Egypt’s Sisi Red Carpet No No
Daniel Burt
I love show business, convoys and international politics – so imagine the alchemy of joy I experienced this week when Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi rolled out red carpet for his own motorcade.
How the government drivers resisted doing carpet burn outs is testament to their enduring maturity, and also probably the threat of being put to death. Certainly, political opponents who objected to Sisi’s extravagance have been sentenced to seven years hard vacuuming.
Most controversially, the event was staged to commemorate the opening of a new social housing project, where the president “preached austerity”.
Red carpets are not the place to talk belt tightening, unless you’ve had a wardrobe malfunction and accidentally exposed yourself to Richard Wilkins.
Sisi sent a mixed message. It’s like declaring a total fire ban in fireworks.
But it’s difficult to condemn the motives of the military who said the red carpet was “meant to give joy to the Egyptian people.” Who wouldn’t appreciate watching dozens of feeble interns roll up 4 kilometres of carpet in a desert? Not to mention the local dog population who used the carpet for the world’s most satisfying bum scoot.
And the public which lapped up the red carpet fashion poll...
‘Which 4-star Egyptian general wore it better?’
In response to the carpet-baggers, the military said the $300,000 fabric has been recycled over three years for similar occasions. Which, let’s face it, is like using the good scissors to cut your pubes.
I, for one, applaud the President’s doomed efforts to bring glitz and glamour to a grim infrastructure project. After all, it’s a good day in the middle east when the streets run red with carpet.
