23 Mar 2020; MEMO: An Egyptian online opposition campaign has accused President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi of failing to deal with the coronavirus crisis that has swept the world in the past weeks, calling on Egyptians to confront Al-Sisi just like they need to confront COVID-19 because they are both dangerous for Egyptians’ lives and future.
The “Batel” movement said in a post on its Facebook page, which has more than 260,000 followers, that Al-Sisi and the coronavirus “are two sides of the same danger.”
“The real pandemic that is more dangerous for this beloved country is not corona, but it is the Al-Sisi pandemic that has spread day after day. These catastrophic results [manifested] in various aspects of life, be they economic, political, health, educational, or media-related, are the inevitable outcome [of Al-Sisi’s rule],” the campaign added.
Meanwhile, Al-Sisi, who became president after he led a military coup in 2013, said today in his first speech since the outbreak of the coronavirus that Egyptians need more “commitment, responsibility and discipline” to stop the spread of the virus.
“Let’s hold on for at least two weeks,” he added in his televised speech.
While many Egyptians on social media have expressed satisfaction about the government’s performance in dealing with this global crisis, many are also questioning why Al-Sisi has not addressed Egyptians in a public speech since the outbreak of the crisis.
