The Missing Plug.

By: Ahmed M. EL NAHAS – Montopoli, March 24^th 2012.

Little over a year ago, when the winds of change twisted over Egypt in what seemed to be an overpowering “Tornado” coming to sweep clean to the ground everything it faces; what really materialised was nothing more than a mild “Tropical Storm” which quickly passed on leaving behind almost everything completely intact.

Today it seems that the storm has even galvanised some old structures rendering them smoother, brighter, shiner and more solid than before; but mostly it made them more attractive than ever!?!

Over a year ago we thought that finally a radical change has come to last producing a new Republic founded upon a solid constitution guaranteeing and protecting the fundamental values of Freedom, Democracy, Labour, Transparency and Welfare.

We, naïve as we were, thought that the Military Institution came forward to embrace and protect the change. To allow a “Coalition Transitional Cabinet” the necessary autonomy to accomplish a precise assignment made of several urgent tasks:

1.      Total cleaning and clearing from the pre-revolution “Old Order” icons and traces, by all necessary means and on all levels of the public services, administrative functions and executive authority’s hierarchies; preferably under the terms of the long adored “Emergency Code” and to be celebrated before the “Revolutionary Martial Courts”.

2.      Assign a “Constituent Commission” the priority task of writing a new constitution for public debate to be subject to the people’s referendum for approval in order to come into force.

3.      Start and accelerate the process to hunt down, and get hold of, the smuggled treasures that were systematically stolen from the people over decades, and confiscate all local and foreign bank accounts related to the ex administrations figures along with the profiteers and parasites hatched and educated inside the National Democratic Party nurseries.

4.      Establish new “Election Laws” and elaborate their executive regulations to guarantee the rightful proceedings for every vote to obtain the actual interpretation of the voters choices in the Legislative, Administrative and Presidential Elections.

5.      Create a special “Wise Men Committee” that will immediately engage in proposing a sever “Anti Corruption” laws and the necessary investigative measures to firmly uphold these laws and effectively confront the phenomena.

Only then matters would return to the electorate to select and chose freely its governing bodies and its representatives, to start the new era.. The long dreamed era of social justice, free expression and human rights.

Nevertheless things turned out completely different. For what really happened is that old faces changed their wardrobes and cosmetics, coming forward in brand new glowing disguises, gloving their “Iron Fist” in velvet and redecorating the torture rooms with slogans already voided of their contents before being nailed to the walls.

The Military Institution along with its puppet cabinet and the unleashed Police Forces joined efforts to squeeze the revolution out of its last bit of thrusting energy, and to press down the rising political forms of opposition into a mild image same as “Before”. And those who respectfully stood tall by their principles, having understood clearly what’s lying in between the lines of that script, were forced somehow to quit the scene.. El Baradei is a flagrant example in this case.

At first we were continuously faced by the respectable and humble figures of many exponents from the “Muslim Brotherhood” and the “Salafist” movements, all swearing to God that they have no intention, wish or ambition in politics and that they want to remain among the ranks of the people to serve and observe! In fact, due to free undemocratic elections following the old tailored laws, they became the crushing majority in Parliament and many of them changed views after several closed meetings with the “Field-Marshal”! Remember “Dr. El AWWA”?

Actually the agenda that we dreamed of, and the ‘Priority Tasks’ that we hoped to see accomplished were all just smoke on the water and ash in the eyes.. The “Order” is still alive and well.. And the recapitulation after fourteen months results in hundreds dead civilians, other thousands tortured behind bars, arbitrary arrests, corruption, agonising economy, a helpless nominated cabinet and a crippled parliament!!

I’m afraid that we will remain wandering for a long time searching for the plug that we missed and wondering what is it that we didn’t know?

Pass On The Word.

Published on the SUN Issue of today.

Man sentenced to 6,060 years in prison

By STAFF REPORTER

Published: 13th March 2012

A FORMER soldier has been sentenced to 6,060 years in prison.

Pedro Pimentel Rios was extradited from the US to Guatemala last year to be held to account over his role in the 1982 slaughter of 201 people in the Central American country.

