As Egypt crisis lingers, some yearn for Mubarak

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

   Cairo (dpa) – The political unrest that has gripped Egypt since the overthrow of Hosny Mubarak two years ago is making some people question the revolt and yearn for the relative stability under his dictatorship.

   "Mubarak had a vision, he warned us," says Randa Sameh, a human resources specialist in Cairo, referring to famous last lines by the former president that Egypt would descend into chaos if he departed.

   "Even if (his son) Gamal had succeeded him, it would not have got this bad," Sameh added, to a chorus of supporting comments from her friends.

   Mubarak was forced to resign in a popular uprising fueled by social anger at widespread poverty, high unemployment and decades of political oppression and rights abuses.

   Ruling Islamists who were banned from political life under his rule have failed to revive the economy and allay opposition fears of a power grab, leaving many disillusioned with the revolt.

   Protests in Cairo and other cities often turn violent and the political deadlock between Islamist President Mohmmed Morsi and the opposition has had a paralysing effect, preventing the government from tackling urgent social and economic issues.

   The unrest has also debilitated the tourism industry, which was a key pillar of the economy under Mubarak.  

   "The armed forces promised us stability ... then the Muslim Brotherhood promised stability. But where is stability? Where are the jobs?" said Adel, 62, driving a taxi in Cairo to Koranic verses playing on his radio.

   "When protests begin, the streets empty and I end up getting only two or three clients a day," added the father of five, who says he would support whoever improves living standards. Two of his children have not found jobs four years after graduating from university.

   A poll conducted in January by independent research centre Baseera showed that 44 per cent of Egyptians would not re-elect Morsi, who in June became the country's first freely elected president. Some 39 per cent said they would vote for him a second time.

   "At least with Mubarak we knew somehow we will survive. Now I am never sure," said Adel.

   "Damn the revolution, damn the Brotherhood," are statements often heard on the streets of Cairo and in its cafes, as people are no longer afraid to express their political opinions - one of the benefits of the revolution.

   "Mubarak's regime lives on, with a beard," is a common line on social media networks.

   On Monday, the state-run al-Ahram newspaper published a caricature depicting a woman asking her husband: "Are you sure Mubarak did leave power?"

   Next to the cartoon, analyst Wahid Abdul Meguid wrote that February 11, the date of Mubarak's resignation, was "a truly historic day" but it did not lead to a new era.

   "Mubarak did not take his regime with him. It lasted and has reinvented itself twice in two years, despite its weakness," Abdul Meguid wrote, referring to Morsi and the 16-month transitional period led by military chiefs.

   Few expected Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood group to produce quick fixes to Egypt's problems. But a prolonged crisis could erode what remains of their image as a credible alternative to Mubarak.   

   Some point to a gaffe by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas - who last week mixed up the names of Morsi and that of Mubarak during a meeting at the presidential palace in Cairo - to prove their point that the wrong man is leading the country.