Conmigo o contra mí

Joaquín Mª Aguirre (UCM)

La situación es confusa. Cuando Ahram Online, el diario estatal principal, es más rotundo en sus apreciaciones, suele ocurrir lo contrario en los demás diarios que tienen que luchar con la falta de información y las fuentes que acceden a hablar bajo condición de anonimato.

El titular rotundo es esta vez "Egypt's Ministry of Interior foils Muslim Brotherhood plan to disrupt national economy: Statement". Los titulares contra la Hermandad Musulmana son frecuentes, lo que implica ninguna noticia en sí. Es el enemigo declarado y en un estado como el egipcio siempre debe estar presente como una referencia de fondo. Todos los caminos oscuros llevan a ella.

Pero esta vez hay mucha discrepancia sobre fondo y forma.

La noticia, tal como es presentada por Ahram Online, contiene muchas imprecisiones por un lado y una lista de nombres de personas a las que se ha detenido. 

Este es el texto del diario conteniendo acciones, acusaciones y nombres de las personas detenidas:

Egypt's Ministry of Interior issued a statement on Tuesday revealing that it has foiled a plot orchestrated by leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, along with other elements, attempting to disrupt the country's national economy.

The ministry's statement confirmed it has arrested a number of people who are involved with 19 different illegal companies and economic entities affiliated with the MB's leadership and cadres.

The ministry said it arrested Mostafa Abdel-Moez Abdel-Sattar, Osama Abdel-Aal El-Akabawy, Ahmed Abdel-Geliel El-Ghanam, Omar Mohamed El-Shiniety, Hossam Moenes Saad, Hesham Fouad Abdel-Aleem and Hassan Mohamed Hassan and Ziad El-Aleimy, a former parliament member in the 2012 People's Assembly.

Among those arrested are an aide to sitting MP Ahmed Tantawy and other employees of his office. They are all currently under investigation.

The ministry said it has seized organisational documents and electronic devices. The total financial transactions of the involved entities amount to EGP 250 million ($15 million).

According to the statement, the scheme was mainly focused on building paths of illegal cash flow from abroad. This falls in line with the MB, fugitive forces, and other enemies of the state financing acts of violence and rebellions against state institutions. The ministry also announced that is has uncovered a hostile scheme dubbed "Plan of Hope," which was organised by fugitive MB leaders in coordination with those who claim to represent civil political forces.

The ministry said that Egypt's High State Security Prosecution will carry out investigations in the case.

An informed source told Ahram Online that the MB is trying to regain a foothold on the ground as an attempt to disrupt Egypt's stability, as well as that of the Arab region.

The source noted that this comes with the involvement of MB members and former MP Ziad El-Aleimy, in cooperation with other civil political powers.

"The MB terrorist organisation's finances are being used by countries that support terrorism in order to infiltrate Egypt's economy and create a state of chaos with the cooperation of civil political forces and a current member of parliament," the source added.*

Hemos respetado la totalidad del texto para que el lector se haga una idea de la magnitud de las acusaciones y las personas involucradas. El artículo contiene parte de las acusaciones generales sobre los objetivos habituales de la Hermandad más una explicación sobre la forma en que se trataba de "desestabilizar" al estado egipcio desde la perspectiva de la economía.

El párrafo final, en cambio, introduce una novedad: son los estados extranjeros los que manipulan y aprovechan a la Hermandad para desestabilizar a Egipto económica y políticamente en connivencia con fuerzas políticas civiles y ese "current member of parliament". El gusto egipcio por lo barroco se refleja en ese párrafo final en el que el universo se une contra el país elegido para que todo comenzara allí.

En el texto se entremezclan acusaciones (flujo de capitales), creación del caos y la desestabilización económica, conspiraciones parlamentarias, fuerzas políticas, etc. Todo revuelto en un escenario en los que se repite lo de siempre pero con nuevas adiciones. En primer lugar está la lista de detenidos, que suele tener por objeto el desprestigio personal, ya que se da por hecho que están vinculados con la Hermandad y que conspiran contra el país. En segundo lugar, las acusaciones se quedan en mera pirotecnia precisamente por su generalidad.