Ex special forces soldier Rios, 55, was involved in what became known as the "Dos Erres" massacre after the northern Guatemala hamlet where the killings took place.

The violence was one of the bloodiest atrocities of the country's 1960-1996 civil war.

Dozens of soldiers ransacked the village, searching homes for weapons and systematically slaughtering men, women and children.

Soldiers bludgeoned villagers with a sledgehammer, threw them down a well and raped women and girls before killing them, according to court papers.

The sentence is largely symbolic as the maximum time a convict can serve under Guatemalan law is 50 years.

The country's civil war claimed at least 200,000 lives and the US-backed army was responsible for most of them, said a subsequent truth commission.

Dissociate to Reconcile.

By: Ahmed M. EL NAHAS – Montopoli, March 15^th 2012.

Let’s stop for a minute to meditate over the outcome of a “People’s Revolution” after a year from its actual outburst; following decades of an agonising process of moral fermentation under the overheated pressure of constant economic need, social injustice, political incompetence, institutionalised terror and an overall reign of corruption.

Today, we have an ‘Unelected Government’ abiding by the ‘directives and suggestions’ of its employer, a Military Council. And a ‘Crippled Parliament’ lacking the tools to legislate, other than those to monitor, control and punish the Executive Authority; yet equipped with all the mechanisms to extort and blackmail the government as well as the people. And both are the hostages of the rigidly conservative “Totem” called the “Military Institution”, behind the high walls of a maximum security lock-up “Taboo” called the “Religious Institution”.

It is obvious that such a blend is inherently dangerous. Especially in the absence of transparency and coherence. So we shouldn’t lose more time finding excuses or giving reason to one side rather than another. We must address the core of the issue.. We must question the responsibilities of the Totem, and revaluate the role of the Taboo.

Such pragmatic vision of the whole matter is needed now, otherwise we will be committing the same classic mistakes which led Europe straight into the Dark Ages. An era dominated by the Religious Institution’s political and economic dictatorship, and which required more than a “Lutheran Cultural Revolution” to free itself out from the grip of darkness to beam into a new era of “Renaissance Libérale” which made the ‘Old Continent’, along with ‘New World’, what they became today; in terms of  being the “Leaders” in every Scientific Research field, the “Initiators” of modernising revolutions, the “Masters” of new technology and “Dominant Patrons” of the Financial and Economic thrones. And not in terms of “Greedy Imperial Forces” deployed to overdo the entire world regardless of every ethical or moral value that could be drawn off the generous heritage of human civilisations.

“Logic” and “Belief”, or if you wish science and religion; are and will remain parallel one to the other and would only intercept theoretically. They may complement each other, sometimes and in precise given circumstances just for a short period; then each will always have its own vision, comprehension and tools to achieve an objective or reach a destination.. And that is the reason for which they will remain parallel if not in conflict.. Unless they both could find the courageous will to compromise their rigid stands in support of the collective good within the frame of a long term strategic ideology.

Having said that, we can distinguish that the most objective approach to the issue would be to apply the “Totem-Taboo / Logic-Belief” equation on the panoramic scenery of the Egyptian Revolution’s repercussions.

We know that the rise of the “Technocrats” throughout the past few decades and their firm hold over the mainstream politics, in Government as in Parliament; have caused and produced the Economic, Financial and Social disaster of Egypt. Due to the direct consequences of their ‘political ventures’ the impact was devastating on the Egyptian citizen’s daily life. And the remedies they were ‘appointed’ to prescribe to heal the aches of the nation turned out to be lethal venoms.

You can’t expect a Tax Evader to allow the passing of an Anti Evasion Bill; or a Businessman who uses bribery as a guaranteeing agent to monopolise vital products like steel, iron, wood, cement, wheat and so on; to vote for the Anti Corruption laws or the Anti Monopoly Ticket… etc. Technocrats, being private businessmen who were educated to look only for their proper good, can’t make serious reforms in support for the collective good.

