Although the January 25 Revolution put an end to Hosni Mubarak's dream of handing power to his son Gamal, the ironically called ‘octopus hierarchy project' is still going strong in many professional areas, such as the police, military, judiciary, diplomacy and media, activists say. Those who work in these sectors appoint their own sons and daughters to the same jobs. Under Mubarak, many secondary students wanted to join the Police Academy but to no avail. Police officers' sons and relatives gained the upper hand thanks to wealth and favouritism. When the police disappeared from the streets on January 28, 2011, young Egyptians formed committees to keep the country safe. "These are clever young people! They are doing the right thing and replace the police quite convincingly, but they won't get accepted into the Police Academy," journalist Abdel-Sabour Badr told his colleague while crossing a street checkpoint during the days of the revolution. In the corridors of the judiciary, many law graduates fail to get a good job. "We have 'independent' judges but no independent judicial authority," declared Arabi Kamal, a lawyer and political activist. He accused Hosni Mubarak of reducing the judicial authority to insignificance. "During Mubarak's rule, the appointment of new judges was entirely based on connections. For instance, the sons of judges graduating from the faculty of law were appointed immediately, even if their exam results were terrible. Graduates, who performed brilliantly but didn't have the right connections or came from a poor family, didn't have a chance in hell," Kamal said. "I graduated with top marks and got a diploma in Islamic Sharia. A fellow student, whose degree was inferior to mine, got appointed to the judicial authority. Why? His father is a judge. I didn't get the job on the pretext that I was a political activist!" he complained. "The executive authority must stop interfering with the judiciary and give the judges full power. We need to cleanse the judicial authority by agreeing on transparent and fair criteria. All graduates need to be treated equally and their appointment based on efficiency and ability. The complete justice system depends on an independent judiciary," Kamal stated. In 2003, a brilliant young Egyptian from a poor family committed suicide, because the Foreign Ministry didn't let him enter the diplomatic service. "This sector is rife with favouritism, and members of poor and middle-class families get admitted only very rarely. Favouritism ultimately controls the appointment procedures in many professions, including the media," stressed Amani Masoud, a professor of political sociology at Cairo University's Faculty of Economics and Political Science. As for State-owned newspapers or the Radio & TV Union located in Maspero, experts say that there aren't any clear criteria for choosing anchors or journalists. "In the Maspero Empire, favouritism and connections are the only way to success. There aren't any criteria for choosing male or female anchors," Halima Khattab, a Cultural Channel presenter, told Akher Sa'aa magazine. "For example, Ahmed Fathi Sorour, the former speaker of the People's Assembly, sent a letter of recommendation to Osama el-Sheikh, the then head of the specialised channels sector, to appoint a director as an anchor. El-Sheikh followed the recommendation without testing the applicant," she stressed. The January 25 Revolution called for change, freedom and social justice. "Nothing has changed in Maspero after the revolution. The whole system is corrupt, and so is the union's legal and administrative structure. Professionalism, ability and efficiency are ignored," Khattab elaborated. Talented young journalists also complain about the disastrous ramifications of favouritism. They can't fulfill their dreams of working for the giant State-owned media institutions. "Since 2008 I have been training in many areas, such as Arab TV satellite channels in Cairo. But my experience is not helping me at all," said Amira Mohamed Ramadan, nicknamed Amira el-Refa'ee. "A State-owned institution prepared to launch an online newspaper. I was advised to meet the editor-in-chief and ask him to work without pay. All I wanted was the chance to get a job in this giant institution," el-Refa'ee, 23, stressed. "Are you the daughter of someone who works here, the chief editor asked me, and he showed no interest in my abilities or any other criteria. I still hope that the future will bring justice and equality for all citizens," she lamented. "Our fans judge the performance of the artists. Only talented artists can compete in the field," commented Ezzat el-Alaili, an actor. He is aware that favouritism also reigns supreme in the performing arts but believes that if actors are not genuinely talented, they will fail, regardless of how many connections they have.
