On February 5, 2008, Morsie Attala, board chairman of Al-Ahram, reached the age of retirement, so it is illegal to occupy any administrative position in Al-Ahram foundation until now. However, he is still in his position in spite of the law! No one knows the strong justification, which makes the State break its promises and decide to keep him in office! Salah Ghamri was occupying the same position, but he immediately left it when he reached the age of retirement!
Before Ghamri, Ibrahim Nafie stayed at the same position for years after he reached the age of retirement in a blatant contravention to the logic, reason, and the law of course!
The same story is repeated, in different ways, in Al-Akhbar, Al-Gomhuria and other institutions. When Moussa Sabri, for example, or Saeed Senbel of Al-Akhbar or Salah Montaser of Dar al-Ma'aref reached the age of retirement, they left their positions, but when others reached the same age they remained in their positions, as if they are above the law or they work under a special law!
The matter is not limited to the press institutions alone, as the State extended the age of retirement for judges to 68 or 70 to keep certain men in their positions because it needs them. If the State discovered that this system would come with men it did not want, it would immediately reduce the age of retirement to 65 or even less. It is a very easy issue to keep some officials in their positions and give the sack to the others! What is important is to keep a certain person in his position and relieve another of this post with no clear or transparent criteria!
The same thing applies to the judiciary, Parliament, and other institutions every day! When there was no escape for relieving board chairmen of papers in 2005, it was said that none of the new board chairman would remain in his position even for a single day after the age of retirement.
However, the State, which made pledges publicly and voluntarily to the people, goes back on these pledges publicly without shame! When the State gives people promises and then breaks them without logical reasons, it will lose respect in the eyes its citizens!
