Photo: http://africanarguments.org Once upon a time a confidential dialogue between President Mohamed Mursi and politicians on a national security issue was aired live without prior notice to the participants or the public.
On Monday, Mursi met with political figures and experts to discuss a report on the effects of a dam which Ethiopia plans to erect on the Nile River.
With the Nile River being Egypt's main source of water, panic has spread since Ethiopia's announcement last week, as well as criticism of the Mursi administration for the perceived failing to handle the situation.
In the meeting, Mursi's aide for political affairs, Pakinam al-Sharkawy, described the issue as "a national security issue that is related to the life vein: the Nile River."
"We can leak [false] news information, claiming that Egypt plans to buy more aircraft to increase its air navigation, etc, to put pressure, even if not realistic, and affect diplomatic discourse," Ghad Party leader Ayman Nour said in the meeting.
One attendee suggested a military airstrike while another proposed that Egypt threatens Ethiopia, Mohamed Anwar al-Sadat, who on his part suggested that Egypt stirs strife between the different tribes, told a local newspaper.
Head of the Salafi Nour Party Younes Makhyoun suggested supporting minorities in Ethiopia to pressure the Ethiopian government, cooperating with the Egyptian intelligence to demolish the dam if it poses danger to Egypt or forming a committee of experts.
Another politician asked the participants to pledge that they would not leak the information that is being discussed in this confidential dialogue - not knowing of course that he was on the air.
It was only then when that the president informed the attending politicians that they the dialogue was actually being aired live and nervous giggles echoed in the presidential palace's meeting room.
Oops. The presidential aide forgot to inform political leaders that a national security discussion was being aired live.
"It was initially planned that today's national meeting would be recorded, as is usually the case, but due to the significance of the water security issue, we decided at the last minute to air the meeting live," Sharkawy posted on her Twitter account on Monday.
"I apologize for any unintended embarrassment felt by political leaders for not receiving notice of the national dialogue being aired live," she added.
Perhaps this is a good reflection of the state of confusion and may be the lack of experience and poor planning of those on charge.
This was a golden opportunity for bloggers and twitter activists to grill on Mursi and his associates.
Prominent activist Nawara Negm mocked the discussions that were had in the dialogue, saying, "In all cases, we must fight the U.S. and Israel, and that the meeting is confidential, so it would be nice if everyone who watched it could pledge to not disclose the information."
"Sincere apologies to the people and governments of Ethiopia & Sudan for the irresponsible utterances at the president's "national dialogue"," leading opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei posted on his Twitter account on Tuesday.

Comments Post a comment
We at Global Connect promote GPS via GRS that is Good Governance, Progressive Prosperity and Sustainable Security for All, via Green Renaissance Strategies.
Ethiopia is known to be the only independent country in the world with over 7,500 years of recorded governance based on consensus leadership.
The current Egyptian threat to Ethiopians and Sudanese need to be addressed in a very serious and critical manner by reviewing the past and understanding the present towards chartering a better future.
As such, traditionally competing ideas and perspectives are considered in our Baitoes in the North, Shengoes in the Middle and Chefes in the South.
In short, we have a much complex democratic system in our social and cultural as well as national life. The social networks such as mahiber, kubs and tebel and coffee clubs are key to public and social communication.
The Egyptians have funded and organized a series of revolutionary fronts under the guise of Marxism, Lenninsm, Stalinism, and Maoism but internally managed by the muhabarats of Egypt!
More recently over the past 40 years, a new generation of youths with limited local and international education, tried to copy the Russian and Chinese Revolution without a rational scientific study of the nation's challenges and opportunities.
Thi generation, created a series of fronts, and their respective Anja-Beganjas (Splinter groups) with access to unlimited guns and bullets from the Cold War countries, USSR, USA and UK and China, etc. All organized by the Egyptian Muhabarats as we learned from the recent Presidential National Security Broadcast. It is so clear and telling for generations of Africans and international community.
Ethiopia went through one of the most heneious criminal civil war referred to as revolution by the instigators where lives and property was lost for potential challenge to the revolution or for voicing divergent opinion and mostly on minor technical problems. Who is behind it all- The Egyptian Presidential National Security Broadcast tells it all
Ethiopia literally descended to the primate lives of Lucy and Selam some 4 billion years back, due to the most criminal Marxist-Leninist and Stalinist policies imposed by uneducated youth and junior military officers. Who is behind all these crimes- The Egyptian Broadcast tells it all
As we say in Ethiopia, we moved away from our Divine existence back to the pre-human primate lives for over 40 years. The past forty years have left physical and emotional PTSDs that does not allow this generation to move towards democracy, rule of law and consensus leadership.
The current apparent political undemocratic culture is the legacy of this demonic misguided Marxist-Lenninist and Stalinist and Maoist, mostly half baked ideas where Millions lost their lives in Europe, Asia, and was repeated under the uneducated youths who organized themselves under the banner or fronts of Socialist MEOSON, EPRP, Derg and EPLF-TPLF,etc
Who is behind all these criminal activities? The Egyptian Presidential National Security Broadcast tells it all!
