Morsi to make his move as protests loom

Cairo — President Mohammed Morsi spooke to the Egyptian people yesterday in a televised address that could determine his political survival as millions prepare to rally to demand his removal this weekend. Fears of a showdown in the streets between Morsi’s Islamist supporters and a broad coalition of the disaffected have led people to stock up on food and buy up fuel supplies.
The army and police are preparing to contain any trouble, adding men and barriers around important public buildings.

Morsi has given no hint of the contents of what aides called an “important speech”, to start around 21:30 at a Cairo stadium before an invited crowd. Some speculate he may reshuffle his cabinet to try to defuse the anger against him.

Some observers fear Egypt may be about to erupt again, through a combination of political polarisation since the revolution that overthrew Hosni Mubarak and an economic slump that means Mursi’s government is fast running out of cash.

While a number of his critics worry about Islamist rule, most appear simply frustrated by falling living standards.
Washington has urged him to bring the opposition into the political process and to press ahead with economic reforms.

All sides insist they do not want violence, but there have been scuffles, and deaths, in recent days. The army has warned it could step back in, a year after it handed power to the elected president. Residents saw tanks taking up positions near a major highway running into Cairo.

The army is held in high regard by Egyptians, especially since it pushed aside Mubarak following the 2011 uprising. Its chief issued a warning on Sunday, urging compromise while also defending the legitimacy of Morsi’s election.

The loyalty of police and other internal security services to a government led by Islamists they spent decades oppressing under Mubarak may be in question. Nationwide opposition rallies, are due to start on Sunday but could begin earlier.

Morsi says a petition demanding he quit — which liberal organisers say has 15 million signatures — is undemocratic. In that, he has support from Islamists, who have staged shows of strength in recent days and plan a major Cairo rally on Friday.

But both the army and many outsiders have been urging Morsi to bridge differences with his non-Islamist opponents. He says he has tried. They say he and his Muslim Brotherhood, along with harder line allies, are trying to monopolise the state.

“This demonstration is spontaneous and comes from the Egyptian people. We hope that it will bring the government ultimately to a place where the reforms are effected and choices that need to be made about the economy are implemented,” US Secretary of State John Kerry said in Saudi Arabia.

“We will obviously hope that it will not produce violence and be a moment of catalysing positive change for Egypt itself.” — Sapa.