Saturday, February 27, 2016

Egyptian President El-Sisi briefly on sale on eBay

After a speech by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was widely mocked by Egyptians on social media, a prankster put the president "up for sale" on eBay.

Even though el-Sisi was for sale only a few hours he still managed to attract bids over $100,000 before the page was taken down. Apparently, ads are not vetted that carefully on eBay. The immediate cause of the prankster's ad was a speech on state television in which el-Sisi said: "By almighty God, if I could sell myself [to benefit the nation], I would have done it." The president also asked citizens to donate to the state treasury to help out the economic situation.
The ad on eBay read: "For sale on eBay, Field Marshal, Doctor of Philosophy with a military background, decent condition, current bid $100,301." The prankster said el-Sisi had been "used by the previous owner(Gulf royal familes) and that he would be shipped free. According to the Independent part of the description read: "Hey world, we decided to sell the infamous Egyptian Field Marshal and military coup leader Mr Abdel Fatah el-Sisi on eBay to bail out the Egyptian economy so you don't have to."
As well as outlining an economic plan, el-Sisi lashed out at critics of his government claiming that such criticism helped those trying to oust him: "Please, do not listen to anyone but me. I am dead serious..Be careful, no one should abuse my patience and good manners to bring down the state," he said, adding that he would "remove from the face of the Earth" anyone plotting to bring down the government.
Sisi also said that within 20 to 25 years Egypt would be a democracy.
As head of the military, el-Sisi led a coup against elected president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. The coup happened after many demonstrations against Morsi, who was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. Later, el-Sisi was easliy elected president. He cracked down violently on protests and his government has outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood, declaring it a terrorist organization. Some rights groups compare el-Sisi's rule to that of former president Hosni Mubarak. There have been several mass trials condemning hundreds to death at one time.
El-Sisi has often made grandiose statements about his mission to save Egypt. According to this news source:Egyptian President Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi has described himself as a doctor sent by God to diagnose and cure Egypt of its many ailments.El-Sisi also said: “Leaders around the world, intelligence agency experts, politicians, journalists and the greatest philosophers, have begun to understand that what we're saying is pure, honorable, trustworthy, sincere and aiming only for the best interests.”Too bad el-Sisi is not an American. He could run as presidential candidate for the Republicans and give Trump a real battle.


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