Also the Religious Institution have long lost its financial independence and its Freedom of judgement, the moment it became a state owned public apparatus, reporting to the Executive Authority and supervised by the State Security. It was no secret that any appointment or promotion at any organisational level within Al Azhar establishment, and its ‘Affiliates’, must first acquire a state security green light to pass on.

As a result, Al Azhar and its entire religious hierarchy became nothing more than common public sector employees; at all levels whether a Mosque Cleaning Attendant, a Muathen, an Imam or the Grand Mufty. Even the highest reference in the world representing Islam’s moderate Sunni Cult: “Sheikh Al Azhar”; is nothing but a Public Official paid a monthly salary from the state.

That’s how the Religious Institution bartered its “Mission” against “Gold”.. In my personal opinion it lost credibility long time ago throughout history, and since numerous honourable representatives of the institution holders of highly respectable titles like Grand Imam, Mufti, Muezzin, Archbishop, Cardinal, Priest or Rabbi; were rushing to line-up one after the other in long queues before the “Palace” to furnish the “Monarch” with all the rulings he may want, even against the authentic teachings of Sacred Books, Prophets, Messengers or the Doctrines itself.

That’s why Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohammad fought fiercely against that particular aspect to seek profit misusing the “Message”.. Making fortunes of “Gold” and “Power” through the continuous manipulation of the “Word”. Because this is the essence of “Corruption”.

Since such anomalies have become normal doings largely acceptable in the day to day social practices, consequently ‘Corruption’ has become the norm for a well established system of “Live and Let live”; and as it is obvious that without healthy political life there will be no democracy; so, few things are urgently needed to straighten up an ill situation still in force and risking of paralysing the entire apparatus of the Egyptian establishment:

a)      Political Parties must immediately start a “Self Decontamination Process” to restore their credibility.

b)      If corruption is transversally wide-spread, people’s “Indignation” must also be transversally spread. To defeat Corruption is the introduction to any credible reforms.

c)      A new “Electoral Law” must be introduced to guarantee for the electorate its power and right to freely select and chose their representatives in Parliament, their Government and in the Presidential Institution.

A discredited Parliament together with an unelected Government cannot bring forward important reforms or establish order, on the contrary it invites disorder and call upon Anarchy. It is thus imperative that WE “Dissociate” ourselves from that conventional “Conservative Totem” to liberate our choices from the inevitable impositions of its modular “Traditional Taboo”; so as to “Reconcile”,  within our collective culture, values like Dignity, Independence, Freedom, Sovereignty, Tolerance, Solidarity, Transparency, Participation and Justice as the only sure “Binding Code” to the standards of an established solid understanding for “Good Governance”.

Pass On The Word.

Being an Indian.

By: Ahmed M. EL NAHAS – Montopoli, March 7^th 2012.

Being an “Indian” remained a folkloric collective vision of not being a lively and shrewd person, or simply of being dull. Till relatively recent times, you could hear it everywhere: in the street, in the cafeteria, in the market, at school, at the club, in public offices, in theater plays, in films and even sometimes among the upper social class; you could hear one of many variations of the same theme like: “do I look like an Indian?”, or “is it written on my front ‘here is an Indian’?”!!

Actually I don’t know for certain the origin of such a popular saying, and to what context it has been vastly circulated. But for sure it goes back to the early days when Egypt and India were two colonies under the British Crown. However investigating its origins is not my aim of this article.

Today I want to discuss “Sovereignty” by measuring the ethical distance separating two recent “Juridical Debates”, which are being transformed into “Political Issues” and escalated to the verge of becoming “Diplomatic Crisis”; thus demonstrating a practical test to the term “Sovereign State”.

Few weeks ago a couple of Italian marines deployed on an Italian commercial oil tanker, as per the “Anti-Pirating NATO Protocol”, were arrested by the Indian authorities for having ‘shot to kill two Indian fishermen’ the marines doubted them of being pirates. Immediately the Italian diplomacy used all its resources to dialogue with their Indian counterparts saying that the “Incident” occurred in international waters and as such should be treated according to international maritime laws, therefore the marines should be released and handed to the Italian competent authorities.

