CAIRO - The sudden emergence of Defence Minister Mohamed Hussein Tantawi in central Cairo on Monday, dressed, unusually, in civilian clothes, seems to have stirred up a hornets' nest. Activists and writers have linked the civilian clothes Tantawi wore to plans by the Army to field a candidate in the next presidential elections, something, they fear, would strangle the Egyptians' craving for real democratic transition. "If the Defence Minister really loves this country, he should forget about becoming president," writer Bilal Fadl, noted for his irony, commented. Another writer, Fahmy Howeidy, wrote about the bid of the military to hijack the revolution. "If we think the Arab Spring is not being hijacked, this means that we misunderstand things," he wrote in the Arabic-language daily Al-Shorouq. A plethora of tweets and comments on social networking websites poured scorn and criticism on the Defence Minister, warning him or any other general against running for president. Some people believe that all this isn't just hot air, but reflects the post-revolution fears that haunt Egyptians who have all lost confidence in their rulers. "After all, for 30 years Mubarak said one thing but did something else," said one street vendor, commenting on the appearance of the Defence Minister in central Cairo on Monday. "Mubarak said his son would not run for president, but behind the scenes he was grooming him for succession." In recent month, fears of a military takeover have not stopped at Egypt's borders, but have even seeped into many intellectual and decision-making circles outside the country. An Egyptian journalist who recently visited a European country to meet with a group of researchers and Middle Eastern students was repeatedly asked about a possible military takeover in Egypt. "This was the question on everybody's tongue in this [European] country," the journalist who spoke on condition of anonymity said. "This is a matter of real concern," he told The Egyptian Gazette. To counter all these rumours, the Army yesterday said Tantawi is not planning to run for president. An unidentified military source told the news portal Masrawy that Tantawi had met some people on the street to get a first-hand idea of the demands of the public. "The Minister of Defence's dress code has nothing to do with any presidential or electoral plans," the source said. "Tantawi just happened to be coming home from the wedding of a relative when he met people on the street and shook hands with them." But this does not seem to have convinced some people, who still believe that the military never comes to power then leaves it easily. One of these people is Nabil Abdel-Fatah, a renowned political analyst, who told a large audience at the French Cultural Centre on Monday that the military could seize the opportunity of the current security vacuum in Egypt to stay in power for a long time. "The other thing is that world powers will seek to guarantee partial changes in the structure of power in countries like Egypt, in order to ensure that there will be no drastic change in their relations with either Israel or the West," Abdel-Fatah added.
