Deception

Commenting on the President"s 30% raise, I once said it aimed at aborting May 4 strike by dissuading people from participating in it.

The public should be fully aware of that, since we are used to the government’s policy of deceiving the people and spreading illusions about genuine developments in crises such as price hikes and low wages that have reached unbelievable levels robbing the Egyptian citizen from the least human requirements.

Our expectations came true. A day after May 4, the government approved a bill that increases prices of fuel and other commodities, which is obviously a withdrawal of pre-May 4 promises.

This regime is untrustworthy, which is nothing new. What is new, however, is the unusually fast decision taken by the government.

The government did not give the people a chance to celebrate the pay rise. It has stolen people’s happiness. Even dreams are banned in Egypt. But why should the people feel happy? Don’t they know that they are ruled by an authority whose aim is to make them deeply miserable?!

Monopolists could have solved the crisis through the energy, basic material, and long term support they enjoy. The Iron and Cement industry for example should have undertaken part of the responsibility in return for the reduced prices of gas and crude material it obtained, not to mention gas exports to Israeli occupation by 10% of world prices.

So, how will people react? I believe that the situation will be much more complex, as discontent will greatly rise, much more than ever before. There is an overwhelming sense of humiliation as people feel they have been fooled. This requires an emergency meeting of all national and political currents and civil society organizations to set the framework for the next step to be taken in response to the hard circumstances we are witnessing.

The current crisis is not a problem of high prices as much as it represents ill governance. Despotism and corruption have become out of proportion. It is a government that lacks credibility and transparency. It is disabled, has failed to rule the country, and yet insists on monopolizing power.

Political stagnation has led to scientific, technological, and cultural backwardness. Egypt"s pivotal and strategic role in international and regional affairs has been tarnished.

The problem lies in poor production that made us count on imports for our lives and food. On the one hand, this binds us to global prices, on the other it leads to the loss of political independence. Nevertheless, poor production results from the prevalence of passivism, recklessness, disappointment, and weak sense of belonging and loyalty, all are natural results of corruption and tyranny.