This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.
In Nasser's hometown, locals hope for the better under new president The poor and unprivileged residents of Nasser's southern hometown of Bany Mor hope for a president who will feel their pains like Gamal did
In the southern town where Egypt's former president Gamal Abdel-Nasser lived as a child, locals today are unsure about whether current politicians have captured the popular leader's legacy. They are adamant, however, about their need for lower prices and greater security on the streets. Nasser, a towering figure in Egyptian politics whose ideology has been claimed by many political figures and parties, grew up in the small town of Beni Mur near the southern city of Assiut. The locals, who are mostly poor, don't believe there are many ideological differences between the different Nasserite parties, but they hope the upcoming president will have a close understanding of their grievances, just as Nasser did. In the country's upcoming 26-27 May presidential race, former military chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is running against leftist Hamdeen Sabahi, and both have been compared to Nasser, who was president from 1956 until his death in 1970. “Nasser is not a preserve of his family, certain figures or parties. He is for all Egyptians, Arabs and anybody who loved him,” his cousin told Ahram Online in an interview in Beni Mur. Nearly 44 years after his death, his pictures and his name are still everywhere in his neighbourhood: on the walls of a local school, a youth activity centre and even the juice seller's cart. The town has only recently been connected to the power grid, and still has no sewage system. Assiut is the poorest of Egypt's governorates, according to the latest official figures. ## In an unpaved alley stands the deserted home of Nasser's family, where the group of generals used to meet before the 1952 revolution which Nasser led against the British-backed monarchy in Egypt. Ruling Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970, he implemented a vigorous social and economic plan to fight poverty, dubbed Arab Socialism, focused on land redistribution, nationalisation of large industries and introducing social benefits like free healthcare, education and profit-sharing for workers. The former leader remains a symbol of national pride, pan-Arabism, and above all social justice for many Egyptians. Millions of mourners attended his funeral in 1970, still considered one of the largest funerals in history. “Nasser's days are irreplaceable,” 72-year-old Sayed Hussein of Beni Mur said. “There was liberty, socialism and abundance.” Another local, 30-year-old vegetable seller Abu El-Hassan, said that it was hard for him to judge Nasser's legacy as he was not alive when Nasser was president, but that many people saw an echo of the former leader in El-Sisi, and the word of those elders who had experienced Nasser's era must be a guide. “Older generations decide for the young people,” he said. ## Nasser's cousin, also named Abdel-Nasser, thinks that people are still emotionally attached to the former leader because he “looked at the poor and was close to their pain.” "The decades that followed were based on the developments that Nasser made,” he said. Afifa Shehata, another local, told Ahram Online that she just wants stability and security, while complaining of a bread scarcity. Another local, Mahmoud Abdel-Razek, said that his main concern was high rental prices. During the latest chapter of Egypt's political turmoil, the memory of Nasser saw resurgence; chants celebrating Nasser and pictures of the leader made an appearance at some of the protests against Islamist president Mohamed Morsi that preceded his ouster last summer. Many see a resemblance between El-Sisi, who became popular after announcing Morsi's ouster, and Nasser, who launched a security crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood. Both men had tense relations with the long-banned Islamist group. Sabahi, however, has a long pedigree as a Nasserist politician, advancing the leftist ideology associated with the former leader since he was a university student. He is also the former head of the Nasserist Karama Party. “We will judge if the new president will be like Nasser when we see how he rules,” the leader's cousin said. He added that the family, including Nasser's son, are supporting El-Sisi. ## http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/102020.aspx