The Indian Executive and Juridical Institutions viewed the matter from another perspective completely opposed to the Italian argumentations. For them the “Crime” was consumed within the Indian territory inside the Indian waters, as such the defendants should be investigated according to Indian Law and tried before Indian Courts.

The matter is now turning into a fierce political confrontation between both nations, and is very close of becoming a very serious diplomatic crisis finding thrust and energy every day by an accelerated increment of an overwhelming “Demagogic Sense of Nationalism” here and there, nourished by an increasingly frenetic media.

In the meantime the Italian marines are in Indian custody inside an Indian Jail awaiting trial according to the Indian Code.

Well.. In Egypt almost in the same time, yet surely still in a much far backward different era; and while following the case of the alleged “Doubtful Foreign Financings” to some NGOs operating on the Egyptian Soil, we have witnessed the humiliating act arrogantly performed by the “Egyptian Government” in kneeling before, and conceding to, ‘foreign wishes’ in total violation of the “Egyptian law” and in an undisputable breach of the “Egyptian Constitution” which this very same government publically pledged an oath to uphold.

The only apparent decent act throughout the entire farce was the public announcement of the Court’s Honourable Judges, whom were assigned to preside and view the proceedings; their blushing shy appearances couldn’t mean less than a desperate try for saving faces out from an indelible stain over the “Egyptian Laws, Constitution, and Institutions”. The same institutions who willingly denounced their sworn function: “…to defend and protect Egypt’s Sovereignty”.

Thus voiding from their meanings, as the indispensable foundations of  any ‘Free Independent State’, terms like sovereign, sovereignty, the law is sovereign, and of course “State Sovereignty”.

Before such clamorous paradoxes illustrated by the official Indian vs. Egyptian interpretation, manifestation and practice of “Sovereignty”; I can’t help but recalling the spirits of Indian and Egyptian giant beacons like Taghor, El Tahtawy, Saad Pacha Zaghlool, El Nahas Pacha, Talaat Pacha Harb, El Sanhoury Pacha, Ghandy, and Nehro; among hundreds of thousands of other scientists, philosophers, poets, politicians, industrials and very wise juridical idealists.. Beacons who marked the growth of civilisation, the respect of the law, the enrichment of the liberal ideals and the safeguarding of a fundamental pillar for freedom: “Sovereignty”.

Pass On The Word.

Just a Reminder.

The following is an article  I published some two years ago on my previous blog “ECHOES” that was promptly censored by the then governing bodies.

A.      M.  EL NAHAS

“Practicing Active Opposition” .. A Gift or a Right?

By Ahmed El Nahas, Tuesday June 29th 2010.

I watched with admiration Mr. Ibrahim ISSA’s interview to H.E. Dr. EL Baradei, which brought me to write down the next few lines hoping to draw attention to a well known yet unobserved and totally neglected political concept.

Knowing that true democratic practices, though protected by constitutional mechanisms, are founded on

transparency, free information, obedient submission of “ALL” citizens to the law, and most of all are based

on an irrevocable and confirmed set of norms and regulations enabling a mature and responsible opposition to actively participate in the nation’s institutional functions, as a tool of the salutary regeneration of the nation’s political class, and transitional rotation of ruling among different political and social currents, whose choices of “MEANS” may differ, but their strategic “ENDS” remain the same.

The caricaturist “free speech” granted by the “Land Lord” to a well tamed and chained opposition, is nothing but a joke that only HE is loudly laughing about, while the rest of us, all of us at all levels, are paying the consequences of such laughs; in terms of  hereditary rotation of power, rape of the constitution, installment of corruption as a system, weakening the economy through continuous and unjustified debts dictated by the IMF to break our bones and control our resources…etc..!!

History taught us that free opposition, being an undisputed constituent of pluralism in a democracy, is not a gift (carrot). It is a “Right” to be won by “Any” necessary mean, and then safely treasured by “All” means.

