Civil unrest in Qena demanding the sacking of the new governor raises questions over who calls the shots, reports Mona El-Nahhas Responding to the demands of the 25 January Revolution, the cabinet has carried out a complete reshuffle of the country's governors. However, not everyone is happy. For the fifth consecutive day, thousands of angry demonstrators in Qena governorate staged sit-ins to protest against the appointment of a Copt governor, Emad Shehata Mekhail. The protesters include families and representatives of various political factions. Members of the Muslim Brotherhood as well as various Salafist groups entered the fray on the second day of the protests which demanded that Mekhail be replaced by a Muslim and civil governor. The protesters vowed not to end their strike until their demands are met. "I think it will be big mistake if they respond to their demands," warned political analyst Amr Hashem Rabie. "It would simply mean that Salafists have gotten the upper hand in running Egypt's affairs." On Tuesday, it was widely rumoured that Mekhail submitted his resignation. However, Deputy Prime Minister Yehia El-Gamal denied the report. "Mekhail is still in his post," El-Gamal said in press statements, noting that stability will be restored to Qena gradually. But protesters insisted on escalation, threatening to cut off electricity and water supplies. On Saturday, they announced the start of a partial work stoppage in certain government offices. The strikes have paralysed the Upper Egypt railway system after protesters in Qena camped on the tracks, preventing trains from coming from Luxor and Aswan as well as Cairo. Sohag railway station, not Aswan, has become the last station for trains coming from Cairo and Alexandria. Preliminary losses were estimated at more than LE3 million. Traffic at the Qena- Aswan and Qena-Safaga highways was also cut off. Roads were blocked and cars banned from crossing. Protesters insist they are not ready to repeat the experiment of a Copt governor. Magdi Ayoub, Qena's former governor for six years and a Copt was subject to severe criticism due to what his constituents described as a poor performance which, they added, led to the governorate's deterioration. Even Copts were not supportive of Ayoub, claiming that conscious of being a Copt, he worried that he would be accused of favouring them, so ended up discriminating against them. Being a Copt was not the only reason behind the calls to oust Mekhail. Accusations of being involved in killing demonstrations during the uprising were levelled at the new governor, who at that time was deputy chief of the Giza security administration. Attempting to allay the concerns of the protesters, Interior Minister Mansour El-Eissawi and Minister of Local Development Mohsen El-Nomani both visited Qena on Monday to negotiate with families, tribes, the governorate's top officials and political powers over a solution to the escalating crisis. Following the negotiations, El-Nomani promised to convey the demands of the protesters to the ruling Higher Council of the Armed Forces and to the prime minister, on condition that the protesters allow the governorate to return to normal. The government yesterday said that it will not tolerate any acts of violence. Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb said he, too, would visit Qena soon to issue a fatwa, or religious edict, on the appointment of the new governor. At a press conference on Tuesday, El-Tayeb described the protests as having no logical justification. "It's normal for an Egyptian, whether a Muslim or Copt, to be appointed governor," El-Tayeb said. The crisis in Qena started last Thursday immediately after Mekhail was sworn in as part of the new reshuffle. Eighteen new governors were appointed. Two moved to other governorates, while seven remained in their posts. Because of the reshuffle, a decree issued three years ago founding the 6 October and Helwan governorates was scrapped. Like before, Helwan returned to being affiliated to Greater Cairo and 6 October to Giza governorate. Prime Minister Essam Sharaf is due to issue the necessary executive decisions and maps illustrating the new borders. After taking the oath on Saturday, the governors pledged to solve the problems of their governorates, most important of which are improving slums and clearing garbage. They said drinking and sewage water, traffic and violations of agricultural land would also be addressed. Some viewed the reshuffle as positive, with remnants of the former regime finally ousted. Supporters hoped that the same would be applied to local municipalities, where members of the dissolved National Democratic Party constituted the vast majority. However, others had reservations on the way the governors were chosen. "It was the same old fashioned way which does not reflect the spirit of the revolution. Old age and their military origin were two factors which linked the new governors," Rabie said, adding that it would have been better if the names chosen enjoyed wide-scale popularity among the public. "I think they had plenty of time to do this, especially as the reshuffle came a bit late," Rabie said. According to Rabei, certain names are said to have connections with corrupt officials belonging to the former regime. Cairo Governor Abdel-Qawi Khalifa, who was the board chairman of the Drinking Water Holding Company, is reported to have ties with former housing minister Ibrahim Suleiman, currently facing charges of wasting public money and illegally amassing personal wealth. Daqahliya's new governor, Mohsen Hefzi, also a former security official, is expected to get a rather cold welcome as well. Speaking on TV on Tuesday, Hefzi said that while he did have close ties with the much reviled former interior minister Habib El-Adli, he vowed to submit his resignation if he felt the public was against him. "It isn't a matter of life or death for me. If I do not get the proper welcome, I will resign at once," Hefzi said. While opinions differed regarding the choice of governors, there was some satisfaction over the scrapping of Helwan and 6 October governorates. Except for a few isolated protests staged by workers in the two governorates, the decision was praised. Experts believe that the separation was from the beginning rash and detrimental. They cite the example of the constitution stipulating that the Supreme Constitutional Court should be affiliated to Egypt's capital. After Helwan was declared a governorate in 2008, the court, located in Maadi district, became no longer affiliated to Cairo, a violation of the constitution. Secondly, the two governorates combine far-away districts. As such, residents in Al-Qahera Al-Gadida must make the arduous journey to Helwan to tend to government paperwork, for example, bearing in mind that means of transportation are not easily available. When their separation was announced, the two governorates had no headquarters allocated to them. Employees were obliged to use temporary headquarters. So, experts agreed, the existence of these two governorates was nothing but a reflection of the state of chaos prevailing at the time.
