If you’ve lived in Egypt long enough, you probably know that the police force is colloquially dubbed “the government.” It is the first arm of the government encountered by citizens in their daily lives. For as long as I’ve lived, there has always been a mutual sense of resentment, animosity and even contempt between the …
Us Egyptians are proud and our honour reigns supreme. It doesn’t matter if you’re a wealthy businessman or a destitute employee, an illiterate farmer or an erudite scholar, a petty thief or an upright gentleman, a teenager or a grandparent, Muslim or Coptic, this particular susceptibility prevails among all Egyptians. It is part of our …
Looking at how the presidency chose to deal with last week’s turmoil, it has become increasingly difficult to find a silver lining. The dreadful sight of Egyptians killing one another over political beliefs with such conviction is unprecedented, and it makes me sick to see politicians use that to further their agendas with absolute disregard …
As social fissures deepen and clouds of bellicosity darken the skies of Egypt, threatening a deluge of violence, Morsy’s dismissive attitude reveals his once-masked dictatorial disposition. In his interview on Egyptian National Television, Morsy’s spoke in the tone of the patriarch, the father to all Egyptians, a tone quite reminiscent of his ousted predecessor. “Those …
The air of ambiguity surrounding Egypt’s receipt of the IMF loan provides a distraction from what the loan is really about, and the clandestine nature of the negotiations goes a long way towards substantiating the true objective of the loan. For the sake of dodging bouts of public rage in times when they’re as frequent …
Drops of tax “reforms” have been percolating from the cabinet to the public over the past few days, leaving the latter surprised, bewildered and anxious as to what’s yet to come. Wednesday the government approved a progressive income tax and variety of taxes on the securities market. Yesterday, a one per cent bump in sales …
The petroleum ministry is in its final stages of sanctioning the importation of natural gas by the private sector of the hydrocarbon industry. Many questions come to mind as to the consequences of such move, considering the absence of information to clarify the mechanisms by which the government is proposing to implement this policy. Why …
The government’s prescription to treat the economic recession we’re currently enduring has been a two-fold solution of increasing foreign investment and seeking more international loans. The monetary policy of maintaining the stability of the Egyptian pound against depreciation is a top priority. But how long can the state keep this up? How overvalued is the …