When I heard about the ministers’ dismay over recent criticism, I could not help but recall Tony Blair’s candid line in his memoirs: “Leave before they stop listening, stop liking, and start hating… that was my hope.”
It seems no member of this cabinet truly grasps the nature of public affection.
Being largely technocrats rather than seasoned politicians, they fail to recognize that even the most passionate love affair with the public is fleeting. History bears this out; even giants like Charles de Gaulle could not escape the eventual turn of public sentiment.
I find this thin-skinned resentment utterly baffling for public servants.
Anyone stepping into public office must understand the inherent bargain of the role—its costs and liabilities as much as its privileges. To govern is to invite scrutiny, especially when your decisions touch the lives of millions.
Widespread public approval is a rarity under normal circumstances; expecting it amidst the severe, extraordinary hardships our country faces today is sheer delusion.
Can a minister in a government pursuing deeply unpopular policies realistically expect a positive reaction from the public? Decidedly not. Will the public warm to them? Absolutely not. A minister must realize that maintaining minimal engagement under the posture of “we are doing what we believe is right” will never win public approval.
Ministers and officials suffer from a fundamental failure to understand public sentiment—a skill that requires training and education in the absence of a background in politics.
Most of our ministers simply do not grasp political dynamics or the obligations of public office.
This administration is plagued by a crisis in political communication. It fails to engage effectively with the public; when it does, the effort is often performative or delayed. When officials do surface, they frequently rely on outlets lacking credibility. As a result, their message gets lost, fails to resonate in the public square, or even sparks new crises due to missteps at every stage—from the choice of platform to the tone of the message and a lack of respect for dissenting views.
Rather than addressing direct public concerns, most current ministers resort to drowning the public in numbers—an obsession with presentations that avoids the hard questions. Countless opportunities to build trust have been lost simply because the government lacks a coherent political communication strategy.
A minister grows angry, even while knowing that transparency is the only shield against public criticism. If officials truly believed in public accountability, there would be no room for anger—they are, after all, bound by oath to serve the people.
Instead, years of sidelined media and restricted freedoms have fostered an illusion that accountability no longer exists. Believing scrutiny is suspended, officials react with indignation to the slightest word of public critique.
This anger over criticism reveals a broader truth about the administration and its policy biases, from Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly down to the newest cabinet appointees.
The government remains at odds with the middle class, despite many ministers hailing from it themselves. They fail to grasp that the absolute baseline for any successful public policy is empowering the middle class—not crushing it.
Nor is it possible to understand the administration’s persistent logic, which consistently prioritizes concrete and infrastructure over human well-being.
Even the administration’s social programs amount to a mere drop in the ocean compared to the relentless burden of fees, inflation, and economic strain imposed on citizens.
Public office is a privilege, and serving the public is its duty.
Those unwilling to bear that weight should have declined their cabinet appointments in the first place, rather than blaming the public. These ministers must read history and relearn the fundamental tenets of public life and civic duty.
There is no such thing as an “offended government.”
Author’s biography:
Alaa Al-Ghadrify has been the Editor-in-Chief of the Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper since October 2023, and the Executive Editor-in-Chief at ONA Media Group since 2016.
He is also an opinion writer in Al-Watan newspaper and Masrawy website, and an advisor at the Egypt Media Forum.
He further serves as a lecturer in television journalism and in-depth journalism for postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Mass Communication at Cairo University.
He worked as Editor-in-Chief of CBC Extra channel, which he founded, as former Managing-Editor of Al Watan newspaper, and former Executive Editor-in-Chief of its website.
He also co-founded the Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper, the Al Watan newspaper, and the Al Ashera Masaan program on Dream TV channel, and was the Head of Program Editing at Alhurra channel.
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