In a country like ours, opposition would be valid and effective only when:

“A person, or a group of persons, is/are charismatic, able and resilient enough to embrace together under the same banner all opposition fractions and currents (from the grass root and upwards), in a unique and united main stream, in total harmony  and respect of each others thoughts, beliefs, and political orientations. Thus forming a single solid block to safely represent that ‘Alternative Majority’, capable of providing a new agenda acceptable nationally and internationally”.

(I’m not talking about political groups only, but the free opposition should also include civilian movements, syndicates, unions, students, bloggers, NGOs… and so on).

Only then the weigh of such opposition would gain a cutting edge to impose change through a predetermined transitional period, which could and may well be violent, but will lead to the supreme and

ultimate goal for:

“The lawful and dynamic practice of Participatory Democracy, in a Free Sovereign Nation where the Constitution is the one and only Guarantor for good governance, being the Vigilant Custodian over Rights, the Firm Tutor of Duties and the Impartial Guardian on Justice”.

Hope to live and witness the day.

Pass On The Word.

Burning the BOOK.

By: Ahmed M. EL NAHAS – Montopoli, February 27^th 2012.

Of course I am angry and offended.. But I also know that the “Qur’àn”, either being the Text (Book) or the Context (Doctrine), was attacked hundreds of times in many different ways throughout the past 14 centuries. And yet it remained intact without the addition or the omission of a single comma or an accent. So if we, the Muslims, really believe in the text and the doctrine it brought, we should be more than confident that Allah always keeps his promises.. For He promised, even better, HE Swore to protect it.

Moreover, it was not a casual choice that the very first Word which the Archangel Gabriel transmitted to Mohammad (mppbh) was Allah’s order for all Humanity, that word textually is “IQRA”, meaning “Read”.. A word which containing all the analytical talents of a human mind: logic, reason, intelligence, before its expressive oral gifts.

At this point it should be easy to reason and analyse the fact as it is not as “They” want it to look like. In the first place, one should legitimately ask himself: “Is it plausible that the United States’ mighty intelligence machine and its ‘Think Tanks’ do not know the difference between the Islam’s holy book, sacred and treasured by every Muslim on earth, and a common ‘Terrorist Manual’?”. At least that is how the latest “US Official Excuse”, which bluntly insulted our intelligence before slapping our faces, came public through the news agencies exactly as dispatched by a “US High Ranking Source” simply saying that “…the  American prison guards didn’t know that what they were burning was what it was”!! After centuries of meticulously anatomising every letter of the “Qur’àn”, and scanning every copy in every corner of the globe by their scholars and experts, do they expect us to swallow such a mediocre excuse?

Anyhow the careful consideration exercised by the “Beneficiaries”: CIA, NSA, the other tens of civil and military agencies, the Military Industrial Lobbies and the Banks; led the Pentagon spokesperson straight into his bashful entry to the press conference room to throw-up such nauseating excuse.

The question is WHY? I am convinced that the timing and the way that issue was made public suggest one answer: “Political and Economical Interests”! I will synthesise my opinion as follows:

The Pentagon, using its own intelligence analysts together with the suggestions of a friendly Intelligence agency operating in the region; planned and obtained a green light to stage such “Psychological Offensive”, aired only few weeks after the desecrations of dead Muslims, in order to: 

Ø  Ignite the emotional spark of hatred in the vastest possible area of the Muslim world, in a way to suppress reason and cloud the minds of Muslims from evaluating serenely and deploy the correct reactions to the merits of the situation in hand.

Ø  Aggravate the issue through massive media coverage of what apparently seem to be the US official apologies, supported by invalid excuses offending more than amending;  all of which are only aiming to accelerate the heat in the streets of Afghanistan, and hopefully elsewhere, to reach an uncontrollable vast riots situation possibly resulting in western casualties.

Ø  Create new difficulties for the Obama Democratic Administration which is struggling to find a safe and dignifying way out from the quick sands of Afghanistan.