El diario Egypt Independent (con fuente propia desde Al-Masry Al-Youm) nos da una versión igualmente confusa:

The Egyptian Interior Ministry said on Tuesday that it foiled a plot by the banned Muslim Brotherhood under the theme “Hope Plan”. The plot was run by the group’s leaders and agitating constituencies to target state institutions in order to bring them down coinciding with the celebrations of June 30 Revolution.

A statement by the ministry added that the National Security Agency raided 19 companies and business entities run secretly by the Muslim Brotherhood group. The forces seized documents, sums of money, some devices and electronic media. The statement said that the volume of investments and financial transactions of those entities reach LE205 million.

The statement said that six of those implicated in the plot were arrested. They are responsible for the management of these entities and are members of Brotherhood cadres and illegal groups in the country.

The Interior Ministry said the Muslim Brotherhood was coordinating the plot with its supporters who claim to be representatives of civil political powers.

The plot is based on uniting efforts and providing financial support from the revenues and profits of some economic entities run by the leaders of the group, and using agitating constituencies to target state institutions to bring them down coinciding with the anniversary of the June 30 revolution.

The National Security Agency revealed that the plot included the establishment of illegal cash flow routes from abroad in cooperation between the Muslim Brotherhood and agitating constituencies who are fleeing hostile countries to work on financing the opposing moves.

The statement added that the aim was to carry out acts of violence and riots against state institutions simultaneously to create a revolutionary momentum among citizens and intensify inflammatory media calls, especially from agitating elements on social media and satellite channels broadcasting from abroad.

The Ministry said that the most prominent fugitive elements abroad involved in the implementation of the scheme were identified as Brotherhood leaders Mahmoud Hassan, Ali Batikh, and the inflammatory media hosts Moataz Matar, and Mohamed Nasser, and convicted fugitive Ayman Nour.**

Aquí ya no se habla de "economía" o de "caos económico", sino directamente de la preparación de un intento de "revolución" con motivo del "30 de junio". Recordemos que el régimen egipcio ha creado una narrativa propia sobre el 30 de junio, momento en el que el pueblo egipcio salió a las calles a decirle al recientemente fallecido ex presidente Morsi que se fuera y que convocase nuevas elecciones. Lo que llegó después no fue ninguna de las dos cosas, ni Morsi se fue por las buenas ni llegaron nuevas elecciones, sino el "no-coup", el golpe que aprovechó el descontento para hacerse con el poder. El "30 de junio" usa un término que ya se usó en la época de Nasser, un "rectificación", una "corrección" de la revolución de 2011, que se consideraba producida por agentes extranjeros (¡pobres revolucionarios y mártires!) para hacerse con el poder y hundir a Egipto. En la teoría egipcia vigente, solo el Ejército interpreta correctamente el sentir del pueblo ("¡el pueblo y el ejército, una sola mano!"), solo él busca su prosperidad. Todos los demás, sean quienes sean, buscan hundirlo, están pagados a oscuras fuerzas extranjeras que evitan el destino grandioso de Egipto desde la época de los faraones, poco más o menos.

Los "países hostiles", como se dice en Egypt Independent, buscan financiar a los enemigos internos, que finalmente sembrarán la violencia y el caos tratando de derrocar al gobierno. Cada vez que se acerca algún aniversario, 25 de enero y 30 de junio, los rumores de este tipo de sucesos se apoderan de los medios gracias a las noticias de este tipo. Hasta el momento, era el 25 de enero la fecha que tenía más énfasis en la traición porque se trataba de distanciarse de su significado. Es lógico que habiendo recuperado parte del régimen de Mubarak, el 25 de enero, tuviera más simpatías. Pero las muertes, entre ellas la de la "mártir de las flores", la poetisa Shaimaa al-Sabbagh, asesinada de un disparo cuando llevaba una corona de flores en recuerdo de los muertos del 25 de enero de 2011. Se consiguió silencia esa fecha. Parece que ahora se intenta silenciar la otra, la del 30 de junio. Esto es sencillo si se hace ver que todo el que salga a la calle es un simpatizante de los Hermanos o está al servicio de esos "países hostiles", es un potencial destructor de Egipto.

