Egypt actor Amr Waked slams president’s remarks on overpopulation, lack of food

Egyptian actor Amr Waked has criticised President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi for saying he does not have enough food to feed his people due to overpopulation.

“No president is required to feed his people because he does not own the food and he does not own the people,” Waked wrote on Twitter.

“A president is only required to prepare the conditions for the people so they can eat by themselves. For example, by preventing the army from competing in the civilian economy, preventing monopoly, and working on the enactment of laws to support equal opportunities. [A president] is neither the father nor the mother of the people,” he added.

On Monday, Al-Sisi criticised “demands” by foreign countries, which he did not name, to grant Egyptians their rights, citing the overpopulation problem and “his inability” to provide food security, health care, or job opportunities.

Earlier, Human Rights Watch said that since he came to power in 2014, Al-Sisi has overseen the brutal repression of his people that may have reached the level of crimes against humanity, with countless cases of arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and widespread torture.

READ: The human rights file is a top priority for Egypt