My experience in public relations, public speaking, training, and teaching has played a key role in my acceptance, or rejection, of the speeches, interviews, and press conferences by the former spokesman of the NDP, Safwat El Sheif, President Mubarak, Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik, Vice President Omar Soliman, and Egyptian citizen, Wael Ghonim.
I will start with Safwat El Sherif's speech!
How can I put my feelings in words?
Let me start by describing his facial expressions; rigid, flat, and detached.
The tone of his voice was arrogant, smug, and monotonous.
His actual words were insulting, misleading, and loaded with lies. He dismissed the validity of the demands of the protesters. He went as far as belittling their attemtps to speak up. He referred to them as a minority and that they will not force their demands on the majority!
He tried to sound strong and confident but he only came across as stupid!
I just want to add that his broken record of foreign hands adding fuel to the fire, of the conspiracy theory, and of spreading lies never sounded more ridiculous!
He, and his corrupt regime, are behind the violence, chaos, vandalism, the death of more than 300 Egyptian, and the injury of thousands. He kept repeating the words "stability", "peace", and "calm" to signify stagnation, oppression, and a status quo of corruption.
Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik tried to play the role of the "good cop". People were angry after government thugs marched down Tahrir Square on horsebacks and camels killing and injuring many of the peaceful protesters. Pro-Mubarak thugs demonstrated with knives and arms.
In his press conference, he tried to sit on the fence between the righteous demands of the protesters and the regime's instructions!
He sounded like a man trying to say "I am good; give me a chance; I do not know anything about the thugs"
His words about the president had the usual patriarchal overtones; the President, the father, the leader, the old man, and the one who spent years in the servitude of this country! He played on the chords of respecting the elder and the Egyptian traditions of blind obedience to those in power. He also seemed to misunderstand the whole "Egypt's image" concept altogether; he thinks that the protesters toppling the president damages our image internationally when the protests showed the whole world the inner strength and dignity of the resilient Egyptian.
He blamed the lack of security and chaos on the protesters and he condemned those who are calling for the downfall of the regime and the president. His 3 statements are: We didn't know, criminals will be tried, and Mubarak is the president
The worst speech ever was of Vice President Omar Soliman. His experience in espionage and state intelligence empowered him! His facial muscles do not move; his eyes, cheeks, jaws, forehead do not move when he speaks. His zombie-like head that seemed detached from his shoulders and the rest of his body, the death-like look in his eyes, the assertiveness of the tone of his voice, and his contradictory speech put a damper on my enthusiasm and optimism. He is a master at the slap & tickle technique. His responses were contradictory, ambiguous, and staged. When he finished his speech, I was scared, defeated, and hopeless. He literally threatened the protesters after claiming that their demands were legitimate. He kept repeating the word "agenda" and "foreign hands" many times; he just refused to believe that those people out there are self-driven and self-motivated. He accused them of grand treason! He called them deluded and misguided!
His strength is mind games and breaking people down! He will collect us like dragonflies and fry us for appetizers
None of the above speakers paid their condolences and respect to the families to the martyrs who lost their lives in their quest for freedom and democracy. None of them had enough sincerity or spontaneity to leave any sort of impact on the audience. None of them did what Wael Ghonim did!
Wael Ghonim, a Google executive and anti-Mubarak activist who has been missing for 10 days, has been released and is on his way home, according to a tweet from him.
Ghonim's tweet reads: "Freedom is a bless that deserves fighting for it."
His interview yesterday upon his release was amazing! His simple true genuine words mobilized the protesters again! He breathed life into the souls of those who almost gave up. His tears and apologies to the families of the martyrs were like fuel that pushed the demands for change and democracy forward.
