OPINIONS differ about the smart card, which has replaced the traditional ration card, used by many members of the public to buy Government-subsidised foodstuffs. “Each card has its pros and cons,” says Mohamed el-Gazar, who lives in Alexandria. “Still, the new card allows people to choose only what they need and leave the rest, which is good for other citizens,” he explains. One of the benefits of the new smart card is that it has helped reduce the queues outside the public-sector outlets that sell the subsidised goods. Hana' Mohamed, a housewife, notes that she has been allowed to add her newborn child to her new smart card, which means she can get more subsidised goods. Certain goods and services are heavily subsidised by the Government to help the poor. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Social Solidarity has removed tea from the list of subsidised food, because of the low demand for it. Ahmed Salem, a public servant, is worried that his smart card could get lost or damaged, which means a fine of LE25 ($4.50). Another citizen, Ibrahim Rostom, complains that the check-out machine in the shop has refused his smart card more than once, when he really needed to buy some subsidised goods. “Another disadvantage with the new card is that it doesn't allow people to postpone purchasing the goods for more than a month, even if they're very short of money,” he complains. The shopkeepers who sell the subsidised goods are also complaining about the new system. One of them, Mohamed Fathi, says that the receipt issued by the check-out machine was only for the price of the commodities ��" the duty stamp fees and transportation costs are not included and the customer refuses to pay them. “The distributor therefore loses out on his profit,” he said, whileanother distributor complained that the goods were delivered three times a week under the new system, making it more expensive than the old system, where there were twice-monthly deliveries. A third citizen, Ahmed el-Sokari, says that he often goes to the shops to buy his subsidised goods, but often they don't have what he wants, so he has to go back again. Undersecretary of the Ministry of Social Solidarity for the coastal city of Alexandria Mosaad el-Manawati says that the electronic card, also called the family card, will eventually give the owner access to his health insurance and pension too; at present, it only gives people access to subsidised goods. “The public should look after their smart cards very carefully, treating them like their national ID cards,” stresses el-Manawati. “The distributors will be given special courses by the Chamber of Commerce in how to operate the check-out machines. They will earn LE1 every time a customer buys goods from them.”
