyptian collective, something like that will take years to recover from.
Praktike, after the elected federation was dissolved last year because of the poor results of the national team (considering the money spent on it), as well as the money wasted on the 2010 world cup bid, the new selected federation is currently illegitimate. So apparently (I'm not really following the details), the mess arises from the attempts and manipulations to elect a new legit federation causing the elections date to be pushed further.
So, with all the media attacks on AlFiqi, he'll now get a chance to pay them back I guess, since he'll be their boss! :)