I did not care enough to translate any of the previous speeches because they are insignificant. But I will add here highlights from Wael Ghonim's interview. Quoting Sultan Al Qassemi
(START READING FROM THE END OF THE QUOTE TO THE TOP)
Wael @Ghonim's last words: I want to tell families who lost their sons this is not our fault. This is the fault of those clinging to power.about 18 hours agovia web
God I think I am going to cry. They are showing pictures of young people who died during the protests. Wael breaks down crying.about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: I was told that people died, one day before I was released.about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: Everyone asked me "How did you do this?" The Interior Minister told me he was only a minister for 8 days.about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: There were several men in the room with me & the Minister of Interior. I asked him if I can speak about this he said as u wishabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: The Egyptian State TV channels didn't portray the truth, that is why people watch the private channels nowabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: I told the Interior Minister if I stripped naked & told people that I was beaten even without marks they would believe me.about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: I told the Interior Minister we have two problems 1- we don't talk to each other, this must be solved, 2- There is no trustabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: I wrote an appeal to the president Egypt on Jan 25. I told the Minister of Interior we have two problems 1- We don't talk.about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: They wanted details, information. "Are the people who planned this outsiders?" We didn't do anything wrong, this was an appealabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: The treatment was very good, they knew I was a good Egyptian. I was blindfolded for 12 days, I didn't see their faces.about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: The interrogators wanted to know if outsiders were involved. I convinced them this was a purely Egyptian movement.about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: I can't claim I know what happened when I was inside. I didn't know anything until one day before I left.about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: We are a beautiful people. Please everybody, this is not a time to settle scores, this is a time to build our country.about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: We have to restore dignity to all Egyptians. We have to end corruption. No more theft. Egyptians are good people.about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: My wife is an American, I can apply for US citizenship but I didn't, not even the lottery. Many people want to leave though.about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: I was chatting with Ahmad Maher of 6th of April Youth Movement about the Jan 25 protests but he didn't know who I was.about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: I cried when I heard that there are people who died, officers and protesters, this is my country.about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: I told the Interior Minister – I was upset – I told him I will go in the car with Hossam Badrawi but without an NDP logoabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: Even when the Muslim Brotherhood decided to take part it was their choice to do so. This belongs to Egyptian youthabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: There was no Muslim Brotherhood presence in organising these protests, it was all spontaneous, voluntary.about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: I was the admin of the page but others paid for it. We are dreamers (says it in English).about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: There were 300 fake registrations on my facebook page, all negative comments, about how we were allegedly being paidabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: The NDP is got this country to where it is. You can create a new party. It looks like I might be kidnapped again after thisabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: Badrawi told me we took all the bad people out from the NDP. I told him I don't want to see the logo of the NDP ever againabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: What happened to me was a crime but I still thank those who tried to got me out, I am an educated person, I have a familyabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: Now they want to have an agreement with me when they are in a position of weakness. I am not a hero, I am a normal personabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: Don't stand in our way, we are going to serve Egypt. I saw a film director get slapped, they told him "You will die here" Why?about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: I believe that if things get better those (good state security people he met) will serve Egypt well.about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: I pay these guys salaries from my taxes, I have the right to ask the ministers where my money is going, this is our countryabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: Inside I met people who loved Egypt (State Security people) but their methods & mine are not the sameabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: I will say this as it is: nothing justifies kidnapping, you can arrest me by the law, I am not a drug dealer or terroristabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: I was taking a taxi, suddenly four people surrounded the car, I yelled "Help me, Help me" I was blindfolded then taken awayabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: They transfered me to state security, it's a kidnapping. On Thursday night, at 1am I was with a friend, a colleague from workabout 18 hours agovia web
It's on a commercial break now. This is the most emotional interview I've watched in a long time. The translation doesn't do it justice.about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: The youth on the streets made Dr Hossam Badrawi (General Secretary of NDP) drive me to my house todayabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: I met with the Minister of Interior today. He was sat like any other citizen. He spoke to me like an equal. I respected thatabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: This is not the time to split the pie & enforce ideologies. The secret to the success of the facebook page was use of surveysabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: I am proud of what I did. This is not the time to settle scores. Although I have people I want to settle scores with myself.about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: I kept thinking "are people thinking of me?" I was wondering if my family knew where I was, my wife, dad, mother.about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim: It's Haram (sinful, not right) for my father to lose his sight in one eye and now is at risk of losing it in the otherabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim to Dream TV: Thanks to everyone who tried to get me out of jail. (my God this is so emotional)about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim to Dream TV: I spent all my time on computer working for my country. I wasn't optimistic on the 25th but now I can't believe itabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim to Dream TV: My wife was going to divorce me because I didn't spend time with her, and now they call me a traitorabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim to Dream TV: This is the era where people who have good intentions are considered traitors.about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim to Dream TV: What are called the "facebook youth" went out in their tens of thousands on January 25th, talk to them.about 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim to Dream TV: If I was a traitor I would have stayed by the swimming pool in my house in the UAEabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim to Dream TV: I met some really intellectual people in jail, they actually thought that we were traitors, working for othersabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim to Dream TV: This is the season where people use the word traitor against each other. I wasn't abused, I was jailed, kidnappedabout 18 hours agovia web
Wael @Ghonim to Dream TV: I am not a hero. I was only used the keyboard, the real heroes are the ones on the ground. Those I can't name.about 18 hours agovia web
بدأت “مروة رخا” رحلتها مع “نهج وفلسفة المونتيسوري” في نهاية عام 2011 بقراءة كتب “د. ماريا مونتيسوري” عن الطفل والبيئة الغنية التي يحتاجها لينمو ويزدهر. تلت القراءة الحرة دراسة متعمقة للفلسفة والمنهج مع مركز أمريكا الشمالية للمونتيسوري
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