Amirah Ibrahim profiles presidential candidate Ahmed Shafik, describing the controversy over his candidacy for the post Ahmed Shafik, Egypt's last prime minister before the ousting of former president Hosni Mubarak, is a former commander of the Egyptian Air Force and was a long-time minister in Mubarak governments. He is a man known to be "tough", and he reportedly longed to be appointed prime minister at the end of Mubarak's rule in order to save the country from the deteriorating economic and social conditions. Viewed as a member of the old guard, or as a remnant of the dissolved former ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), the Islamist-controlled parliament has tried to ban him and Mubarak's vice president and chief General Intelligence officer Omar Suleiman from running in the presidential elections by amending the political rights law. Suleiman was later disqualified by the Presidential Elections Commission (PEC). Although Shafik was also disqualified, he contested the decision and the PEC later readmitted him to the race on the basis of referring the law to the Constitutional Court. Shafik, 70, has a distinguished military record. He was awarded the Medal of Honour as a fighter pilot in the 1973 war against Israel. On 14 October 1973, Shafik shot down two Israeli fighter planes over the Delta city of Mansoura in a battle in which Israel lost 17 fighter jets in 53 minutes. The day has been marked Egyptian Air Forces Day ever since. Shafik spent 41 years in military service. He graduated in 1961 as a fighter pilot, and was promoted to higher ranks at a young age. "The fighter pilot takes a lifetime decision in a second. If he fails just once, he pays for it with his life," Shafik once said. In that way he differentiated himself from Mubarak, a bomber pilot who, Shafik added, has much more time to make a decision. From 1991 to 1996, Shafik was Air Force chief of staff, later becoming Air Force commander for six years. The 11-year stretch made Shafik the commander to hold each post the longest. During that time he brought Chinese military know-how to manufacture training aircraft, the K-8, a project which developed rapidly. For Shafik, the phases of his career which he is most proud of are when he was promoted as a fighter commander and when he became civil aviation minister. "These are when I had challenged myself and death to be what I always wanted to be, and succeeded." In 2002 he was entrusted with creating a revamped civil aviation sector. He stopped the government from financing aviation projects, including the state-owned national carrier and all 22 airports affiliated to the government. He insisted air transport must rely on self-finance. The air business expanded under Shafik, modernising, as it was, all Egyptian airports, upgrading the capabilities of the national carrier and being invited to join the biggest airlines alliance in the world. He persuaded the World Bank to finance aviation projects in the Middle East after a 25-year halt, when it agreed to fund Shafik's ambitious plan to convert Cairo International Airport into a hub. When Mubarak chose him as prime minister, days after the start of last year's revolution, Shafik knew it was the right move made at the wrong time. The challenge was daunting, made more so by the deadly Battle of the Camel in Tahrir Square on 2 February, in which riders on camels and horses ploughed into protesting crowds, and which came just one the day after Shafik took office. After a month of protests by indignant demonstrators Shafik was forced to resign, but he remains absolutely convinced he deserved a fairer chance. Later in 2011 he announced he would run for the presidency but on condition he saw himself more capable than his rivals of solving the country's chronic problems. This week, Shafik stood third on the list of the 13 candidates in a survey conducted by Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies. When he picked his electoral symbol Shafik expressed his way of working; he chose the ladder. "I always believed in myself, never chased what I cannot reach and am confident that I am highly capable and qualified to do the job." "I am not after prestigious posts; I have had my fill. If the new constitution establishes a parliament state, then I cannot achieve my plans. I'll surely quit." Platform: As described by political analyst Muetaz Abdel-Fattah, professor of political science, Shafik is not a publicity seeker "but strives to hit targeted goals. Shafik insists campaign platforms are for candidates who can fulfill their promises, not what the candidate promises. "One candidate, I was informed, filled his platform with 400 pages. I bet 80 per cent of the platforms introduced by the 12 other candidates are similar. We all care about poverty, better education, a healthy generation, high income and safe communities. Solutions and proposed plans have been introduced by local and foreign experts. The question is who is capable of rebuilding the new republic? The answer should be he who has experienced similar crises and achieved success as a technocrat as well a politician." Shafik's economic proposals focus on creating new commercial zones in the Delta, the Suez Canal and the Nubian part of Upper Egypt. He introduced an ambitious development plan to convert Sinai and the Suez Canal banks into an independent commercial free zone. To the south is a similar mega project to develop Nasser Lake behind the High Dam into a tourist and industrial zone where long ignored Nubians can be compensated after decades of neglect. Shafik showed no sympathy for activists' demands to reduce the military's presence in the electoral field. "They -- military men -- are very well prepared and qualified. To ban someone from his right to work, live and serve his people and community just because he served his country as a military man is against human rights. Punishment is only for mistakes, not for posts and occupations." Security, one of the biggest problems following the revolution, will be set right in only one month by reforming the police establishment and affiliated entities, says Shafik. "I don't feel ashamed to ask the help of others when I face a problem which I cannot handle. Why not see what other nations did and how they solved their problems with this or that issue, then copy and paste the experience? I believe all we need is to give the job to the right person, be he an Egyptian, an Arab, Malaysian -- it does not matter. Only results matter." Shafik strongly believes he is capable of putting Egypt on track within one year, but has an ambitious project to be implemented over a decade. "I am 70 and I do not agree by any means about running for a second term." Support: "He is the man of the times. Who else would be?" Explained a taxi driver: "He knows what a state is like. He is not going to make the people a test lab. On the other hand, I would not repeat the mistake I did at the parliamentary elections, voting for Islamists." Those who do not trust newcomers in political life go for Shafik, while others call for fresh faces. "Shafik and his colleagues should quit political life and clear the scene for new blood, be it Islamists, liberals or independents," explained Dina, 40, a doctor from Alexandria. Ironically, Shafik's points of strength can also be seen as points of weakness. Having served the former regime for much of his life and maintaining relations with it, Shafik may have a good political record, but it is one gained under the former corrupt regime. "If we accept the fact that the Egyptian people have carried out a great Revolution, then ghosts from the ousted regime should not come back to haunt us," said Doaa Soltan, a young journalist. However, some believe that to protect the revolution and its gains, an experienced politician and technocrat like Shafik could be necessary. "He is capable of guiding the lost boat in the current storms. For the sake of troubled families and the coming generation we cannot afford to vote for in an inexperienced president," commented Fathi Khalil, 51, who has been in Libya for six years. Khalil expressed his trust in Shafik because of his military background. "The military is the factory to build men. He is a war hero. He fought our main enemy, Israel, in a real war not in a war of words like the other candidates. He knows when to go to war to win and when to negotiate and chose peace," Khalil said. "Down with military rule," said Ali, a teacher. "We have had enough of those in military uniform taking the lead for 60 years. All we got are underdevelopment, poverty, social injustice and decades of being prohibited the freedom of expression." Despite his close relations with Mubarak, Shafik is one of the few top officials from the former regime not to be sent for trial. Although many individuals have filled complaints against him, Shafik's record has remained clean, though this does not convince Ali. "He is as corrupt as his master Mubarak. He should be in prison." "He is 70, and we need a young president," said university student Sawsan. But her colleague Merna refused the idea. "He is not that old," she said. "Youth lacks experience, while old is gold," she said.
