Does the ‘deal of the century’ include President Morsi?

This seasonal state of political frenzy and arrogant brazenness against the captive President Mohamed Morsi is neither strange nor new. It erupts at this time of year, every year, in a manner similar to seasonal variations in the prevalence of mental illness.

However, what is new this year is that it has taken a more petty and subtle nature from parties hiding behind new faces. The military coup buses moved these parties to the shores of the Mediterranean, and so they crossed over to the north. Or, you can say, they were sent to the north of the Mediterranean on specific missions.

The hysteria to exile the exiled and annihilate the annihilated comes this time in response to a new illusion planted by the authorities in Egypt. This illusion suggests there is an imminent internal change in the military rule system that will involve the disappearance of the general and replacing him with a new general. Hence, a group believing in these delusions are taking a proactive role in cleaning the soil from under the feet of the next military officer.

OPINION: The regime and the Brotherhood

To further thicken the plot, there is nothing wrong with adding more exciting elements to create an atmosphere similar to that surrounding the regional deal of the century. There is talk of an upcoming deal between the Muslim Brotherhood and the military to find a justification for the disintegration of people who have been living in dark cells for five years. There has also been a renewal of the false claims and lies, attributed to hidden sources, against President Mohamed Morsi, accusing him of tyranny sometimes and weakness and surrender to the military at others.

It is important to recognise Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s capabilities to pull all the strings and play all of the parties in order to provoke the “confusion” amongst the defeated. This causes the imaginary race between a group of politically paralysed or disabled people to heat up, while they are unable to do anything but look into the stories told without any proof of their authenticity.

One of these stories has been told by various people, it is that President Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood were reassured that Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi was in their pocket. The story begins: “I heard it with my own ears at the government headquarters,” making it seems that it was a regular thing said at the reception to anyone coming by to visit. As if, before asking you what you’d like to drink, they’d say, “Al-Sisi is in our pocket.”

It is historically clear that this statement was not first said by the Brotherhood, and they were not the ones who sent messages of reassurance to the presidential palace weeks before the coup. However, it is important to bear in mind that the person who carried out the trick did so in good faith and did not intend to be deceitful.

For example, on the Al-Wasat Party’s website, we find a portion quoted from Alyoum Alsabea published on 12 May 2013, which said that the High Command trio met with the leaders of the Armed Forces who assured the party delegation that they respect the elected president of Egypt, whatever his name is, as the highest commander of the armed forces.

The party’s Vice President, Essam Sultan, said: “The leaders stressed that the army will not engage in any political battles on behalf of a political faction, especially if this faction is not present in the Egyptian street.”

Sultan explained that the party is confident that praise-mongering articles will not fool the army’s leadership, or the publication of videos to persuade the army to change its decision, stressing that the Armed Forces have been determined from the beginning not to return to political life.

#Morsi

Finally, there is no chivalry in hiding behind the scenes and sending out a mouse doused in kerosene to the recent past in order to ignite the fires of condemnation and conviction against those who have been deprived the right to respond. It is also naïve for anyone to imagine that the next military officer would be better than his predecessor. Anyone who believes so is either stupid or somehow invested in this.

This article first appeared in Arabic in Al-Araby Al-Jadeed on 11 July 2018

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.