Ø  Impose a temporary, if not a definitive, stop to the ongoing negotiations with the Taliban leaders.

Ø  Maintain the strategic hold over the fortunes of the Afghan Opium trade worth of $65bil/year, enabling the US to finance an infinity of tactical operations necessary for creating the “New Middle East”. (in that regard I refer you to my post of January 22^nd 2012 entitled ‘NATO’s Drug For Food Program’).

Ø  Provide a legal excuse for extending the Allies permanence in Afghanistan, with all what that would entail in terms of unlimited range of advantages for the US and its Allies in containing Iran and controlling the ex Soviet Republics Oil and Gas production zones, as well as the priceless Caspian Pipeline.

Ø  Deviate the international attention from the daily criminal acts committed against unarmed Palestinian civilians in Jerusalem, Gaza Strip and the West Bank.  

That is in brief how I view the entire matter. And I am convinced that as such our political and social institutions may have a better than average chance for handling the matter and dealing with the situation more united and could come out with better results, rather than simply expressing symptoms of  primitive rage by organizing some street manifestations to burn some flags and shout some empty harmless slogans in the air before some TV cameras, that no matter how high they will cry them out from their burnt throats, they will soon vanish between the smoke of “NATO’s Dirty Bombs” and the tinkling of the “American Gold” fruit of the “Afghan Poppy Trade”.

Pass On The Word.

A Tale Of Two “Pities”.(*)

By: Ahmed M. EL NAHAS – Montopoli, February 27^th 2012.

He actually presided his country’s Cabinet little less than nine years over an eighteen years span, but he managed to control the written, spoken and seen information for some twenty years which enabled him to transform a major portion of a once tolerant and peaceful population into a hypnotized horde of “Egoist Unchaste Voyeurs” who are seeking only the superficial merits of the “Appearance” rather than the eternal values of the “Substance”; thanks to the endless avalanche of falsified and fabricated news, lies, sex, and useless reality shows, which shelled the audience for over two decades out from the screen of his TV Nets channels.

He became the living monument for political incompetence and mistrust. He kept trying for long to run the country as he did his web of companies in and off shore; by means of bribes, gifts, career promises, private orgies, defamation, intimidation, threats and extortion.

As a matter of fact, he ventured into politics the moment his political powerful connections [¹] were investigated, tried and convicted for the accounts of office abuse and favouritism, conspiracy with organized crime, corruption, and embezzlement. But he decided not to make his friends mistakes, he will use politics along with his powerful media empire to protect his person and his business interests.

That’s exactly why he devoted over 80% of his time, his successive cabinets’, his newspapers’, his TVs’ and his sponsors’; to buy Senators and Parliament delegates to support his proposed tailor made laws and decrees;  all targeted to solve his many problems with the law (see the graphic below), and to provide him with a variety of shields even to allow him future offensive breaching of the law.. He even managed to acquire a staggering majority in both seeds of the Parliament to extort a specially tailored law to disinherit his children, from a second marriage, just because his wife (the mother of their children and later on divorced after being savagely slandered on the front pages of his newspapers and magazines) dared to discuss in public his health problems and his sex scandals.

The remaining 20% of the time he dedicated to the now notorious red lights private orgies he  holds almost every night and even use his official capacity to secure such events.

Shields like passing a bill to reduce the time of “Prescription”, and two others to extend the length of legal proceedings, completely overlooking the certainty of their devastating effects over the society by deforming as such the concept of “Justice”. Anything, constitutional or not, is welcome just to protect his person and shield his interests.. He even said it bluntly in an intercepted phone call with one of his investigated subordinates[²]: “…if the parliament vote will not support this one, those bloody magistrates will certainly put me behind bars…”.

But the main problem was his arrogant ego.. Because he continued to offend the law, privately and publicly simply because he never realized that  for a public servant in a consolidated democracy, often “Private” and “Public” do overlap.