Literally millions lost their lives in vain. I say in vain now when we learn the level of corruption by these so called revolutionaries and their associates is just beyond pale.
It is reported by international financial institutions, some 30 Billion in capital flight. Locally, it is becoming a new phenomenon, where revolutionaries who merely entered on bear feet some 20 years ago into Addis, have become Billionaires over night by stealing resources from the public funds such as the banks, customs and treasury is just un heard of in Ethiopian history.
Who is behind it? The Egyptian Presidential National Security Broadcast tell us all! It is amazing indeed! Now the UN, AU and Arab League as well as EU and ASEAN will have to act to protect us all.
The Golds in our banks were replaced with metals, our coffees were exported via criminal outlets in the Red Sea and to date have not been accounted for.
The worst part is the fact that they think they can get away with it with mere investigation of some front operatives when the real criminals are sitting in our government offices with the loots recorded in local and international financial systems. The blunders of the past 20 years need to be accounted. Each person's income and expenses need to be reviewed for the past 20 years and see the integrity of their financial systems if they are free from blunders that seem to be mind boggling.
Who is behind all these criminal activities? The Egyptian Presidential National Security Broadcast tells it all
The concept of good governance, transparency, accountability and responsiveness to public and citizen demand is some thing that these revolutionaries do not believe in.
So, how can we expect Democracy among revolutionaries, who break the rule of law and constitution day and night. None of the contending parties understand or want to understand what democracy is.
Democracy is about representation, participation, debate and consensus! These are concepts the revolutionaries hate! They want Dictatorship of the Proletariat or the Peasant Vanguard Party. The so called revolutionaries and vanguard fronts and Dictatorship of the proletariats do hot trust the public to own any thing.
The Vanguard Revolutionaries want to steel the public resources under the guise of Revolution, Development and now State Capitalism.
Tell this to the Egyptian National Security Counsel Broadcast!
All the contending parties want to be their own Vangard Dictators! Unless we get rid of the roots of the corrupt and dictatorial principle of the Marxist-Lenninist-Stalinist and Maoist ideologies with traditional Ethiopian Governance and ideology, we will continue to be puppets of right, left and foreign interest groups.
Ethiopia has ruled itself for over 7500 years with Consensus Governance where ideas, and perceptions are entertained in egalitarians systems like the Gadda, Baitos, Shengoes and Chefes.
We need to re-examine our own sources of civilization, adopt the best practices from the left, right and middle, East and West but always make it an Ethiopian experience.
We need to work hard towards Green Renaissance Strategies of 3As+3Es and Foc. This is Accessibility, Affordability, Accountability towards an efficient, effective and equitable system for all within the environment of Freedom of Choice for each citizen.
Ethiopians have to own their own ideas, technologies, perspectives land, sea, water, and entrepreunirial resources first and then seek democratic principles to preserve them. We need a functional accountable system supported by modern digital technology to track our resources at home and abroad.
If all resources are in the hands of few criminal vangard party operatives and the constitution is consistently undermined by these criminals who have all power, how can we expect them to respond to public deand and concerns?
At this pace, unless we retire the revolutionaries and replace them with educated youth and women who follow the constitution, Ethiopia will not see democracy in a Millennium.
This generation has a duty to dismantle the demonic dictatorial system and return it to the egalitarian consensus governance principle that propelled our ancestors to give us the oldest independent country in the world.
This generation has to convert all our Threats into Risks, and then to challenges and opportunities (CORT Analysis) for Option Appraisals with What if scenario exercise of Best and Win-win Options.
This requires a substantial educated population and a system of governance based on a constitution and a leadership that is committed to promote GPS and GRS. We need a system that promotes safety, entrepreneurship and excellence to replace the current corrupt system.
The recent Egyptian Presidential National Security Broadcast shows us that all the past, present and future liberation fronts are instigated supported and promoted by Egypt. There was no single balanced, rational comment from those goons. They want to support the liberation fronts in Bahire Negash, Oromia and Ogaden not to forget the Benshangul liberation fronts. They wan to convert the Egyptian Embassy to a Counter Intelligence Operation! The response from Ethiopia was very telling!
Sustainable Security can only be developed if all 100 Million Ethiopians are organized one in five and five in one with the 5 Million Diaspora population to ensure the current Egyptian Goons do not succeed in their publicly broadcast threats by organizing AU, Arab League, UN, EU and ASEAN nations to sustain Africa's Growth and Transformation.
The time has come to allow the Youth and our Women to lead us and the old Marxist Men have to retire gracefully. Then and only then we can see a movement towards a true Democracy (Government By the People, For the People and By the People).
We have now Dictatorship by the Revolutionaries and Fronts for the Vanguard Party and even family! This is bonanza to the Egyptian Goons who want to undermine Ethiopia!
We are way behind the traditional Ethiopian consensus Governance and we need to work our way back towards Good Governance
Seeking your alternative perspective, I remain Yours sincerely
Belai Habte-Jesus,MD, MPH www.GlobalBelaiJesus.com GlobalBJesus@gmail.com