TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017 ANALYSIS

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Focus 6 yrs on, activists worry uprising ‘gone to waste’

ix years after Hosni Mubarak was forced from power, the activists behind Egypt’s 2011 Suprising are facing a new crackdown and struggling to see much reason for hope. Rights groups accuse President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi of cracking down on freedoms won during the revolt, with many activists now facing prison, asset freezes and travel bans. Critics of the former army chief - who was elected after he toppled Islamist presi- dent Mohamed Morsi in 2013 - say Sisi does not tolerate any dissent. “The situation is miserable,” said Esraa Abdel Fattah, a 38-year-old activist now banned from travel, as she passed by Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the Jan 2011 uprising. Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians protested in the square for 18 days, setting up tents and makeshift hospitals, and demanding an end to Mubarak’s 30-year rule. “I’m sad for the blood that has gone to waste,” First days of Trump signal deepening divide Abdel Fattah said, remembering the hundreds killed in the streets as security forces tried to sup- n the blocks surrounding the White House, signs read- election! Why didn’t these people vote?” Trump said on fying messages. He appealed directly to his supporters, press the protests. ing “Love Trumps Hate” and “Build Bridges Not Walls” Twitter on Sunday morning. He added a conciliatory note: painting a bleak picture of “American carnage” - a country Ahmad, a 32-year-old pharmacist who only gave Ilittered the sidewalks on Sunday, the detritus of the “Even if I don’t always agree, I recognize the rights of peo- filled with rusted factories and plagued by crime and his first name, also took part in the 2011 demon- Women’s March protesting the policies of President ple to express their views.” Most of the dozens of march vowed, “from this day forward it’s going to be only strations. “Before, I was ready to die for this country, Donald Trump. Both Trump’s supporters and women and participants interviewed America First”. The grim vision of America the 70-year-old now I just want to leave,” he said. “I have transi- men who took part in the massive march against him in by Reuters said president often evokes is belied by statistics showing low tioned from struggling for democracy and human Washington on Saturday contemplated the vestiges of they had vot- levels of unemployment and crime nationally. But Trump rights to fighting a daily battle to provide for my protest and ruminated about the convulsive first 48 ed for his won many votes in parts of the nation where manufactur- family’s basic needs,” Ahmad said. “It’s a daily strug- hours under the Republican president. ing industry has been badly hit and people feel left gle for survival,” he said. For Mary Forster, who joined her first political behind in the recovery. demonstration on Saturday, the weekend only ‘Latent anger’ reinforced her worries that the country was ‘Congress Makes it Worse’ Egyptians have faced shortages of basic goods splitting further apart after a bitter election. Republican domination in Washington suggests such as medicine and sugar in past months, with “I feel like we’re getting driven farther apart,” partisan divisions will only grow deeper, at least over prices soaring after the government floated the said Forster, a 42-year-old environmental the next two years until the next congressional elec- currency and slashed fuel subsidies in November. regulation specialist from Ithaca, New York. tions. “There is no question that Trump has exacerbated Those measures were part of economic reforms to “There really is no middle any more. We the divisions that already existed in the United States, on meet conditions for a $12 billion loan from the seem to be losing the middle ground.” important issues from national security to civil rights to International Monetary Fund, which was approved She has voted both Democratic climate change,” said Wendy Schiller, a professor of politi- later the same month. “There is latent anger” and Republican in the past but was cal science at Brown University. “Dividing the country is a because of the economic situation, political scien- motivated to march by concerns recipe for winning elections but it is not a recipe for suc- tist Mai Mogib said. “But despite this, nobody wants over the comments and policies of cessful government.” another revolution. Egyptians are exhausted after a businessman-turned-politician With Republicans controlling both chambers of revolt that didn’t produce the results they were Trump, many of which are seen by Congress they will have little to no need to reach across hoping for,” she said. the left as harmful to women and the aisle. Democrats also may prefer to simply rail against In the months after the ouster of Morsi, Egypt’s minorities. Like Forster, millions of Republican proposals rather than compromise, to better first democratically elected civilian president, hun- women, buttressed by male family mem- rile up their base supporters for the mid-term elections, dreds of his Islamist supporters were killed and bers and friends, joined marches political observers said. “The ideology of congressmen in the Democratic party is to the left of rank-and-file thousands more jailed. The crackdown then throughout US cities in a much larger- than-expected challenge to Trump. “There Democrats and the same is true on the Republican side, expanded to leftist and secular activists, with used to be more things that unified us and they are to the right,” said Jeffrey Berry, a professor of scores in jail on accusation of participating in unau- now I feel like we are more divided than we used political science at Tufts University outside Boston. thorized street protests. Egypt has also been inves- to be,” Forster said. Democratic “Congress makes it worse. It is not a moderating force.” tigating civil society groups on suspicion of receiv- It is a view widely held by Americans. A Pew Research rival, former US Trump supporters questioned the rationale of launch- ing illegal foreign funding in a controversial probe Center poll released on Thursday showed that 86 percent Secretary of ing such large protests on his first full day in office, before criticized by the United Nations. of Americans believed the country was more politically State Hillary he had much time to take policy actions. “They are not This month, a court ordered a freeze on the divided than it had been in the past, sharply higher than Clinton. The largest giving him any time. They are just presuming that he is assets of Nazra for Feminist Studies and