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politics
A day in the life of a candidate from Sinai
By Ashraf Al- Anany from Sinai - - 09 January 2012

 

EgyptVotes' lens follows Mohsen Abu Hooly, an independent candidate in the North Sinai electoral district. Abu Hooly is one of the few candidates in North Sinai to have completed graduate school. Through his candidacy, he hopes to change stereotypes about Sinai Bedouin.
Mohsen hails from the al-Monayaa Sawarka clan and is one of the few North Sinai candidates to have earned a graduate diploma, having received a degree in Arabic literature from Dar al-Ulum. Abu Hooly said his decision to run in the current elections stems from his belief that the situation after the revolution would drive anyone aiming to serve the community to join the election contest. He thinks that his graduate degree will help him out in the election contest, having given him a vision of the situation in Sinai and how to develop the region. "More importantly," he said, "I aspire to an outstanding, distinguished performance in parliament that corrects the mistaken image people have about the Sinai Bedouin."

EgyptVotes' lens follows Mohsen Abu Hooly, an independent candidate in the North Sinai electoral district. Abu Hooly is one of the few candidates in North Sinai to have completed graduate school. Through his candidacy, he hopes to change stereotypes about Sinai Bedouin.

 

Mohsen hails from the al-Monayaa Sawarka clan and is one of the few North Sinai candidates to have earned a graduate diploma, having received a degree in Arabic literature from Dar al-Ulum. Abu Hooly said his decision to run in the current elections stems from his belief that the situation after the revolution would drive anyone aiming to serve the community to join the election contest. He thinks that his graduate degree will help him out in the election contest, having given him a vision of the situation in Sinai and how to develop the region. "More importantly," he said, "I aspire to an outstanding, distinguished performance in parliament that corrects the mistaken image people have about the Sinai Bedouin."
 
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Mohsen Abu Hooly believes that drawing up a precise plan for his election campaign is the basis of his success. For this reason, he was intent on personally tracking every detail of his electoral program at his home. Here he is going over voter lists, and a little while ago he was going over lists of delegates and representatives.
Abu Hooly obtained a degree in Arabic literature from Dar al-Ulum. However, he is still part of one of the major tribes in Sinai, the Sawarka tribe. He will not change his wardrobe and replace his galabiya and the turban on his head with some sort of suit. He still speaks to his guests in the Bedouin dialect – he even still shakes hands in the traditional Bedouin way.
Whereas tribe members once were concentrated at just a few locations, the electoral district was expanded so that tribe members were divided across several different polling stations. This has compounded Abu Hooly's difficulty in coordinating with members of his tribe. He is here with a coordinator from another Sawarka clan.
Al-Arish represents a significant voting bloc -- the most important in North Sinai -- and Abu Hooly set his eyes upon it early. He is here with a family elder in al-Arish, whom he is visiting at his home. They are chatting about public and private matters that have nothing to do with elections, but in the end, the host will surely confirm that he is siding with Abu Hooly.
The tribe first, second, and last. This is the content of Abu Hooly's talk with his host, who stressed the importance of setting up a cohesive social entity for the tribe amid changes taking place. He also said he would back Abu Hooly for the sake of the tribe and the tribe's best interest, adding, "If the tribe rallied around the heart of just one man, we would have two members and not just one."
"The campaign poster is important, especially if it is placed on a car's rear or side window. This is the common method of campaign advertising in Sinai, where cars are driving everywhere: it's like a highly influential, mobile advertisement."
Abu Hooly's guests always find him cheery and affable. Unlike many candidates, he turns off his mobile phone. He always has an open palm to shake the hands of his acquaintances and the crowd of his supporters. Here he is in al-Bahr Street in al-Arish greeting one of them.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that tribalism and clannishness are among the most important social motivators in Sinai, not just in the elections, but in many aspects of life. However, this is not the only factor behind Mohsen Abu Hooly's zeal to run as an individual-professional candidate for the North Sinai district. The current situation in Sinai, he said, especially after the revolution, has motivated anyone planning to serve the community to run in the elections. "My graduate degree from Dar al-Ulum," he says, "has allowed me to judge matters, and helped me form a vision to serve Sinai and Sinai's future."
Tribalism is not a factor behind Abu Hooly's enthusiasm. A member of the al-Manayaa clan of the Sawarka tribe, he wishes to run as an individual-professional candidate for the North Sinai electoral district to bring forth projects to serve the community.
More importantly, he wishes to achieve an outstanding, distinguished performance in parliament that corrects the mistaken image people have of Sinai Bedouin.
As part of his campaigning, Abu Hooly travels around the electoral district – which extends from Balouza in the west to Rafah in the east, near his birthplace in the village of Mahdiya on the Egyptian border with Gaza.
Will Abu Hooly succeed in realizing his dream and win enough votes to quality for a seat in the revolution parliament?