Egyptians cherish their pride, an innate disposition inbred in cultural norms and social inclinations. Some examples that corroborate this notion will lead us to discuss a pressing issue, that of Egyptian nationality, and, later, a fundamental question: are we overplaying the pretentious side of pride? It doesn't come naturally for Egyptians to own up to a mistake, and the notion of apologising remains awkward for most as to shame oneself goes against our sense of pride. “I erred and hereby I apologise” is a statement that is totally alien to most Egyptians. The most common approach after a blunder occurs is to go on the defensive, justify one's actions, or give excuses so as to seem less at fault. This applies to individuals, businesses, and governments alike. After eating at a restaurant, it is uncommon for Egyptians to ask for the leftover food, preferring to come across as possibly wasteful but definitely not stingy. This is changing slightly, though. Today, as take-out meals become more common, a few courageous souls may ask the waiter to put the leftovers in a good-to-go container. In many other countries, it is a given that patrons will take the leftovers with them. Why allow good food to go to waste? To Italians, who may be similar to Egyptians in many ways, the act of taking home leftover food is not widespread either. But a new initiative may be alleviating the shame associated with asking for leftover food. New measures in Italy allow restaurants and grocery stores to donate surplus food, to sell unwanted food at a discount, and, for customers, to ask for a “doggy bag” for leftovers, renaming it a “family bag.” Hand-me-downs between friends and relatives in the western world are very common, but not in Egypt. And even if they do exist in Egypt, they are done in secret: never wear hand-me-downs among mutual friends. While in the western world when someone comments on a piece of attire the response might be, “it belonged to so and so, but she outgrew it, and it doesn't fit her anymore, or she got bored with it.” No mortification or shame is involved. Many well-to-do westerners buy their clothes from consignment stores, i.e. second-hand stores, a practice that would never become popular in Egypt. Pride turns into indignation in more complicated matters. Hussein Salem, a former business associate of former president Hosni Mubarak, is returning to Egypt in exchange for LE5.3 billion. According to Al-Ahram daily, Salem handed over LE5.3 billion in hard currency (US$596 million) in exchange for his and his family's names being dropped from banned travel lists.ِ While every dime that returns to its rightful owner is a plus, some Egyptians went berserk over Salem's return to Egypt. Their pride does not allow them to forgive or forget despite the benefits that could befall Egypt from the transaction. Salem, an 83-year-old man, is willing to give up 75 per cent of his wealth to be able to return to Egypt and die on its soil. Why not, I say. Here is a more pressing matter. A new law is in the works and may come into effect if ratified by parliament. It offers investors residency in Egypt for a thus far undisclosed amount, followed by citizenship after a specific number of years. Again, many Egyptians have pegged their anger on the notion that “#EgyptIsNotForSale.” A few explanations are in order. In developed countries such as the US and Canada, the notion of luring investors with citizenship rewards is very common. In the same way that brains are lured by scholarships and grants, businesspersons are enticed by the possibility of attaining citizenship. It is a win-win situation. In Canada, under the Immigrant Investor Venture Pilot Programme an immigrant can qualify as an investor if he or she is able to make a US$2 million at-risk (non-guaranteed) investment for approximately 15 years and has a net worth of at least US$10 million acquired through legitimate investments or businesses. Costly, don't you think? A new law is also coming into effect that restricts, but also allows and simultaneously makes use of, how foreigners own property or real estate in British Columbia in Canada. A new tax adds an additional 15 per cent property transfer levy on the price of residential real estate bought by foreign nationals. Yes, foreigners are allowed to buy property, but the province of British Columbia gains from the transfer, too. If a residential property is worth US$2 million, the foreign buyer would pay an extra US$300,000 over and above what a Canadian buyer would pay in taxes. Similar but not as highly priced as the Canadian Immigrant Investor Venture, the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa in the US is often referred to as “the million-dollar Green Card.” The immigrant invests US$1 million in a city setting, or US$500,000 in a rural setting. Again, the funds must come from a legitimate source. The whole amount of the investment must be active or at risk; in other words, the capital must be paid in full up front. These conditions, though tough, allow those who have the means to immigrate to the countries of their dreams to do so, while the countries concerned, in this case Canada and the US, gain from offering their citizenship to not only affluent but also entrepreneurial minds. The new law in Egypt may not attract that many Egyptian nationality seekers, but some may choose to go down that path. The security of having Egyptian nationality may be worth much to some, especially if they are already residing in Egypt. Many fleeing their own countries see Egypt as a safe haven: Iraqis, Syrians, Sudanese, Libyans, and prior to all these, Palestinians. However, they do not live in camps, but amongst Egyptians. They enjoy subsidised gas and electricity, establish businesses and profit from them, and lead similar lives to those of Egyptians. These folks become an intricate part of the Egyptian social web. The saying “his ass bare, he shimmies to and fro and asks for directions to the bar” applies succinctly to those who are against the new citizenship law, squandering opportunities as though they had a lot already. Complaining when millions of foreigners live and profit from being in Egypt is inexplicable. So is complaining when Egypt is in dire need of hard currency. I believe it is high time we realised that pride is a good thing, but overdramatising it may work against us in the long run. It is high time we downplayed the notion of pride and faced reality. The writer is a political analyst.
