The Governor who doesnt work for his people !!!

Today, I watched a video clip of the Disabilities Association’s protest in Kar El Shieke. The protest took place last week at the entrance of the office of Saad Al-Husseini, the governor Kafr El Sheikh. According to the Association’s spokesman’s “Hamdi Mohamed Abdel Hamid” statement, which was published in Alwafd Newspaper on 16 May 2013 (Ashraf Al-Hadad and Mostafa Eid, 2013)[1] , Al-Husseini told the angry protesters: "I do not fear your protest, it doesn’t threaten me, the media doesn’t scare me, and your protest will not lead to anything even if it lasts 10 years.” “I don’t fear you, because I do not work for you, I work for God,” he added.
The Association’s spokesman further added that - in a heated argument between a “disabled protestor” and the “governor” in his office – the governor’s office manager slapped the handicapped man on his face and grabbed his mouth in a trial to silence him, ordering him to be disciplined whilst talking with the governor.
The inhumane and cruel event of a fit and healthy man physically abusing a disable person occurs in all societies and cultures. Yet, this does not normalise it´-or-give us comfort when we turn a blind eye to it. It is known that such events occur more frequently to the physically´-or-mentally disabled of our community than to healthy people. People with disabilities often live in an abject poverty, unable´-or-afraid to complain as they may not be believed--;-- and the majority of them are unaware of their rights to complain. In addition, disabled persons usually rely on their carer for the necessities of life, including the right to complain.
What makes the situation even worse for our disabled loved ones is the communities’ negative attitude towards the disabled and disability. Some people view disability as a form of curse´-or-divine punishment. This makes disability - in their mind - an image of evil, which socially isolates the disabled and marginalises them in the community.
Moreover, people with disabilities are often in relationships where their carers control their decision-making, some of these carers work for the best interest of the disabled person and others not. Unfortunately, the governor of Kafr El Sheikh and his office manager seem to belong to the latter group who don’t care.
The governor Kafr El Sheikh and his office manager, by their actions, have committed several types of abuse for which the law of the country supposes a punishment.
First: The governor’s office manager has “physically abused” the disabled person as he intentionally caused pain and/or injury to a person by slapping him on his face and grabbing his mouth to silence him. Second: both the governor and his office manager have committed a form of “systemic abuse” of the disabled community. Systemic abuse refers to applying practices and procedures that take away a disabled person’s independence and dignity by those who take decisions for that person. Third: The governor and his policy towards disability and disabled people form an “institutional abuse”, which is a form of systemic abuse in which there is a power imbalance between service providers and the people with disabilities they serve. Fourth: By his actions and statements, the governor and Kafr El Sheikh Governorate – as a caregiver of the disabled community in the Governorate - neglected their duties by not meeting the needs of the people they are supposed to serve. Such neglect encompasses not meeting the disabled people’s needs for food, care and other life activities.
Furthermore, Al-Husseini’s scandalous failure to stop his office manager from abusing the most vulnerable and needy in our community constitutes another form of neglect--;-- and makes him liable for the damage that the abused person has endured.
In addition, it is tactless for the Brotherhood governor to feel that he neither cares nor works for the disabled people of Kafr El Sheikh. If the governor really feels that he works for God, wouldn’t it be more honourable for him to apply to work as a religious missionary´-or-preacher?
Indeed, Al-Husseini’s notion that he ‘works for God not for the people of Egypt’ reflects how the Muslim Brotherhood feel and think about the idea of the State as we understand it. The Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamic political movements don’t believe that Egypt is a unique nation that has its own identity, people, government, law and systems. They see it as part of the political Islamic Khilafat that includes all the Muslim countries in one-party State, and theocratic governance which is run by constitutional theocracy “sharia”. In this one-party State, citizens submit themselves and seek the blessing of the Khilafat’s institution for as long as Allah wishes. The current Khalifa – president Morsi is the most eligible person for this job as he is chosen by God – remains the president for the rest of his life as a living testament to divine will. The Khalifa also reflects God’s authority on earth, therefore, citizens should strive to receive divine authority through the Khalifa within whom God is represented. No wonder that the governor Kafr El Sheikh feels that he is not responsible to the people.
Despite that the Brotherhood governor’s ideology explains his statement to the disabled members, it doesn’t explain the dismal failure of his government to look after them. Furthermore, it doesn’t explain the shameful and disgraceful behaviour – i.e. slapping a handicapped man on the face - of his office manager towards another fellow Egyptian.
Yet, the protection of the disabled members of our community is not the government’s responsibility alone. We all can do things that may improve their quality of life, and relieve part of their burden. This includes involving disabled people in the community, empowering them to control their own affairs as much as they can do so, providing them with information about their rights, resources and services providers. One other important thing is educating the community, especially children, about disability and encouraging accepting them as active members of our society.
I suggest that the Egyptian Attorney general uses his legal power to lodge a formal complaint to investigate the governor of Kafr El Sheikh and his office manager actions. I also recommend that the Egyptian’s authorities conduct a formal Inquiry to examine the different abuses that disabled people, their family, friends and carers are currently facing. Furthermore, it’s about time that Egypt considers the options for a uniform national legislation against discrimination on the grounds of disability.
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[1] Ashraf Al-Hadad and Mostafa Eid, 16 May 2013, In his replay to the disabled people protest, the Brotherhood Governor: “I am not working for you” – his office manager assaults a handicapped man, Alwafd gate, viewed 16 May 2013, available from: http://www.alwafd.org/%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%88%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B1/13-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B9%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%8A/473411-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%89-%D9%84%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%A3%D9%86%D8%A7-%D9%85%D8%B4-%D8%B4%D8%BA%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%B9%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%83%D9%85

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