His personal foggy view mixing the private with the public is the reason why he targeted and persecuted journalists[³], TV programs[⁴], and intellectuals[⁵]. Even General Prosecutors, Magistrates and Honorable Judges, couldn’t escape his “Mud Machine”, by claiming with all the might of his owned newspapers and TV nets, that the entire “..persecutory legal system must be purified from its envious and politicised members who are eager to destroy his person and his image”. He went farther by directly threatening any Judge, who happens to be nominated to preside a trial concerning his wrong doings; using criminal tactics like: stalking, shadowing, spying, recording and publishing the outcome on his TVs and newspapers. In doing so, he maintained the golden rule, much applied successfully in sales, in publicity and as well in “Show Business”! The rule is: “Keep saying and repeating any lie as much as you will, it shall become the truth”!!

It was obvious that he didn’t come to govern, but he came to create a steel bound with a large indifferent electorate, to establish the kind of “Mass” needed to support his doings no matter what.. Just like an Idol and his fans, or even better: like a “Sport Team” and its “Ultras”. In doing so he didn’t spare any effort in exchanging favours with powerful mass controlling lobbies from every business sector, all helmed by the strongest arms, brains and finance of the local and regional Criminal Organisations. Also by promising the impossible like abolishing taxes, increasing pensions, allowing unregistered employment, decriminalising false accounting and tax evasion.. And kept manipulating the hordes of profiteers, that he created, to tighten around him and his system.

Consequently he got his majority; and while his sponsors (business and criminal lobbies) presented the bill, those who voted him and his void promises got nothing in hands but the huge ashy mountains of illusions blown in the air and straight into their faces. Even though they were still not willing to understand that they as well, along with the rest of the population, will foot and honour in full all the “Bills”.

Tons of legal acts, interceptions and testimonies have noted and documented his close ties with the organized crime, reaching far back in the mid eighties, which ensured him the upper hand to defeat any business and political rivalries. While his tireless promotion and facilitating of corruption as a system brought the treasury to an almost declared status of Default.. Bankruptcy.

Even as the remaining breath of democracy enabled the institutions to throw him off the chair, his wealth and his loyal clan of profiteering allies constitute a serious threat  not only to his country, but to the entire region.

His name is “Silvio Berlusconi”, and the country is “Italy”, the region is “Europe”, and he failed because he couldn’t understand the difference between a “Salesman” and a “Statesman”.

May this brief account be a Case Study, for us in Egypt, out of which to deduct some lessons.

Pass On The Word.

(*) The two pities are:

1.       The absence of democracy’s wings namely transparency and free information.

2.      The conflict of interests which cripples any democratic reforms and favours corruption.

Notes:

 [¹] Ex Prime minister Bettino Craxi definitely sentenced for office abuse, favoring and assistance in illegal overtakes against bribes by the companies of Silvio Berlusconi. Craxi fled the country and self exiled in Tunisia where he died and got buried.

[²] Marcello Dell’Utri, his direct and trusted connection to the Mafia. Dell’Utri ideated the plan to form Berlusconi entry in politics forming the “Forza Italia” liberal party. Dell’Utri is condemned to seven years incarceration and a few millions in fines for various charges related mainly to the businesses of Berlusconi.

[³] Journalists like the respectable late Enzo Biagi, Michele Santoro, Mentana and Lutazzi were sacked out of their networks by the order of Berlusconi simply because they were telling the “REAL” truth about his being and doing. An unidentified number of journalists were also driven to fall into the oblivion following Berlusconi’s edicts.

[⁴] Berlusconi ordered the removal of high rated and most successful programs like “Il Fatto”. “Annozero”, “Vieni Via Con Me”.. These titles were projected on his direct competitor the state owned television company “RAI”. He also infiltrated his dependants inside the RAI in high key positions to demolish it from the root.

[⁵] The Nobel Dari Fo, the Oscar winner Roberto Benigni, the supreme court president Gustavo Zagrebelsky, Vauro, Guzzanti, Roberto Saviano… And many others encountered his direct and indirect edicts of expulsion or forbidding to appear anywhere.

References:

·         La Repubblica

·         Il Fatto Quotidiano

·         Chinino.it