Celebrations marking the 38th anniversary of the October War arrive amid growing criticism of the performance of the military council, reports Amirah Ibrahim Are Egypt's current military rulers ready to give up power or are they playing to the gallery? It is a question that has gained in urgency in recent weeks, bubbling to the surface after the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) announced it was reactivating emergency measures in the wake of the break-in at the Israeli embassy, then growing in volume as amendments were announced to the election law only to be revised, leading to accusations that the military council was seeking to delay the handover of power to a civil government. Throughout the ensuing political crisis Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of the SCAF and Egypt's de facto ruler, has kept his own counsel. On Sunday, however, he broke his silence during a visit to Fayoum where he was due to inaugurate three new factories. The visit, of a kind that used to be the prerogative of the president, was publicised as part of the Armed Forces' commemoration of the October War. "The Armed Forces fight for Egypt, not for any individual, whoever he may be," said Field Marshal Tantawi, who served as Hosni Mubarak's minister of defence for 20 years. "I testified before God and I told the truth," he said, referring to his evidence at the trial of the former president. "Nobody asked us to open fire and we will never open fire [on the people]." A strict media blackout had been imposed on Tantawi's 24 September court appearance, leading to feverish speculation about what he had said. Military sources say Tantawi decided to disclose the thrust of his testimony because he has been unhappy with what he considers unjustified criticism of the role of the military. "The Armed Forces do not deserve to be treated like enemy forces," said one source. "Tantawi is the leader of an army that has been assigned missions outside its training, and which is now expected to maintain order and control civilians." Tantawi's recent impromptu appearance in downtown Cairo wearing a smart civilian suit led to immediate speculation over whether he was intending to launch a presidential bid. "What am I expected to wear, some tatty torn suit?" Tantawi is reported to have said as he toured Fayoum accompanied by Chief-of-Staff Sami Anan and several other members of the military council. On Monday Tantawi arrived in Minya to open a new road connecting Helwan with Assiut. He used the occasion to defend the council's decision to broaden the notorious emergency law, despite demands from political and revolutionary movements to end the state of emergency. "None of us wants to declare a state of emergency, but the current security situation in Egypt led us to activate it," said Tantawi. "No one can accept that a wife can be kidnapped from her husband in the street." The state of emergency, he continued, will end as soon as "the security situation becomes stable". "This requires the concerted efforts of the Egyptian people, security forces and all levels of Egyptian society." The SCAF's announcement that it was reactivating the emergency law met with a storm of criticism from human rights activists and politicians.