its founder the 46 percent who held that view eight years ago, just marches were in states going to do a bad job,” said Kimberley Morgan, a 54-year- Mozn Hassan, as well as of Mohamed Zaree and his before former President Barack Obama’s inauguration. that had voted for old laid-off teacher from Alabama. Morgan had support- Arab Penal Reform Organization. It came after the Democrats and Republicans concurred in their view of Clinton, like California, ed Ben Carson in the Republican primaries but voted for assets of five other human rights defenders and the division, a marked change from 2009 when more New York, Illinois, Trump after the retired neurosurgeon dropped out. three non-governmental organizations were frozen than half of Republicans thought the country was Massachusetts and the She resolved to wear her Trump baseball cap as she in September over similar accusations. becoming more divided, compared to about four in ten District of rode the subway into downtown Washington on Sunday Democrats. Columbia. morning with her family, a gesture she had decided ‘Back to square one’ For many observers, the split is likely to be exacerbat- Trump’s inau- against on Saturday due to the march. “People presume “The revolution is back to square one,” said ed by Trump, who stunned both parties with his Nov 8 gural speech all these things about you because you voted for Trump. Hassan, who was also issued a travel ban a few victory and has made his mark in world politics with on Friday People presume that you are racist. We are not racist,” said months ago. “We have to defend ourselves in court blunt, often offensive speech. “Watched protests yester- offered little in Morgan. “It’s hard to listen to people when they are against accusations (of crimes) we didn’t commit,” day but was under the impression that we just had an the way of uni- screaming at you.” — Reuters the 37-year-old said. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have described the travel bans as “part of a larger campaign to suppress independent, critical voices inside the country”. The Early knight puts Federer in dreamland secular April 6 movement, one of the groups that called for the Jan 25 protests in 2011 and helped t seemed unthinkable just a few days Victory today would put him into a last three or four days.” After failing to ignite the uprising, has been banned by the ago, but ’s chances of semi-final against his fellow Swiss, the catch fire against Jurgen Melzer and authorities. Iwinning an age-defying 18th Grand redoubtable Stan Wawrinka, or France’s Noah Rubin, Federer has evoked memo- Ahmed Maher, 36, one of its founders and a Slam title are looking better all the time Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. On the other side of ries of his glory days in his last two leading figure in the 2011 revolt, was released earli- after an astonishing turn of events at the the draw lurk third seed Milos Raonic matches, especially his 90-minute er this month after spending three years in prison . As top-ranked Andy and Grigor ‘Baby Fed’ Dimitrov - and beating of Tomas Berdych. on accusations he organized an unauthorized Murray followed defending champion Federer’s old nemesis, Rafael Nadal. Meanwhile the newly knighted protest. But for the next three years, he must spend Novak Djokovic to the exit, 35-year-old Murray, who had climbed to 12 hours each night at a police station near his Federer gritted his teeth to reach the Rocket’s man the top of the pecking order home. “I’m a half-prisoner,” Maher said. Journalist quarter-finals - and was promptly Australian legend Rod ‘Rocket’ Laver, after a brilliant 2016, was left Ahmad Gamal Ziada, a photojournalist who spent installed as the surprise bookies’ favorite. whose name adorns the Melbourne cen- to ponder his defeat to serve- two years in jail after his arrest at a protest he was There was no doubt what it meant to ter court, was one observer hoping for a volleyer Zverev on the long covering, is just as disillusioned. “We’re exhausted,” Federer, who leapt around the court in ninth Grand Slam final between the flight home. he said. — AFP celebration as he completed a hard- long-time rivals. “Yeah, it would be nice “Early knight”, and “Night fought, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 win to see (Federer and Nadal) in the final,” Knight, Andy”, headlined the over Japan’s late on he said, according to the Sydney Aussie media, as the five-time Sunday. “This is a huge moment for me Morning Herald. “They’ve been battling losing finalist picked over his in my career,” said the grinning Swiss, each other for probably the last 11 years earliest Melbourne departure in All articles appearing on these pages who could write a new chapter follow- and now they’re here with a good eight years. “I was full of confi- are the personal opinion of the writers. ing his return from six months out with chance to go through. But again, any of dence coming into the begin- a knee injury. these younger players coming through ning of this year. Kuwait Times takes no responsibility Federer hasn’t won a Grand Slam title can be troublesome.” I prepared as best as I could,” for views expressed therein. Kuwait in five years, and he could also become Laver, who called Federer his “favorite” Murray said. “But maybe have the oldest player since 37-year-old Ken modern-day player, added: “It is amazing to have a look back and assess Times invites readers to voice their Rosewall in 1972 to win one of the to think that Roger Federer is playing as some things and see maybe if opinions. Please send submissions via sport’s major trophies. Playing with his well as he is at this moment. He had a there’s some stuff I could have done old panache, he remains a huge favorite knee operation which took him back, differently, or did my opponent just email to: [email protected] or of the Australian crowds who have seen he’s been out of the game for six play a great match?” Women’s defending via snail mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, him victorious on four occasions at months. He’s been working awfully hard champion Angelique Kerber was Melbourne Park. However, it is still early and I think that’s probably been the best upset by Coco Vandeweghe late on Kuwait. The editor reserves the right to to talk of a record-extending 18th major thing; he probably never had this much Sunday, making it the first Grand Slam edit any submission as necessary. title for Federer, with much to be time to prepare for specific people. I since the 2004 that both played over the next week starting with have not seen him play a backhand this top seeds have departed before the his quarter-final against Mischa Zverev. good, as consistently as it has been the quarter-finals. — AFP