EGYPT: Everything I Asked

Five weeks ago, with Cairo literally aflame and his people running riot in the streets, Egypt’s King appointed a new Premier to head his government. Last week, after the second shortest tenure (34 days) in the history of the office, the new Premier resigned. “Certain obstacles,” departing Aly Maher Pasha explained to the King, “stood in the way of the completion of my mission.”

One of the obstacles was King Farouk himself. Another was his bitter enemy, the corrupt Wafd Party, which still holds a comfortable majority in Egypt’s Parliament. Farouk wanted first to clean up the mess of corruption in Egypt’s politics, and then to come to sensible terms with the British over Suez. Maher preferred, instead, to string along with the potent Wafdists and their leader Serag el Din, a prime instigator of the nationalist riots, and with their help do what he could with the British.

Chill. Last week, on the very morning when Maher was to meet Britain’s Ambassador Sir Ralph Stevenson to begin talks on settlement of the Anglo-Egyptian dispute, the Briton developed a sudden “chill” and sent his regrets to Maher by messenger. On medical grounds the chill was somewhat inexplicable, since Sir Ralph, hale & hearty, had been seen playing a rousing game of cricket only the day before. On diplomatic grounds it was easily explained: King Farouk himself had asked the Briton to call off the talks, since he was about to sack the Premier. Maher called a hasty meeting of the cabinet and handed in his resignation. To take his place, Farouk appointed a new Premier who vowed: “No truce with corruption.”

Ahmed Naguib el Hilaly Pasha, 60, a mild-spoken man with a deceptive Milquetoast look, is an open enemy of Wafdist graft, an ex-member of the Wafd executive committee who was drummed out of the party only a few months ago for fighting the wholesale corruption from within. Scion of a wealthy family, Hilaly has made a fortune of his own practicing law. He has taught law at Fuad University and served in the cabinet at various times as Minister of Education and Minister of Commerce and Industry. A moderate, with a reputation for cutting candor and a nimble wit, he shares none of the anti-Britishism which characterizes both Maher and the more fanatic Wafdists.

Challenge. King Farouk, Hilaly once said, has a good sense of political timing, and is well aware that “an operation at the wrong time can be fatal to the patient.” Neither King nor Premier could now capitulate completely to the British, even if he wanted to. Instead, the new Premier decided to turn first to corruption within. He suspended Parliament for a month, and shut down his old Fuad University, which, he said, had become “a rumor serpent.” A few days before, Fuad students had paraded with placards threatening riots if the British were not thrown out within 20 days. Then the Premier announced, in a note to the King, that he would get after the corruption and nepotism which had poisoned the Wafd party. “Parliamentary seats are sold by auction,” he said, “and government posts have become the prerogatives of relatives and friends.”

“I hope,” Farouk answered, “that you will succeed in this great program, which includes everything I might have asked you to do.”