Pero es en el diario Mada Masr en donde tenemos una información muy diferente sobre las detenciones y su sentido. Ya el titular nos da una versión muy diferente de lo que está ocurriendo: "Arrests target political figures involved in new coalition to run in 2020 parliamentary elections". Según esto se trataría de desmontar la posible coalición política que intentaría presentarse al parlamento egipcio en la fecha señalada, el 2020. Esto entra ya en lo más normal del funcionamiento, a la vista de los intentos anteriores, como los llevados a cabo para evitar que hubiera candidatos a la presidencia que presentaran una oposición no doblegada. Al final, como sabemos, se encarceló a todos los que intentaron legalmente presentarse como alternativas a al-Sisi y se acabó poniendo a un candidato títere, ridículo, como opositor. El candidato, recordemos, debía servir para fabricar una apariencia de oposición doméstica y domesticada al régimen de al-Sisi.

Cualquier intento de establecer algún tipo de alianza o partido al margen del control gubernamental está expuesto a estas vicisitudes. Nos cuentan en Mada Masr:

Several political figures involved in discussions to form a new political alliance meant to stand in 2020 parliamentary elections were arrested beginning at dawn on Tuesday.

At least eight people have been swept up in the arrest campaign, most prominently former Member of Parliament Zyad Elelaimy, journalist Hisham Fouad, Omar El-Shenety, the founder of the Multiples Group investment firm, and Hossam Moanis, the former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabbahi’s campaign manager.

The other four people identified by the Interior Ministry in a press release issued this morning are Mostafa Abdel Moez Abdel Sattar, Osama Abdel Aal Mohamed al-Aqbawy, Ahmed Abdel Galeel Hussein Ghoneim, and Hassan Mohamed Hussein Barbary.

Those detained face accusations of leading a plot “to bring down the state” ahead of the June 30 anniversary. This plot — identified by the ministry as “The Plan for Hope” — was backed by 19 companies and economic entities secretly managed by Muslim Brotherhood leaders from abroad, according to the Interior Ministry.

However, a source in Parliament tells Mada Masr that the “hope” referenced in the ministry’s statement comes from the working name of a newly formed political alliance of non-Islamist groups that was scheduled to be launched in the coming days. According to the source, who spoke to Mada Masr on condition of anonymity, the Coalition for Hope includes MPs, political party leaders, youth and journalists who were looking to enter the political arena and prepare to run in the upcoming 2020 parliamentary elections.

Members of the alliance have held meetings over the past two months in the offices of a number of political parties, according to the MP. The preliminary meetings, which the source took part in, were held openly and not in secret. The most recent meetings have been held at the offices of the Conservative Party and the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, the source said.

In these meetings, members discussed establishing a set of governing rules for the alliance, most notably that no members of the regime of former President Hosni Mubarak or Muslim Brotherhood would be allowed to be involved.

“We had finished the political document and we were about to finish the organizational paperwork, and we were preparing for a press conference that we were going to announce in a matter of days,” the MP said.

For the source, the arrests on Tuesday are an attempt to foreclose on the potential coalition.

“Those arrested early this morning have joined the long line of the oppressed because of their political work,” said the parliamentarian. “We want a statement from the political leadership telling us whether political work is allowed in Egypt or not.”

Some but not all of these arrested on Tuesday were involved in the emerging political coalition, according to a source in the Civil Democratic Movement, an alliance of political parties that was formed in December 2017.

The source confirmed that meetings have been underway in recent weeks to form a political coalition to field members to run in the 2020 parliamentary elections. These meetings, according to the source, have been attended by members of the Civil Democratic Movement alongside members of the 25-30 Alliance parliamentary bloc and a number of independent political figures.

The Civil Democratic Movement includes the Dostour Party, the Popular Socialist Alliance, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, the Bread and Freedom Party, and others.

