WATANI International
14 June 2009
President Barack Obama’s visit to Cairo earlier this month claimed its fair share of expectations, controversy, and analyses. In a move that is rather unusual in our country, the Cabinet’s Information Centre polled the public on its opinion about the visit. The result revealed that, on the whole, Egyptian public opinion had undergone a positive, optimistic shift towards America. Most Egyptians believed the words of President Obama and looked forward to a better future for America and the Muslim World.
Last week I tackled the political implications of President Obama’s visit. Today, and away from politics, I contemplate a few details which, in my view, need some courageous steps to confront them. Brave decisions are, after all, not exclusively needed in case of political crises, but may extend to cover various aspects in life.
Wherever President Obama was scheduled to set foot in Cairo, feverish official efforts were exerted to repair, renovate, and beautify. Once the VIP visitor went home, matters went back to their normal disregard and neglect. This, in a way, upset ordinary Egyptians and aroused feelings of jealousy. No matter how important the guest, Egyptians felt that they were entitled to at least part of that extraordinary effort on a regular basis. It would definitely lead to a better quality of life and to a healthier, more beautiful environment. The media railed against this official behaviour and used it to crack jokes at the government. Yet this behaviour is a reflection of the deeply entrenched Egyptian custom of the ‘guest room’. This is the room traditionally reserved for guests in the Egyptian home, the one best cared for and always kept in top order, usually contrary to the other rooms in the house, which abound with the customary clutter and disorder. Are not the residents of the house entitled to the same cleanliness and order offered to their guests? On the public level, the matter warrants a courageous decision on the part of the administration to accord the house owners the same care as their guests.
It was natural that President Obama’s visit would involve a plethora of security measures. Some of these were necessary and reasonable, while some others were generally deemed rather exaggerated. The redrawing of the traffic routes in Cairo in order for public traffic to bypass the route used by President Obama’s motorcade was necessary; it was done carefully and publicised well so that Cairenes had no problem reaching their destinations that day. Those who attended President Obama’s speech at Cairo University had to park their cars in a parking lot some 5km away, but shuttle buses were on hand to swiftly take them to the hall then back to the parking lot later. Security measures were high at the gates, but they were conducted courteously and firmly. It was, however, unreasonable to have only one exit for the visitors to leave the hall once the speech was over, and one gate for the cars to exit the parking lot. Apart from the utter inconvenience, the ‘one exit’ measure went against all safety considerations and would have been disastrous had there been any need to evacuate the building or parking lot in case of emergency.
As to the orders issued to the occupants of buildings that overlooked the presidential motorcade path to refrain from opening their windows or parking their cars in the streets, they were a source of irritation and were regarded as excessive. It requires a brave decision that such exaggerated measures are not again implemented.
Most Egyptians were captivated by what they saw as President Obama’s spontaneity and sense of humour. Following the formal welcome accorded to him at Qubba Palace he headed to Cairo University for his speech. Instead of the customary officials surrounding a public figure, President Obama went onstage alone, waving and smiling charmingly. Later he donned a T-shirt as he visited the Pyramids and appeared to be spending the time of his life pottering around and attempting to experience every detail of the visit. It would take courage to adopt similar spontaneity and humour by local officials.
