Morsi and Sisi: a vaudeville act dooming Egypt

Why did the deposed Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, not think that he was incriminating himself when he said last week that Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his officers were responsible for killing protesters in the 2011 revolution?

Why did he reveal, in comments made in court on Sunday, that he refused to arrest officers named in an official report, along with Sisi, to ensure unity of the army?

Did he not realise his own contradiction when he stated later that he had told the head of the Republican Guard to fight the army, if need be, to keep him in power?

And why is the unity of the army important to Morsi when the issue is about the blood of civilians, but of no importance when it comes to keeping him in power?

Does Morsi think people will forget his repeated praise of the army chiefs as "men who are like gold", or his suggestion to appoint Sisi as prime minister long before the very same man led an army coup against him in July 2013?

All of these statements were made in court, where Morsi stands accused of spying for foreign powers during his time as president.

And now on to Sisi. Does the current president not understand that trying Morsi for espionage actually incriminates him and the heads of his security agencies, because they allowed a foreign spy to become president?

Sisi has repeatedly stated that he helped Morsi stay in power (before toppling him, of course).

Furthermore, why does Sisi allow loyal media outlets to accuse the Muslim Brotherhood of killing protesters, given that accusation would require Sisi to be tried because he allowed killers, whom he has evidence against, to reach the highest levels of decision-making?

The answer to all of these questions is this: Neither Morsi nor Sisi expect to be questioned or held accountable by their supporters. They are sure their supporters will justify their actions.

There is no need for anyone's statements to be logical and measured because the minds of the supporters are made up, and they will volunteer to fill any gaps and disprove any contradictions.

Neither Morsi nor Sisi expect to be questioned or held accountable by their supporters. They are sure their supporters will justify their actions.

Sisi and Morsi are engaged in a farcical battle, and the victims are the simpletons who believe and are prepared to die for their slogans.

And for this farcical battle to end, Morsi and Sisi want the people of Egypt to choose between two options:

* Believe Morsi's claims that if this "Friday of endurance" does not topple the pretender Sisi, the next one surely will. Believe that those army chiefs will be brought to justice when he retakes his rightful position of president.

* Believe Sisi's claims that he is the only hope for Egypt, and that the country under him will become a world leader. Believe that no one has been imprisoned for expressing opinions, that Sisi eradicate the Muslim Brotherhood and lead Egypt into a new era of enlightenment and rationality.

Fortunately, these are not the only choices for those who have retained their intelligence. They will realise that they can do their best to create a just alternative based on reason and awareness, and refuse to become yet another zero who dies for a ridiculous argument.

This is an edited translation of the original Arabic.