The source, who spoke to Mada Masr on condition of anonymity, denied any links between the new political coalition and the Muslim Brotherhood, as claimed by the Interior Ministry, stressing that the people involved “are extremely opposed to the Brotherhood.”

Elelaimy, the most prominent of those arrested, is a lawyer and former member of parliament who helped found the Youth Revolution Coalition in 2011 and the Egyptian Social Democratic Party.

The journalist Hisham Fouad is a member of the Revolutionary Socialists and a trade union activist, who is involved in the Front to Defend Journalists and Freedoms initiative in the Journalists Syndicate. Fouad’s assets were frozen in 2015 as part of a state campaign to seize assets of blacklisted groups, most notably the Muslim Brotherhood.

Moanis is a senior member of the Karama Party, a Nasserist party founded by former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabbahi.

Shenety previously held a number of executive positions in the business sector, including managing director of the Multiples Investments Group and a board member of the private equity firm, The Abraaj Group. In August 2017, the state committee in charge of managing Muslim Brotherhood assets took control of the Arab International Company for Commercial Agencies, which owns Shenety’s Alef bookstore chain.

Most of the arrests took place on Tuesday around dawn. Attorney Khalid Ali said that Elelaimy, Fouad, Barbary and Moanis appeared later in the morning at the State Security Prosecution and are being held in detention pending investigation. He did not provide information on the whereabouts of the other defendants.***

La información continúa con los datos facilitados por los familiares de los detenidos, de algunos abogados, etc. Pero lo que se nos cuenta en la extensa cita anterior es básicamente el intento habitual de desmontar cualquier movimiento que cuestione el régimen.

Los tonos usados son también los habituales. No se trata de competir democráticamente. El régimen criminaliza cualquier intento de organizarse como movimiento alternativo al poder. Para ello cuenta con la maquinaria del estado, tanto en seguridad como en los medios que distribuyen sus versiones y se suman a las interpretaciones que se les ofrecen. El panorama mediático egipcio, controlado desde las instituciones creadas para ello, debe reproducir lo dicho aceptándolo. Cualquier intento puede llevar al cierre o al bloqueo.

El régimen egipcio sigue manteniendo su burbuja. Debe controlar todo lo que ocurre dentro de ella para poder mantenerse. La aparición de una oposición crítica es impensable porque el mensaje debe ser uno y controlado. De ahí la necesidad de crear un parlamento ad hoc, que incluye una oposición artificial y al servicio mismo del poder. Es un trucado combate de lucha, con el luchador bueno y el malo.

Los que son críticos son inmediatamente desacreditados y estigmatizados, cuando no encarcelados en el laberinto carcelario y jurídico egipcio, donde puedes pasar años esperando a que un juez se digne llamarte a declarar.

Ya se ha creado el enemigo y su nombre es ese "New Hope", ya vinculado a los Hermanos, a los "países hostiles" y a la búsqueda del caos. Da igual que sus miembros sean declarados anti Hermandad Musulmana. No vas a llevar la contraria al régimen, que te puede complicar mucho tu vida y salud.

Falta poco para la elección de un nuevo parlamento y se irá notando en este tipo de maniobras. Conmigo o contra mí. No quedan más alternativas. En Egipto, la política es solo una fachada.

* "Egypt's Ministry of Interior foils Muslim Brotherhood plan to disrupt national economy: Statement" Ahram Online 25/06/2019 http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/336741/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-Ministry-of-Interior-foils-Muslim-Brotherho.aspx

** "Egypt authorities foil Muslim Brotherhood plot to spread chaos on June 30" Egypt Independent 25/06/2019 https://www.egyptindependent.com/egypt-authorities-say-foiled-muslim-brotherhood-plot-to-spread-chaos-on-june-30/

*** "Arrests target political figures involved in new coalition to run in 2020 parliamentary elections" Mada Masr 25/06/2019 https://madamasr.com/en/2019/06/25/feature/politics/arrests-target-political-figures-involved-in-new-coalition-to-run-in-2020-parliamentary-elections/