Naguib Sawiris today received the honor of Commander of the Order of the "Star of Italian Solidarity", from the Minister of Foreign Affairs Franco Frattini. Following the ceremony, a press conference was held in which the Egyptian tycoon deepened his impressions on the current political-economic condition of Egypt and the role that his new political party, Free Egyptians, wants to have in the new social landscape and institutional that was created after the revolution.
And it is precisely from the season of riots that marked the end of the former President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak, that Sawiris has begun to speak. “The revolution was fundamental, there is always a price to pay for freedom and democracy [...]. Democracy is the best guarantee for investment in a country."
The now ex-owner of Wind specified that he is optimistic for the future of his country but that one cannot be blind to the dangers that Egypt runs at the moment, without a government and without real institutions. To those who asked about possible problems deriving from the excessive power achieved by the army, he replied: "I don't like criticizing the army, at the moment we have no other solutions, it is true that certain actions are regrettable, but we don't have a government, it is useless to criticize". Sawiris is convinced that in the face of the hypothesis of chaotic anarchy in Egypt, the only force in the country that exists today is the army and that the danger he fears most is that posed by the Muslim Brotherhood who, he explains: "They seem to have obtained what they want and are now attempting to master.”
The Chairman of Orascom Telcom Holding (OTH) then clarified the objectives of his new party. "Free Egyptians" will bring a wave of novelty to Egypt, "a party like ours has never existed" specified Sawiris, "we want to be protagonists of the new political course of the country". The intention seems to be to bring balance within the new parliament, providing guarantees to minorities, such as the Coptic one, to which he belongs, who "are forced to live in terror and cannot participate in the country's political life".
In fact, today there are three political groups, all openly Muslim, that of the tycoon wants to be a secular party that gives balance and security to the country. “I want to live in a civilized country and with a secular government. If a true democratic path is not tackled, the risks that could follow would also concern Europe, which would see an increase in migratory flows."
The Egyptian tycoon specified that he looks with concern at Islamic governments such as Iran or Pakistan and instead draws inspiration, at least, from the model of Turkish democracy.
Sawiris seems to have clear ideas who is happy with how the young people of his country have fought for their principles but looks with concern at the lack of constructive cooperation between the forces that contributed to the revolution. “It's easy to destroy but then who builds? he sentenced.
With regard to his possible direct contribution to Egyptian political institutions, Sawiris promptly replied that he had not yet thought of running as a candidate directly and that he does not envisage a prominent position in the country's political life.
