Morsi's speech: too little, too late for opposition
| Cairo
President Mohamed Morsi used a televised address last night to offer an assessment of his first year in office, veering from calls for reconciliation to condemnation of the country鈥檚 political opposition.聽But political opponents say the聽conciliatory message聽came too late, and will not stop their momentum as mass protests calling for his resignation near.聽
Mr. Morsi has been heavily criticized for doing little to encourage the political unity that will be necessary to deal with the country鈥檚 mounting economic crisis. He used the speech to extend an offer of dialogue to opposition parties聽ahead of demonstrations聽planned for聽June 30, which are expected to聽mobilize聽millions and possibly become violent.
He promised 鈥渁n audit of my first year, with full transparency, along with a road map.鈥澛燗lluding to parliamentary elections expected later this year, he added, "I say to the opposition, the road to change is clear."
The address,聽which was shown on national television and beamed onto a projection screen聽in Cairo's Tahrir Square, took place against a backdrop of bloody聽anti-government聽protests in cities across the Delta north of Cairo. By late聽last night, Egypt鈥檚 ministry of health reported that two people had been killed and almost 300 injured in clashes between pro- and anti-government supporters in聽Mansoura and Zagazig.聽In Mansoura, violence erupted at an Islamist rally held in support of the president.
The president鈥檚 tone shifted repeatedly during the meandering 2-1/2 hour address. Although he began with a conciliatory message,聽he later singled out political rivals for personal attacks and railed against unspecified 鈥渆nemies of Egypt,鈥� warning that they could destabilize the country.
"Political polarization and conflict have reached a stage that threatens our nascent democratic experience and threatens to put the whole nation in a state of paralysis and chaos," he said.
Listing his achievements, he pointed to an increase in the minimum wage and a rise in public sector salaries. But he also apologized for "many mistakes" such as the fuel shortages that have led to long lines outside gas stations. The fuel crisis has grown particularly acute in recent days as anxiety stemming from the upcoming protests has prompted families to stockpile supplies.
Speaking in front of an audience that included high-level representatives from the interior and defense ministries, the composition of the room communicated a message of state unity.聽Earlier in the week, statements from the Army had implied that it was willing to re-enter Egypt's political arena, almost a year after handing power to Morsi's elected government, in order to prevent the country from going down the "dark tunnel" of internal conflict. 聽Army tanks were deployed across Egyptian cities聽yesterday聽to secure state institutions聽in case the protests burgeoned.聽
Opposition groups responded angrily to the speech, saying that it revealed a presidency in denial.
鈥淭his speech shows that [Morsi] lives in another world,鈥� says Khaled Dawoud, a spokesman for the National Salvation Front, Egypt's聽coalition of secularist opposition parties. 鈥淭he talk of national reconciliation comes too late, it is nothing but lip service. He is refusing to acknowledge the number of problems that have come from his policies and the religious rhetoric of his group.鈥�
鈥淸Sunday]聽June 30th聽is coming and there will be millions of Egyptians out on the streets. Last night鈥檚 speech has made me even more determined to join them, holding my banner aloft and waiting it out until he leaves.鈥�
But according to analysts, the strength of the speech lay less in its content than in its tone. Yasser el-Shimy, Middle East analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the speech as 鈥渂y far Morsi鈥檚 best.鈥�
鈥淗is staunchest critics in non-Islamist circles are likely to dismiss it, but I think it鈥檚 done a good deal in speaking to the silent majority who had started to reconsider support for him and the Brotherhood.鈥�
Although Morsi won a majority in last year's presidential election, his popularity has now halved, according to a poll by Zogby Research Services earlier this month. Critics accuse him of failing to address Egypt's mounting economic crisis, and of attempting to pack state institutions with loyal followers, in much the same way as his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak.
鈥淭he way Morsi spoke was significant,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e lapsed for large sections into Egyptian dialect, with a country accent in many cases, speaking to people in their own language. This could still play well for him as he makes a final push ahead of this weekend's protests鈥�
