RIDDLE OF THE SPHINX.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 103, 3 May 1930, Page 9 (Supplement)

RIDDLE OF THE SPHINX.

i THE FUTURE OF EGYPT. !WII»Ii THE WAFD SUCCEED ? IMPORTANT PEASANT FACTOR. [(By the RT. HON. H. A. L. FISHER.) The writer has recenfly returned from a prolonged stay in Egypt, where he has made a close study of political conditions. The future of Egypt! How many winter visitors to Cairo and Luxor trouble to ask themselves this question? In Egypt everything speaks of a distant past. Old tombs, old'temples, archaic modes of life confront us everywhere. Even in the days of Herodotus, the monuments of Memphis were of immense antiquity. As the traveller crosses the Delta, now (for they are cutting the clover), an expanse of dazzling green, he witnesses scenes of rural life depicted on the monuments of the Third Dynasty. Yet in Cairo, and wherever Egyptians meet together to discuss public affairs, there has been much talk of the future of Egypt this winter. A general election has been held, a new. Ministry has. been formed, the experiment of Egyptian Parliamentary life is once more to be made. This ancient land, so long governed by aliens, Romans, Arabs, Turks, British, appears to be in sight of political independence j for if the with Britain goes through, Egypt ;will in effect achieve her independence. The Treaty is the theme of every private' conversation. Nobody underrates its importance. It promises to effect the withdrawal of the British troops from Cairo and Alexandria, to put an end to the capitulations under which the foreign communities in Egypt have long enjoyed a privileged position, even as similar privileges have been abolished in Japan and Turkey, •and to leave Egypt free to enter the League of Nations as a sovereign and independent State. Politicians' Opportunity. ' Yet in the recent elections nothing jwas publicly said of this all-important Issue. Never was there a more successful conspiracy of silence. The [Wafd, or Nationalist party, which has come into power with an overwhelming majority, neither applauded the Treaty nor condemned it. They said nothing about it, and nobody knows what their attitude will be. Probably they will stand out for additional concessions, for !t is unlikely that they will be willing to accept without modification a treaty 'drafted by a preceding government. And the concessions, especially if they have reference to the Sudan, are unlikely to J}o accepted by the British Government. However this may be, we cannot doubt but that, sooner or later, the AngloEgyptian question will be adjusted and removed from the programmes of Egyptian politicians. If the Wafd is Wise, they will settle now, whije the Labour party is in power in England, but even if they miss their opportunity, others will take it hereafter. When a modus vivendi has been reached, the Egyptian Parliament will be able._ to settle down to its proper task, of improving the condition of the Egyptian people. . . -ui Are the Egyptian politicians capable bf rising to their responsibiltiy in this matter'" That is the real question which the friends of Egypt ask themselves to-day. Will they bring e ectricity to the villages, supply the fellaheen with water, and reconstruct the foul little mud hovels in which the suffering toilers of Egypt have from time immemorial passed their lives? Haye they the public spirit, have they the knowledge, have they the steady determination to carry out these great and necessary projects t Egypt is waiting to see. More Eloquence than Courage. There is another question which ■people in Cairo are asking themselves at this moment. The Wafd are professed constitutionalists. It is part ot their programme to strengthen and _ secure Parliamentary government against all assailants. They do not propose, if they can help it, that Egypt should be exposed to another Dictatorship. , 1S said that they intend to abridge the prerogatives Of the Crown. Th e y s a for continuous and effective Parliamentary government. Will they succeed? There are able and honest men m the |Wafd party, but Parliamentary government, if it is to succeed, wants more ■than this. It wants a certain -discipline, in the Cabinet, in Parliament, in the 'Administrative Departments. In this discipline has' eo far been lacking. Very sweeping changes are not to oe expected. The Egyptian Treasury is not strong enough to bear cost either of a universal system of education, Bhould that be desired, or of the rehousing upon large line® Of the village population. Nor is there in Egypt, so far as it would appear, any of that revolutionary sentiment about religion and ethics which has carried everything before it in Turkey. Religious Conservatism. In Cairo, Moslem women still, for the inost part, go about veiled and the Koran is still committed to memory- in the famous Theological University of El Azar. Indeed, the requirements as to the amount of the Koran necessary to be learned by heart in this shrine of Moslen? orthodoxy have recently been stiffened by King Fuad, who, warned by the fate of the monarch of Afghanistan, has become very conservative in these matters. An agnostic or infidel Egypt is not to be thought of. The country has never been fanatical, but it is slow to change the fundamentals of its religious life and is not likely to be bullied into doing so. ■ Nevertheless, the continued existence 'of Moslem orthodoxy constitutes in itself a certain danger to Parliamentary l;fe. A fanatical Moslem is not difficult to arouse and from time to time the Parliamentary politician may, for his own party purposes, find it useful to stir the embers into flames. The party of progress Will always .be exposed to this riskr It will always be exposed to the danger that its opponents will make their appeal to Islamic and even to Pan-Islamic sentiment and that the fairest schemes Of reform may be wrecked 'on the stubborn rock of Moslem orthodoxy. There is another risk to be taken into account. Should the peasantry receive an education, will they be contented with their far too meagre share of the . national dividend ? Many Egyptian nationalists, being well-to-do men, answer this" question in the negative, and for this reason are reluctant to. embark upon any course of policy likely to set the peasant mind in movement. Thus finance, religion, economic apprehension will combine to check the track of political progress in Egypt. —(AngloAmerican N.S. copyright.) j